Elmer William Ziebarth was born on October 4, 1910 in Columbus, Wisconsin. He earned his B.S. in 1933 and Ph.M. in 1934 from the University of Wisconsin. In 1948, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He began his career at the University of Minnesota in 1936 as an instructor in the speech department. He was appointed as program director for radio broadcasting in 1938 and acting manager in 1944. In 1945, Dr. Ziebarth resigned from the University to become the educational director and production manager of WCCO, the Minneapolis/St. Paul affiliate of CBS. He held this position until 1948, when he returned to the University of Minnesota as associate professor and chair of the speech department. He was promoted to professor in 1949.
In 1953, Dr. Ziebarth was named dean of the summer school and in 1962, he was named to the position of dean of the extension service. Beginning in 1963, Dr. Ziebarth was appointed as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He resigned from this position in 1973 to return to his role as professor. In 1974, he was named as interim president of the University of Minnesota. After his five month interim appointment as president ended, Dr. Ziebarth was elected as vice president of the Twin City Area Educational Television Corporation; he was promoted to interim general manager in 1976. Dr. Ziebarth retired from the University of Minnesota as professor emeritus in the 1970s. E. Z. Ziebarth died on February 27, 2001.
From the guide to the Elmer W. Ziebarth papers, 1954-1973, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])
