Dr. Edgar L. Harden became President of Northern Michigan College in 1956. Previously, he had served as Dean of Continuing Education at Michigan State University. Harden is generally credited with saving Northern from closure. In 1956 the student population was roughly 800 but nearly reached 8,000 in 1967. During this period, Northern's campus and physical plant expanded to its present size. Harden also instituted Northern's "Right to Try" admission policy. Harden left office to enter private industry and served in 1979 as president of Michigan State University. He died in 1996.
From the description of Edgar L. Harden papers 1935 - 1992 1956 - 1967 (Olson Library, Northern Michigan University). WorldCat record id: 123771932
