Bristol Who’s Who Recognizes Dr. Donald L. Piper

 

Don is an Associate Vice President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. He has devoted more than six decades to the field of education. Unlike his peers, Donald had an unconventional start to his career: In the spring of 1952 at the age of 18 he graduated from high school, was awarded a scholarship on the basis of his high Nebraska Regents examination score, and completed a twelve-week summer session at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He began teaching in a one-room country school in Howard County Nebraska. (He rode his horse to school a number of days because the one-room school was on a dirt road that was impassable when it rained.) He then went on to complete 11 years as a teacher and then an administrator in Nebraska and Illinois.

Completing his doctorate in 1968 brought to a close 11 years of serving as a teacher, bus driver, and administrator in several K-12 schools in two different states. He then changed his focus to serve as a professor and administrator in various positions (professor, chair of a graduate department, founding director of a free-standing graduate center located in Bismarck approximately 270 miles away from the main UND campus, director of university-wide summer sessions, visiting distinguished professor at Southwest Texas State University, associate vice president for enrollment management) in several universities in three different states. His longest tenure has been at the University of North Dakota where he will be entering his 42nd year.

Throughout his professional career Don has had an abiding interest in education in other states and countries. He has visited schools and other educational institutions in every U.S. state except Alaska and has traveled around the world participating in educational study tours in Canada, Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, India, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and England. He has visited several of these countries more than once. All of these experiences have given him a renewed appreciation for the United States of America.

Don has supervised a large number of successful doctoral and master’s students, most of whom have gone on to hold high level positions in public schools or universities. He has answered the call to direct several university-wide task forces and state or regional planning processes. For many years he has worked directly with public schools throughout North Dakota and in several other states helping them with school district reorganization and State Educational Improvement Programs (SEIP).

Don has completed at least 75 public or professional speaking engagements over the years, and he has given untold numbers of lectures. He has published numerous articles on topics such as decision-making and organizational behavior and has been the author or co-author of three books. He has developed a reputation for being a master editor. Often when a report is being prepared, someone may ask, “Has this been Piperized yet?”

In addition to Don’s professional career he spends time engaging in volunteer work and helping in his church. For almost a decade he has worked as an election inspector in several different precincts, starting as a judge and then moving up to serve as an inspector. In his church he is a former Sunday School teacher, a former elder, and a communion usher and he continues to sing in the choir, which he has done for most of his life.

Don is a committed family man. He and his wife of 53 years have four sons, four daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren. Several years ago June, his wife and lifelong partner of 53 years, died of cancer leaving an unfillable empty space in Don’s life. He and his little dog Digger continue to try to build functioning lives for themselves and to make the best of the years that they have left.

Don attributes all of his success to being a committed professional, working very hard, being honest in all situations, and maintaining his integrity above all else. He clearly has earned a reputation for “getting the job done” no matter what the assignment might be.At this stage in Don’s career he is looking to be recognized for his lifelong achievements and to connecting with other likeminded professionals.

Bristol Who’s Who Member Dr. Donald Piper can be found on the Who’s Who Directory where he is looking forward to networking with you.