Campbell's visionary leader dies

Norman Wiggins helped build a small college into one of the largest Baptist universities in the country

When Norman Wiggins first walked onto Campbell University's campus as a student in the early 1940s, few had heard of the junior college.

After a lifetime devoted to the university, the longtime president and chancellor has left behind a school whose influence extends far beyond the small town of Buies Creek.

Those who knew Wiggins, who died Wednesday at age 83, say Campbell can thank his unbending will and persistence for its growth in the world of higher education.

"Dr. Wiggins was a visionary leader," said Michael Cogdill, dean of Campbell's Divinity School. "He was untiring in his efforts to promote Campbell University, not only among Baptists but among all North Carolina citizens."

Wiggins became president of what was then Campbell College in 1967 and remained in the position until 2003, when he retired at 79 and was named chancellor.

He established five professional schools during his tenure and led Campbell's transformation to a university in 1979. Campbell now enrolls roughly 10,000 students, making it one of the largest Baptist universities in the country.

"No doubt, the success of Dr. Wiggins' 40-year tenure as president and chancellor of Campbell University is one of the greatest stories in higher education in America," Campbell President Jerry Wallace said in a statement.

The university said Wiggins died under hospital care in Winston-Salem from complications from lymphoma. He had taken a short leave as university president in 2001 after being diagnosed with that form of cancer.

He is survived by Millie, his wife of more than 50 years.

Born in Burlington in 1924, Wiggins served with the Marines during World War II. Afterward, he got his Associate of Arts degree at Campbell, then studied law at Wake Forest and Columbia universities.

After working as a law professor at Wake Forest, he was chosen to become Campbell's third president. During his 36 years as president, he took the university out of debt and extended its national imprint.

He spurned conventional wisdom more than a few times, sticking to values shaped by three influences in his life: the law, the military and his Baptist faith.

"He was forceful, determined," said Leary Davis, who was the founding dean at the Norman A. Wiggins Law School at Campbell. "He was motivated by and tried to be true to all the better values of those institutions."

The military influence was reflected in the school's strong ROTC program. Campbell started it as many schools were shutting down theirs amid anti-war sentiments in the 1970s.

Campbell also established educational opportunities at several military bases across the state, as well as a foreign program in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Wiggins developed close ties to Southern Baptists, even while other private schools in the state distanced themselves from their religious origins. Wiggins served as president of the Baptist State Convention for two years.

Religious values remain part of campus life with a strong academic program and bans on alcohol and premarital sex.

The strict religious policies have stirred some controversy, particularly when one religion professor was fired for joining a Methodist church and another had his contract withheld after he satirized Baptist beliefs in a novel.

But the school's Baptist affiliation has helped attract students and shape the school's vision.

"His purpose at Campbell was not to build a career or a resume to attract a more prestigious or promising position but to work toward what he considered was his divine mission," Wallace said. "He envisioned his work at Campbell as God's work and his calling."

Wiggins was committed to postgraduate education, though many questioned whether Campbell could support it. When Campbell founded its law school in 1976, it was just the fifth in the state and the first to open since 1940. In 1986, the university opened the nation's first pharmacy school in 38 years.

"With respect to graduate and professional education, he would certainly have to be considered a pioneer in North Carolina," Davis said.

Now, the university is in good health. Last year, Campbell set a record for undergraduate enrollment at 2,843. And the law school bears a strong reputation -- its graduates pass the state bar at a significantly higher rate than the North Carolina average, according to ilrg.com, a site that ranks law schools.

"He will be missed," Cogdill said. "All six schools of the university are doing well, and I think that's just a real tribute to his leadership."