Oral History Hallmark Assessment

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Robert Hausladen Jr. had a typical childhood. He grew up in an ordinary family environment acting as the older brother to his two siblings, a brother and a sister. His father worked in business while his mother worked as a nurse who had obtained her degree by interning at hospitals to pay college. His grandfather, a senior manager at Western Union, also played an important role in the development of his character throughout his childhood.

As a child, Robert always assumed that he would pursue some form of higher education after graduating from high school. From an early age, Robert was always self-motivated to learn new fields of study by reading as much as he could to help make him a more well-rounded learner, something that served him well when he joined the debate team during his freshmen year of high school. He had an excellent high school experience in terms of both academics and extra-curricular activities, helping to shape his personality as a young man. During all of his experiences in high school, he discovered that he had a passion for teaching and helping motivate individuals to reach their goals. This desire played an important role in Robert’s decision to pass up scholarship offers from colleges and universities to join the Brothers of Mary, a Roman Catholic institution, to become an ordained minister.

However, after spending just three weeks with the Brothers of Mary, Robert quickly realized that ministry was not the path for him. He decided to drop out of the Brothers of Mary with the hope of going to college instead but found his options drastically limited in comparison to just a few months prior. Without the possibility of either scholarship money or financial help from his parents to help cover his academic expenses, he quickly began to look at options in the St. Louis area that would allow him to attend college while living at home. While looking at prospective colleges to attend in the St. Louis area, he heavily considered Saint Louis University and Washington University, but realized that it is was not financially feasible to attend either of these institutions. Instead, he decided to attend the University of Missouri- St. Louis (UMSL) because it provided the best combination of academics and affordability for someone in his situation. While not much initial thought was put into choosing UMSL, besides the ability to live from home and pay his way through school, it would later turn into what he called “one of the best decisions of my life” (R. Hausladen, personal communication, April 3, 2019).

The first ideas for an institution of higher education at the current location of the University of Missouri St. Louis’ campus began in 1958 when the Normandy School District offered to buy 128 acres of the former Bellerive Country Club for the sight of a prospective community college (Mission and History, n.d.). Locals in the community were skeptical of this idea as many individuals in the St. Louis area considered the plan to be a “speculative venture” (Mission and History, n.d., para. 19). Despite the criticism, a bond issue was passed to buy the land, and by September 1960, the two-year community college named the Normandy Residence Center opened for classes (Mission and History, n.d.). Enrollment within the community college in 1960 consisted of only 215 total freshmen. These students, along with four full-time and eight part-time professors provided by the University of Missouri, squeezed into 12 classrooms that were part of the old clubhouse of the country club (Mission and History, n.d.). After just three years of operation, the Normandy School District and the University of Missouri reached an agreement for the university to purchase the property and assume control of the operations (Mission and History, n.d.). In September 1963, the Normandy Residence Center officially became known as the University of Missouri St. Louis (Mission and History, n.d.).

Today UMSL has an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, making the institution the largest university in terms of enrollment in the St. Louis area. UMSL is also the second largest university of the University of Missouri’s four campuses and is the third largest higher education institution in the state of Missouri when looking at enrollment numbers (Mission and History, n.d.). What started as just 12 combined full and part-time faculty members currently consists of 900 full-time and part-time faculty members at the institution (Mission and History, n.d.). More impressive, 90 percent of faculty members at UMSL have earned a doctorate degree, a figure, according to their website, “far exceeds the national average” (Mission and History, n.d., para. 25). UMSL’s curriculum has grown to include 56 undergraduate programs, 29 master’s programs and 13 doctoral programs (Mission and History, n.d.). The institution has more than 70,000 alumni, with more than 85 percent of alumni remaining in the St. Louis area after graduation, serving as leaders in the local communities, far exceeding the impact that leaders believed the institution could have ever had when it first opened in 1960 (History and Mission, n.d.).

In addition to UMSL meeting the criteria of affordability and location, Robert chose the institution for a couple of important reasons. First, he believed that UMSL gave him the best opportunity to continue his appreciation of self-learning (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Through opportunities that presented themselves in both academic coursework and extra-curricular activities, Robert had the chance to study topics that were not part of the standard curriculum and made valuable connections that proved useful later in his life. Second, it provided him with the best opportunities to find out which fields of study he was genuinely passionate about (personal communication, April 3, 2019). After finding out that he was not cut out for ministry, Robert wanted to make sure that he found an area of focus that he genuinely enjoyed. While in college, Robert switched his major three times; beginning in the sciences (physics and chemistry), switching to history, then switching to economics, before finally deciding on business administration. The relationship and daily conversations he had with his dad (a businessman) who drove him to high school played an essential role in his decision to ultimately pursue an undergraduate degree in business (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

This ideology fits into the context of what was occurring in higher education during the late 1960s into the early 1970s. Higher education from post-World War II to the 1960s was in a “golden age”. When Robert entered college at UMSL in the late 1960s, it began to signal the end of that golden age and ushered in a time where almost all higher education institutions experienced turbulent times (Thelin, 2011). These rough times in higher education occurred due to two key events. First, the higher education community had little systematic information about itself and did not think much about its long-term planning (Thelin, 2011). This lack of long-term planning by higher education institutions meant that they were not adequately prepared to deal with the changes that occurred on college campuses during the 1970s. Second, colleges and universities were overextended in their operating budgets in almost all sectors (Thelin, 2011). Both of these things resulted in an increase in the price to attend college in the late 1960s/ early 1970s (Thelin, 2011). While there was financial aid available to most incoming freshmen, just like it was available to Robert at first, it was no longer available to him after he left the Brothers of Mary. These circumstances left Robert in a unique situation of having to support his way financially through college. However, as Robert continued to work through his undergraduate and graduate program, the cost of college continued to rise throughout the 1970s. He noticed that an increasing number of students had to support themselves financially to get through college, just like he did (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

There was also a change in the profile of students who attended higher education institutions in the early 1970s (Thelin, 2011). Most relevant in Robert’s educational experience was that it was noted by faculty at the time that there was an obsession by both students and institutions with preprofessional studies such as business administration, management and accounting (Thelin, 2011). Robert confirmed this idea saying the UMSL began to build what he called one of the better business schools in the state of Missouri. Out of the University of Missouri system, it was well known that the UMSL had the best business school, something that Robert still believes is true today (personal communication, April 3, 2019). In addition to the relationship he had with his father, he said that UMSL’s reputation for having a substantial college of business played a significant role in his decision to eventually major in business administration (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

While Robert believes that trends in higher education did factor into his educational experience, he believes that UMSL’s vision and mission played a more significant role in his educational experience and growth as an individual throughout college. The mission of UMSL is “We transform lives” (Mission and History, n.d., para. 10). More specifically, the vision statement for UMSL reads:

“The University of Missouri-St. Louis will be a beacon of hope, a force for good, and a leader in the pursuit of excellence in education, impactful research and community service. We boldly assert that education is for everyone who is willing and able to seek it out. We honor the duties inherent in our land-grand beginnings by positioning ourselves as partners in the search for knowledge, progress and positive change for ourselves, our communities, our world” (Mission and History, n.d., para. 11).

The vision statement helps to build the six core values that UMSL hopes to instill upon its students: Integrity, Inclusion, Innovation, Access, Success and Engagement (Mission and History, n.d.).

Robert felt that the mission, vision and core values of UMSL allowed the institution to feel more practical than other institutions that he visited on campus tours, both before and during his time in college. As an urban campus, Robert thought that this practicality gave him opportunities to help gain valuable experiences that he might not have otherwise received if he attended a different institution (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

First, he received undergraduate educational instruction from professors who had earned their doctorate and/or had strong business/professional experience as well. Robert said that at the time, it was uncommon to have individuals that were once in high-level roles in the business sector, such as CEO or COO, act as professors and teach to undergraduate students in a university environment. With high-level business professionals acting as his professors, Robert knew that UMSL met the core values they had set out, including values such as innovation, access, success, and engagement (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Second, he created great relationships with his professors within the college of business. He felt that the college of business was designed in a manner that allowed him to take full advantage of the services that many of the professors had to offer. For example, as an undergraduate student, he had the opportunity to conduct and present research with one of his professors in the field of entrepreneurial marketing (personal communication, April 3, 2019). While opportunities like these for undergraduate students were common in the college of business at UMSL, Robert does not believe these opportunities are available to students at most higher education institutions unless they are graduate or doctoral students (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

Another aspect that Robert believed played a significant role in his educational experience and growth as an individual in college was through extra-curricular activities on campus. As a freshman, Robert was not involved in many extra-curricular activities on campus because he did not know what to expect going into college. Early in his collegiate career, he fell behind because he took courses suggested by his academic advisor, which did not turn out to work well for him, causing him to have little free time for activities outside of academic coursework and his job (personal communication, April 3, 2019). However, by the time he was a sophomore, he got into a better set of habits, improved his grades and took a more significant part in campus life (personal communication, April 3, 2019). During his sophomore year, Robert actively took part in three extra-curricular activities on UMSL’s campus. First, he joined a simulations group that built dioramas that reenacted battles throughout various points in history. Second, he became an influential part of the debate team, something that he had prior experience with during his time in high school. Third, he was an active member of UMSL’s student government association (SGA), where he served as both a parliamentarian and as a chairman during his time as an undergraduate student (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

Out of all of the extra-curricular activities that he participated in as an undergraduate student, Robert believed that SGA played the most significant role in his development as an individual (personal communication, April 3, 2019). According to UMSL, the mission of SGA is to “work toward full student participation in all areas of university life, university affairs, and policy making. The Student Government Association will serve as the student voice to the university administration, faculty, and other campuses” (UMSL Student Government Association Who We Are, n.d., para. 6). During his time with SGA, Robert interacted with students ranging greatly on the political spectrum, from very liberal to very conservative (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Robert felt like these interactions while participating with the student government association provided the best avenue for him to experience historical context that affected his educational experience (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

During the late 1960s, the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War spurred protests from students across the country as they engaged in antiwar demonstrations (Weiland, Guzman & O’Meara, 2013). These demonstrations pulled together students as they organized and participated in protests with regards to issues that they felt were important (Weiland et al., 2013). It was noted that around 38 percent of four-year higher education institutions had reported organized student protests, citing the Vietnam War as the most popular issue to protest (Weiland et al., 2013). Robert served as an SGA chairman to the board when these protests against the Vietnam War and the United States military were taking place on college campuses across the country. He noted that anti-war/military protests did occur on UMSL’s campus, but unlike some other campuses, these student-led protests never turned violent (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Using a photograph from UMSL’s online archive as an example (see Appendix for photograph), one can see a peaceful protest led by Sam Bommarito, the President of SGA during Robert’s sophomore year, with Chancellor James Bugg standing in the middle of the photograph, matching up with the description that Robert provided during the interview (Student Demonstration, ca. 1969).

More specifically, Robert also served as an SGA chairman to the board while the Kent State shootings occurred. One of his primary responsibilities in this situation as chairman of SGA, Robert had to list and work with students on how they wanted to handle the situation in terms of protesting on campus (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Just as how Robert interacted with students ranging from very liberal to very conservative, there was a great difference in the options that students wanted to demonstrate while protesting. Some students called for normal, peaceful protests similar to what had occurred in the past, while other students wanted to block all of the entrances to UMSL’s campus, making it difficult for students to attend classes and for faculty/staff to go to work, thereby shutting the campus down (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Ultimately, it ended up that while the protests against the Kent State shooting were more passionate than most other anti-war/military protests held on UMSL’s campus in the past, all the demonstrations were peaceful and non-violent. According to Robert’s estimates, he believed that around 25 to 30 percent of the student body participated in the protests against the Kent State shooting. While this percentage was much higher than a typical protest on UMSL’s campus, Robert still believed that the percentage of students that participated in the protests against the Kent State shooting on UMSL’s campus was lower than that on the main University of Missouri campus in Columbia (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Robert believed that these protests showed the true culture and maturity of the University of Missouri St. Louis (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

Without his experiences as a student at the University of Missouri St. Louis, Robert Hausladen doubts that he would be in his current position in life. After graduating from UMSL in 1972 with an undergraduate degree in business administration and with an MBA in marketing in 1974, he believes that UMSL opened a door to many experiences in his life (personal communication, April 3, 2019). His first opportunity came when he left St. Louis to work for Brown-Forman in Louisville, where he spent over 30 years with the company. During his time at Brown Forman, he served in many different roles including, General Manager, Marketing Director, and Coordinator of Leadership Development for two different brands within the company, Southern Comfort and Candian Mist. He also developed two companies of his own, Renaissance Executive Forums of Kentucky and New Horizons: Performance Coaching Systems, with the primary goal of helping businesses within the Louisville area improve upon their performance and customer service skills. However, to Robert, the most important door that has opened throughout his professional career is the ability to serve as an adjunct professor in an institution of higher education (personal communication, April 3, 2019). Since 2003, Robert has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville within the college of business, teaching in topic areas such as relationship sales at the undergraduate level and brand management at both the undergraduate and graduate level (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

To Robert Hausladen, having a college degree has made him a more well-rounded individual overall. It has helped to give him a broader look at the world and made him more open-minded than when he first entered college which allowed him to make connections and share experiences with individuals that he most likely would not have otherwise. College also taught Robert about the joys and importance of self-learning. Whether in business as a marketing director or in academia as an adjunct professor, self-learning has served Robert well in his daily life as “It is what I have done ever since leaving college” (personal communication, April 3, 2019).

---

References

Mission and History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.umsl.edu/services/academic/publications/handbook/chapter1/chapter1.html

Student Demonstration. (ca. 1969). [Photographic Print]. Retrieved from University of Missouri St. Louis Archives http://www.umsl.edu/services/library/ archives/photodb/dvd7/UA_1385.jpg

Thelin, J. R. (2011). A history of American higher education (2nd ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

UMSL Student Government Association Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/sga/about.html

Weiland, K. L., Guzman, A., & O’Meara, K. A. (2013). Politics, identity, and college protest: Then and now. About Campus, 18 (2), 2-9.

---

Appendix