Dr. Norman Wiggins, the man credited with helping to make small Campbell College one of the more respected universities in the state, died yesterday. He was 83.
"Under Dr. Wiggins' 36 years of leadership as president," writes the Dunn Daily Record, "Campbell College grew into Campbell University and became the second largest private university in North Carolina and the second largest Baptist university in the world. He saw the development of five professional schools, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Pharmacy and the Divinity School.
" 'He changed a small, rural college to a university recognized around the nation,' said Dr. Bruce Blackmon of Buies Creek, school physician at Campbell for 24 years. ...
"A native of Burlington, Dr. Wiggins was a veteran of World War II, where he served in the Marines. He graduated from Campbell Junior College and in 1967 assumed the presidency of Campbell College and immediately began charting a course for the institution which would lead to the professional schools, sports camps and an award-winning and nationally recognized Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program. He also led in the college's move to university status in 1979.
"During Dr. Wiggins' tenure as president, Campbell's educational programs were extended beyond Buies Creek as the university was among the first private schools to offer extended education opportunities to military installations, including Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, New River Air Base and Camp Lejeune. He was a pioneer in the development of international educational programs.
"His most notable international venture was the creation of the partnership between Campbell University and Tunku Abdul Rahman College in Kuala Lumpu, Malaysia, a partnership that now has spanned more than 25 years.
"Dr. Wiggins retired as president of Campbell in May 2003. ...
"Dr. Wiggins is survived by his wife, Millie, who resides in Keith Hills, near the Campbell University campus. ..."
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