Ivan Frick, Ph.D., a 1949 graduate of Findlay College, was named to the presidency of Findlay College in 1964 after first serving as assistant to President Wilson. Because of he loved teaching, it was only after considerable thought that he accepted the post of assistant to the president in January of 1963. Frick had taught at Winebrenner and served in several faculty and administrative capacities with Findlay College, including dean of religious affairs and chairman of the Division of Humanities. At age 35, he was the third-youngest president and an ordained Church of God minister. Prior to becoming president, he had held primarily student pastorates in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio. Both before and during his presidency he wrote for religious and philosophical publications.
Frick was married to Ruth (Hudson), another Findlay College graduate and daughter of a Churches of God minister. They had three children, Dave, Dan and Susan. The College first family participated with zest in the life of the campus. As an alumna concerned with the welfare of both the Church and the College, Ruth Frick assisted her husband as he dealt with critical issues left over from the previous administration. She showed a deep concern for the faculty and their families and frequently entertained at Carrothers Home, which helped to improve morale. Frick's presidency was dominated by an intense emphasis on planning and evaluation, and by a constant struggle to relate ideals (both religious and academic) to the practical matter of effectively running a church-related college which had, when he became president, shaky accreditation, tentative finances and an apprehensive faculty.
President Frick addressed the accreditation issue through a new self-study in preparation for another NCA review in 1965. While recognizing problems, the review team lifted probation and granted another three years before the next examination. North Central was pleased with the thoroughness of the self-study and the progress of the institution, granted continuation of accreditation in 1969 and scheduled the next review in 10 years, a significant accomplishment in the process started more than 20 years prior. When Shafer Library was completed in 1968, President Frick and his wife led 53 faculty and 460 students in a book-moving project which took an estimated 55,000 volumes from the library in Old Main to the new building. Croy Gymnasium and Deming, Henderson and Bare halls were also dedicated during Frick's presidency, marking a time of growth and change for the College. He resigned in 1971 when he became president of Elmhurst College in Illinois.
President Frick with assistant, Louis Chenette, Ph.D.