Francois Archibald Gilfillan was officially appointed as the acting president of Oregon State College in September 1941 after the resignation of President Ballard; however, he had been serving as the chair of the Administrative Council and carrying out the president's campus duties since October 1940. Ballard led the college through the uncertain months that marked the beginning of World War II until August L. Strand's arrival in October 1942.
August LeRoy Strand was appointed as the ninth president of Oregon State College in the fall of 1942 and led the college through both World War II as well as the post-war period of extensive growth in students and facilities that followed.
