Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard was born and raised in Massachusetts, entered Yale at age 15, and graduated second in his class. At age 45, when he became part of the second wave of teachers at the University of Mississippi, Barnard had already established a widespread reputation as a journalist, editor, poet, orator, scientific experimenter and inventor, astronomer, surveyor and a pioneer in educational philosophy and methods.

In 1854, Barnard became professor of mathematics, astronomy, and civil engineering at the University of Mississippi. He also taught physics and chemistry which led to his attempt to make science supreme at the University. In 1856, Barnard was elected president of the faculty of the University after having served as interim president after Judge Augustus Baldwin Longstreet had resigned.

Barnard served as both president and a professor and was determined to transform the University into a great scientific university. He planned to do this by moving away from the classical mode of learning to the system of learning inductive and deductive reasoning. He advocated intstruction through experimentation and demonstration.

The incontrovertible success of Barnard's seven trying years at the University can be measured by three facts: the construction of the observatory in 1859 at a time wen only a handful of universities had such structures; the presence of Barnard on the faculty as a professor; and the acquisition of the "most advanced instruments of the time."