Dr. Harbold joined the faculty briefly as a professor of history and then left to obtain degrees from F. & M. and Harvard. He returned as head of the Model School in 1905, became superintendent of Lancaster County public schools in 1911, and returned once more as principal in 1912. He resigned in July 1918 after a policy dispute with the Board of Trustees concerning the hiring of a faculty member. He became a member of the faculty of F. & M.
Harbold Hall, built in 1964, was named in memory of Dr. Harbold. The dormitory for both men and women was demolished in 2015 to make way for the new dorm suites. One of the halls on the west side of South Village Dorms was named for Dr. Harbold.
