Complex sentence: One of Waldo's first moves cemented WMU as a teaching college, he created a rural school department, it was the first such department in the nation and prepared teachers to effectively educate students in rural parts of America.
Split into simpler sentences: One of Waldo's first moves, creating a rural school department, cemented WMU as a teaching college. It was the first such department in the nation and prepared teachers to effectively educate students in rural parts of America.