Heckler to Retire: New President Search

[valpopal]

I thought I'd pass along this information. President Heckler has decided to retire, and Valparaiso University will begin the search for a successor. Heckler will remain to assist the new president in the transitional period.

[vu72]

Let me say it again...Holy crap!

[FieldGoodie05]

Let me say it again...Holy crap!

Please elaborate on why "Holy Crap".  I get that it's a big announcement, what additional info am I missing?

[mj]

I think he reads the writing on the wall and is getting out before things get bad.

[FieldGoodie05]

I think he reads the writing on the wall and is getting out before things get bad.

And or by the time a suitable replacement is found and trained (with Heckler as a board member consultant) he will be over 65 years old.  Who truly knows...Bryce Drew for Prez 😉😉😉

[usc4valpo]

Honestly, this is not shocking and certainly not a holy crap moment. Heckler has been at Valpo for awhile, and just like in business or academia, the need for change and fresh leadership is critical for success.

A 100 million dollar donation to revamp the ARC - that would be a holy crap moment.

[crusader05]

I agree, Heckler has been her for going on 11 years and will be 65 when he retires. I believe the average term for a university president is 7 years so he has already stayed longer. His slow transition plan also means he probably will be involved with the University for at least another two years.

I am not surprised. The campaign is wrapping up, College Campuses are looking at a need to make changes in a different landscape and I have heard that other admins and board members might be retiring soon so it would make sense for a new president to pick their replacement rather than one who is winding down their time at the university. I appreciate everything Heckler did to make the University what it is including updating badly needed academic facilities and dorms. One thing I heard from a staff member that put the endowment drive as his main focus into perspective was that Heckler took over right during the recession when Endowments were hit hard and because Valpo's was so small it really hurt the universities budget and that he didn't want to leave the next president with that issue again.

[vu72]

Let me say it again...Holy crap!

Please elaborate on why "Holy Crap".  I get that it's a big announcement, what additional info am I missing?

i guess I wrote that because it is always a little shocking when a President retires.  Heckler more so because he has been the face of Valpo more so than his predecessors.  Because of his acting background, he is a dynamic speaker and has done a wonderful job in that regard.  We will be very hard pressed to find anyone like him and will more likely find another Alan Harre personality.

[usc4valpo]

Heckler did well, I wish he avoided political views.

[78crusader]

Heckler did a great job the first half of his tenure. I have questions about the second half.

Paul

[usc4valpo]

This is why change is painful but important - it help keep energy at a high level and gets you out of a funk

[wh]

Heckler built his foundation on sand.  He went all in on the foreign student cash cow and made it his centerpiece for a plan to increase enrollment to 6000 students. He foolishly overbuilt facilities to accommodate something the was never going to happen - a complete pipe dream. A responsible Board would have stopped it in its tracks, but instead they succumbed to the allure of a silver-tongued fox and bought into it hook, line and sinker. He has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

To '72's point, the last thing the university needs is another charismatic character in a fancy suit. It needs a serious-minded traditionalist with true leadership skills who will restore the university to its religious roots instead of running away from them.

[vu72]

He has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

you may be right on many of your points, time will tell. Nonetheless, he did see the critical need for enhanced endowment and to that end, he oversaw the end of the previous drive and will see the current drive reach the $250 million dollar goal.  As a result, Valpo will be on much firmer financial ground when he departs.

He also was out President when we joined both the Horizon and MVC . That took leadership and dollars. We can complain about facilities but being in the Valley is really key.

[usc4valpo]

I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

[wh]

He has left nothing to build on, only a crumbling foundation for his successor to tear down and rebuild.

you may be right on many of your points, time will tell. Nonetheless, he did see the critical need for enhanced endowment and to that end, he oversaw the end of the previous drive and will see the current drive reach the $250 million dollar goal.  As a result, Valpo will be on much firmer financial ground when he departs.

Yes, he deserves a lot of credit for that. He understood the importance of building the university's endowment and was successful in it. That will give his successor some much needed breathing room while they set the university's future direction.

[usc4valpo]

I wonder if this will effect MLB.

[wh]

I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

[vu84v2]

So since you used the example of Concordia, are you suggesting that Valpo embrace policies at Concordia, WI such as requiring all people hired to be Christian and making a strong concerted effort to convert non-Lutheran and non-Christian students to the Lutheran faith? Besides that being just wrong, it would likely drive away at least one-third of the donors. Why can't a school like Valpo have great programs for people who want a Lutheran experience, but that students (and faculty, etc.) can choose whether they want to be a part of it - with the University welcoming all?

My guess is that a new President will have two major directions from the board:
1. Raise additional funds from existing and new donors (you could probably argue that this is the direction for every Chancellor/President.
2. Lead a plan that keeps Valparaiso financially sustainable. There have been other discussions here about declining numbers of high school graduates, but there is a major reduction coming in 2026-2028 due to the birth rate dramatically declining in the 2008 recession. Valpo needs a model in which, if it came to that (and I hope that it does not), it can be viable with a 20-25% reduction in students. The endowment growth plan was a very good move towards that and Heckler deserves a lot of credit. But hard decisions may be needed to make sure the university is sustainable.

[vu72]

So since you used the example of Concordia, are you suggesting that Valpo embrace policies at Concordia, WI such as requiring all people hired to be Christian and making a strong concerted effort to convert non-Lutheran and non-Christian students to the Lutheran faith? Besides that being just wrong, it would likely drive away at least one-third of the donors. Why can't a school like Valpo have great programs for people who want a Lutheran experience, but that people can choose whether they want to be a part of it - with the University welcoming all?

My guess is that a new President will have two major directions from the board:
1. Raise additional funds from existing and new donors (you could probably argue that this is the direction for every Chancellor/President.
2. Lead a plan that keeps Valparaiso financially sustainable. There have been other discussions here about declining high school graduates, but there is a major reduction coming in 2026-2028 due to the birth rate dramatically declining in the 2008 recession. Valpo needs a model in which, if it came to that (and I hope that it does not), it can be viable with a 20-25% reduction in students. The endowment growth plan was a very good move towards that and Heckler deserves a lot of credit for that. But hard decisions may be needed to make sure the university is sustainable.

Not trying to answer for wh but I think he may be thinking of a guy like Alan Harre who is a Lutheran pastor and came from Concordia (St. Paul I think).  Heckler is a Lutheran and if Valpo is to remain a Lutheran school in anything but name (think SMU), it does need to work harder at attracting the ever declining number of Lutheran High School graduates.  I had an email exchange with the new Vice President of enrollment, Ray Brown, on this very topic.  Interestingly enough, Ray is a Lutheran and a Concordia Chicago grad.  He told me he is the first Lutheran to hold this spot is a very long time.  The last guy was a Catholic, and no disrespect to Catholics, but how are they suppose to understand the entire Lutheran education system and history?
Having said all that, I agree with 84 on the need to embrace all faiths, not just Lutherans in the same way as Notre Dame doesn't have a faith test for admission.  It will be a requirement going forward as it has been for some time.

[vu84v2]

Notre Dame, along with DePaul, Marquette and Creighton, are good examples of successful universities that embrace all faiths while not discounting their religious heritage (in these cases, Catholic).

While I recognize this is a broad generality, a problem with hiring a President who is a pastor is that he or she may be far away (experientially and philosophically) from understanding the STEM, medical sciences, and business fields where the growth lies.

[bbtds]

It didn't play any part in his hiring and was a surprise to some at Valpo but our new football coach is an ELCA Lutheran.

[VULB#62]

I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

As mentioned, we tried that with Harre and don't forget Schnabel (from Concordia, NY). While both produced some accomplishments during their respective tenures, overall their leadership style, IMO, resulted in Valpo actually stepping back from leadership with a vision and understanding of what the future would bring.  Heckler, realized that business as usual, needed to be replaced by more proactive leadership. Retrenching in today's fast changing, higher education environment requires agility of mind and spirit moreso now than ever before.

[wh]

I totally disagree about going back to traditional ways. Valpo desperately needed the new buildings and updates to get up with the times, particularly if you want to be recognized as a strong academic university. I still think more effort and funding needs to be focused on STEM and less on liberal arts - you want to get a return on a $58K per year tuition.

I wasn't in any way, shape or form referring to academic programs. I'm talking about embracing its Lutheran identity and heritage instead of running from it. A good start might be to get someone from one of the successful Concordia's who understands that staying true to yourself and your purpose is a marketing advantage, not a disadvantage. It's called unique positioning. Unless you have it, you're just another overpriced private college that doesn't really stand for anything different. Those are a dime a dozen.

As mentioned, we tried that with Harre and don't forget Schnabel (from Concordia, NY). While both produced some accomplishments during their respective tenures, overall their leadership style, IMO, resulted in Valpo actually stepping back from leadership with a vision and understanding of what the future would bring.  Heckler, realized that business as usual, needed to be replaced by more proactive leadership. Retrenching in today's fast changing, higher education environment requires agility of mind and spirit moreso now than ever before.

Choosing a new leader shouldn't be an either/or choice - the "Harre type" or the "Heckler type."  True visionaries build on tradition; they don't puke it out.   

[VULB#62]

Absolutely correct, WH.  The only choice is whether a potential candidate has a firm grasp of the ever changing current environment and a plausible vision to successfully take the university into the uncharted future. The long tradition of Valpo will always be the foundation upon which to build the next era. However, the university cannot afford to either stand pat on that tradition, or worse, rely on outmoded, outdated traditional approaches that do not recognize how the world of higher education has changed and will continue to evolve. It's not that things are changing; it is the speed at which these changes continue to accelerate. So any selectee will be a gamble, because no one has an ironclad knowledge of the future.

[usc4valpo]

62 - very well said!