News from NAICU

William E. “Bill” Troutt, president of Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, accepts the 2017 Paley award from Austin College (TX) President Marjorie Hass, Ph.D., left, and NAICU President David L. Warren, Ph.D., right.

WASHINGTON, DC  – William E. “Bill” Troutt, president of Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, is the recipient of the 31st Annual Henry Paley Memorial Award presented during the 2017 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

Troutt has served as a private college president for nearly 35 years, including nearly 18 years at Rhodes College (1999-2017) and 17 years at Belmont University in Nashville, TN (1982-1999).  He will retire at the end of the academic year.

Named for the late Henry Paley, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York from 1975 until 1984, the Paley Award recognizes an individual who embodies his spirit of unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent higher education.  The recipients of this award have set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States.

"Bill Troutt may be the quintessential private college president,” said David L. Warren, president of NAICU.  “During nearly 35 years as a college president, Bill has been an inspirational leader and leading proponent of private liberal arts education within two diverse campus communities.  But even more, he has given his time and energy to provide extraordinary leadership to higher education at the national level, chairing both NAICU and the American Council on Education. And, he has done so while becoming an authoritative voice on the cost of college. I am delighted, he remains both an important colleague and valued friend."

In accepting the award, Troutt said:  “It has been such a privilege to serve independent higher education and work with so many talented people both in Tennessee and Washington.  I am humbled and honored beyond measure to receive the Paley Award today.”

Unlike many others who pursue a career in academia, Troutt was not pulled to the professoriate, rather to campus leadership.  After graduating from Union University (TN), he would earn a master’s degree from the University of Louisville (KY) and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University (TN).  Then came jobs in college admissions, state government, and a higher education consulting firm working with campus leaders across the country.

At age 30, he was recommended as a candidate to be the executive vice president at Belmont University (TN).  Within two years, the campus president announced his retirement and, after a search, Troutt was picked as the next president, at age 32.  Thus, started an extraordinary career as a college president that has stretched nearly 35 years. 

At Belmont, Troutt found an institution operating in the shadows of Vanderbilt, with few connections and fewer resources.  During a 17 year presidency, he led an effort to change the campus environment.  Enrollment increased from about 1,400 students to about 3,000 students, and the admissions criteria changed from open admissions to a more competitive ACT average of 25.

Beyond campus, Troutt became nationally known for his contributions to higher education policy through his service as a board member (1997-2000) and board chair of NAICU (2000-01) and later with the American
Council on Education (2003).

Troutt always was the most astute politician in the room, even as he presented as the “Awe shucks” kid from Tennessee.  That became evident at his first NAICU board meeting in 1997, when the board was discussing their concerns about the upcoming National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education. 

Catching a staff member at a coffee break, he mentioned that he “had a friend” who worked in the Senate who had said to let him know when there might be a commission on which Troutt would like to serve.  He wondered if this would be the right assignment to take.  Turns out the friend was the one person in the Senate with the true authority over appointments.  Troutt, from “tiny Belmont University” was appointed to the Cost Commission and, soon after, was elected chair by his colleagues. 

The Commission, an 11-member independent advisory body created by Congress to conduct a comprehensive review of the rising cost of college, wrote the landmark report:  Straight Talk About College Costs and Prices.  The commission’s findings and recommendations, which received bipartisan Congressional support and the endorsement of the higher education community, served as a guide for the Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1998.

Bill would often remark with humor that he had never before had so many high ranking figures in academia come visit him at Belmont.

In 1999, he was selected to be the 19th president of Rhodes College.  During his tenure, the college has climbed to the top tier of national liberal arts colleges, achieved higher retention and enrollment rates, increased campus diversity, developed a student research partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and recentered the campus around a new library and science center.  Troutt also spearheaded the $314 million Campaign for Rhodes and secured the largest gift in Rhodes history, $35.5 million, to build the Paul Barret, Jr. Library. 

Beyond his campus duties, Troutt has chaired the Jacob K. Javits Humanities Fellowship Board; served on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Commission; chaired the Tennessee Independent Colleges Association, including two years as Interim President; and served on the College Commission for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  He has also served as an advisor to the Mellon Foundation College Sports Project, the National Association of College and Business University College Cost Project, and the Association of Governing Boards.  Troutt has also served other institutions as a trustee, including:  Fisk University (TN), Columbia Theological Seminary (GA), and the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (TN).

“I often counsel with students about discovering their strengths, finding their passions, and devoting their lives to what they love,” he said in a statement announcing his retirement. “I am so blessed that this is my life story. Serving as president of Rhodes has been, and will continue to be, the opportunity of a lifetime."


Henry Paley Memorial Award Recipients
2017    William E. “Bill” Troutt, Rhodes College (TN)
2016    John Bassett, Heritage University (WA), Clark University (MA)
2015    Christopher B. Nelson, St. John’s College (MD)
2014    NAICU Legal Services Review Panel
2013    Bernard Fryshman, Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
2012    Patricia A. McGuire, Trinity Washington University (DC)
2011    The Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
2010    Sister Kathleen Ross, SNJM, Heritage University (WA)
2009    Morgan Odell, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
2008    The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame (IN)
2007    Alexander W. (Sandy) Astin, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California
2006    Clare Cotton, The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts
2005    Robert N. Kelly, Kansas Independent College Association
2004    Michael S. McPherson, Spencer Foundation, Macalester College (MN)
2003    James C. Ross, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York
2002    Allen P. Splete, Council of Independent Colleges
2001    (Special NAICU 25th Anniversary Meeting recognizing all previous recipients – no new award was given)
2000    Sr. Mary Andrew Matesich, Ohio Dominican College
1999    David Irwin, Washington Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
1998    Rev. William J. Sullivan, Seattle University (WA)
1997    James Whalen, Ithaca College (NY)
1996    John Frazer, Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
1995    Richard F. Rosser, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
1994    Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly, College of New Rochelle (NY)
1993    Derek Bok, Harvard University
1992    (Special Summit Meeting – no award was given)
1991    Francis "Mike" Michelini, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania
1990    The Honorable Silvio Conte, U.S. House of Representatives
1989    The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Governor, New Jersey
1988    The Honorable William H. Natcher, U.S. House of Representatives
1987    Frank "Sandy" Tredinnick, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts
1986    James Ream, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities
1985    Rev. Timothy S. Healy, Georgetown University (DC)

NAICU joined 20 other associations in signing on to a letter Backing Back BRIDGE Act for DACA Recipients.

Bellarmine University President Joseph McGowan died early this morning. McGowan was the university’s third president and was appointed in 1990. He served nearly a decade as a member of the NAICU Board of Directors, including 2003-04 as chair of the Committee on Student Aid, 2008-09 as chair of the Committee on Administration, and 2009-10 as chair of the board.

“The unexpected passing of Jay McGowan is a significant loss for the Bellarmine University community and the higher education community nationally.  Jay was an insightful and visionary leader who was highly approachable. During his presidency, Bellarmine transitioned from a local college to an internationally recognized private university.  As part of the NAICU leadership, he focused on federal student aid programs, worked to increase the association’s membership to an all-time record, and expanded its influence both in Washington, DC and nationally.  I will miss not only his advice and gentle manner, but also his friendship and support.  He was a great colleague, and I shall miss him enormously.  On behalf of the NAICU Board and staff, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the Bellarmine community and the McGowan family.”

David L. Warren, Ph.D.
President
NAICU

Marjorie Hass, Ph.D., president of Austin College in Sherman, TX, has been appointed chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). Hass leads a list of four new board officers and 14 new board members who assumed their responsibilities today at the close of the 2016 NAICU Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

NAICU board members set the association’s agenda on federal higher education policy; actively encourage support of association priorities and initiatives; and oversee the organization’s financial administration. Members serve three-year terms, while officers hold their positions for one year.

“A stagnant economy, rapidly changing demographics, and tightening fiscal constraints are among the unprecedented challenges facing private higher education today,” said NAICU President David L. Warren, Ph.D. “An outspoken advocate for the critical role a liberal arts education plays in our society, Marjorie has a deep understanding of the issues our members face nationally and on their own campuses. Marjorie’s experience and leadership, in combination with the other new board members, will be critical over the next 12 months as NAICU and our members navigate this period of change and challenge for American higher education.”

“NAICU’s mission of ensuring that students can access high quality education is vital,” said Hass.  “An educated citizenry drives democracy and strong economic growth. I am pleased to be able to work with my fellow presidents from across the country in support of these values.”

Hass succeeds John M. McCardell, Jr., Ph.D., vice chancellor and president of Sewanee: The University of the South, who remains on the board as immediate past chair.

NAICU is the national public policy association for the nation’s private, non-profit colleges and universities. Since 1976, the association has focused on policy issues with the federal government, such as student aid, taxation, and government regulation. Its 964 member institutions include major research universities, church-related colleges, historically black colleges, art and design colleges, traditional liberal arts and science institutions, women’s colleges, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions. With over 3 million students attending independent colleges and universities, the private sector of American higher education has a dramatic impact on our nation’s larger public interests. 

Marjorie Hass

In July 2009, Hass became the 15th president of Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas, which has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter. The college enrolls a residential student body of 1,250 students, including 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities, and lists a faculty of more than 100. 

Hass has strengthened the College’s firm foundation of success, promoting a culture of academic excellence and a commitment to educational access for talented students regardless of financial background. Combining the heart of a teacher with keen business insight, her vision includes development of the College’s long‐standing core values of global awareness and engaged citizenship, as well as emphasis on sound financial and environmental responsibility, and re‐animating the liberal arts in today’s digital era. 

She has employed a transparent and disciplined approach to financial stability as the College has successfully navigated a recessionary economy. Enrollment targets have been met, applications have doubled, selectivity has increased, and marketing efforts have widened awareness of the College’s distinctive strengths. The College continues to be recognized nationally for the quality of its educational program and the achievements of its graduates. Launch of a comprehensive environmental plan, “Thinking Green,” has energized the entire campus community in efforts of reducing and recycling resources.

Hass is an accomplished spokesperson for the significant influence of liberal arts education upon individuals and local and world communities. Engaged with higher education issues beyond her own campus, she is a member of the board of the Council for Independent Colleges (CIC), serves as a presidential sponsor for the Texas Women in Higher Education conference, and is active in the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT). Hass also is a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council and has been appointed to the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees.

Prior to Austin College, Hass served as provost at Muhlenberg College (PA). She earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign. Hass is married to Lawrence Hass, Ph.D., professor of humanities at Austin College and a philosopher and an acclaimed sleight‐of‐hand magician and teacher of magicians. (View full bio)

Other New NAICU Board OfficersOther new officers of the NAICU Board, serving one year terms ending in February 2017:

• Christopher B. Nelson, J.D., president of St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, will serve as vice chair of the NAICU board of directors. He is in line to assume the position of chair in February 2017.
• Wendy Libby, Ph.D., president of Stetson University in Deland, FL, has been named treasurer. 
• Stephen Thorsett, Ph.D., president of Willamette University in Salem, OR, has been named secretary.

New NAICU Board Members  
Eight new members were elected to three-year terms on the NAICU board, representing the association’s eight national regions ending in February 2019:

• Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, will represent Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
• Margaret Drugovich, D.M., president of Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, will represent Region II (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York).
• Grafton J. Nunes, president of Cleveland Institute of Art (OH), will represent Region III (Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia).
• Edward L. Schrader, Ph.D., president of Brenau University in Gainesville, GA, will represent Region IV (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Caroline, Virginia).
• Sr. Mary Margaret Albert, president of Siena Heights University in Adrian, MI, will represent Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin).
• Dale A. Lunsford, Ph.D., president of LeTourneau University in Longview, TX, will represent Region VI (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas).
• Erik Hoekstra, Ph.D., president of Dordt College in Sioux City, IA, will represent Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota).
• John K. McVay, Ph.D., president of Walla Walla University in College Place, WA, will represent Region VIII (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado., Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). 

Four presidents have been named to three-year terms as at-large members of the board ending in February 2019:

• Nariman Farvardin, Ph.D., president of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ.
• James H. Mullen, Ph.D., president of Allegheny College, in Meadville, PA.
• Nayef H. Samhat, Ph.D., president of Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.
• Jill Tiefenthaler, Ph.D., president of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. 

In addition, four presidents have been named chairs of the Association’s standing committees:

• Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D., president Alvernia University in Reading, PA, will chair the Committee on Accountability.
• Philip A. Glotzbach, Ph.D., president of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, will lead the Committee on Policy Analysis and Public Relations.
• Mim L. Runey, Ph.D., president of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, will lead the Committee on Student Aid.
• Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., president of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO, will chair the Committee on Tax Policy.

In addition, Kristen Soares, president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, will serve a three-year term on the Board representing the National Association of Independent College and University State Executives (NAICUSE).  Paul Cerkvenik, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, is the new chair of NAICUSE and NAICU board member. John Sturm, associate vice president, Federal and Washington Relations at the University of Notre Dame (IN), will serve as an ad-hoc non-voting government relations representative for three-years ending in February 2019.
NAICU serves as the unified national voice of private nonprofit higher education.



John E. Bassett, Ph.D., president of Heritage University in Toppenish, WA, center accepts the 30th Annual Henry Paley Memorial Award from NAICU President David L. Warren, Ph.D., and  Independent Colleges of Washington President Violet Boyer, right.

John E. Bassett, Ph.D., president of Heritage University in Toppenish, WA, is the recipient of the 30^th Annual Henry Paley Memorial Award presented during the 2016 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

Named for the late Henry Paley, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York from 1975 until 1984, the Paley Award recognizes an individual who embodies his spirit of unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent higher education.  The recipients of this award have set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States.

"John Bassett’s legacy is one of accomplishment -- from leadership roles on multiple college campuses and at national higher education organizations, he has strived to improve higher education, especially the liberal arts, for every student,” said David L. Warren, president of NAICU.  “John provided extraordinary leadership to the NAICU Board as Chairman.  Through his wise counsel and uplifting sense of humor he guided the Association to significant advances in the growth of federal student aid appropriations and tax benefits for students and families, and to the reduction in costly and inappropriate regulation.  And of special importance, he remains both an important colleague and valued friend."

In accepting the award, Bassett said:  “This is very special and it was a huge surprise.  I have always been committed to education of the highest quality for all people willing to work hard to achieve their dreams.  Leadership positions have been most attractive when they involve a big challenge to effect change and make a difference. Besides, as a colleague recently said to me, John, you are always trying to drive in fifth gear.”

A scholar, author, and professor of American literature, Bassett earned a doctoral degree in English from the University of Rochester and completed master’s and bachelor’s degrees at Ohio Wesleyan University.  He spent 14 years teaching and researching American Literature on the faculty at Wayne State University before becoming Head of the Department of English at North Carolina State University from 1984 to 1993.  His eleven books and more than 30 articles include contributions to the understanding of William Faulkner, Sherwood Anderson, Mark Twain, Southern Writers, and the Harlem Renaissance.

In 1993, Bassett was appointed founding Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), bringing together the sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts into a single college. Previously, the center of the university consisted of its professional schools with the basic arts and sciences relegated to a secondary role.  In addition to bringing a planned $50 million campaign home at $93 million, he succeeded in making the new college recognized as a very important core part of CWRU.

After his appointment as President of Clark University (MA) in 2000, he built on the leadership of his predecessor, Richard Traina, and helped the university be recognized as, in words of the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA): “the national model for how a university should relate to and interact with its community.”

Bassett oversaw significant improvements to academic quality, campus infrastructure, fundraising and strategic planning, including upgrades in information technology and alumni programs, recruiting 83 new faculty members, surpassing a $100 million capital campaign goal by $6 million, building a new science facility, and renovating several other key buildings on campus. He also oversaw Clark’s partnership with the innovative University Park Campus School , a small urban public school (grades 7 through 12), nationally recognized as one of the 100 best public high schools in the country. Through the University Park Partnership and the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education, Clark demonstrated that a high quality liberal arts research university can extend its resources outward in ways to improve both city and college, and to develop a brand attractive to hundreds of perspective students each year.

After retiring from the Clark presidency in 2009, Bassett took on the challenge of advancing Heritage University (WA) to a new level.  Sister Kathleen Ross built Heritage to provide access to higher education to underserved populations, mostly Latino and Native American, in the Yakima Valley.  Bassett has strived to maintain the university’s core values and mission while raising quality, creating higher expectations for all, and re-branding the school as one where all students from the Yakima Valley will find a high quality education.  Its College of Education and Psychology has become acknowledged as a state leader in preparation of teachers and in English-language-learner education; and it is building similar recognition in educational leadership and administration, and in early childhood education.

Concurrently, he has been active nationally, serving on multiple higher education boards and committees. He served as the 2010-11 Chair of the NAICU Board of Directors, and worked tirelessly as a member of its Accountability Committee. He also served as the 2014 board chair of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and three years on the Commission on Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity for American Council on Education.

As a member of the Association of American College and Universities’ President’s Trust, Bassett was at the fore of a movement among higher education leaders who advocated for a strong liberal arts education. The President’s Trust endeavored to offer students “significantly expanded economic opportunities, while also fostering intellectual resilience, civic capacity and knowledge of the wider world.”

NAICU serves as the unified national voice of private nonprofit higher education. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations nationwide, NAICU reflects the diversity of independent higher education in the United States. Since 1976, the association has represented private nonprofit colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid, taxation, and government regulation. Our 963 member institutions include major research universities, church-related colleges, historically black colleges, art and design colleges, traditional liberal arts and science institutions, women’s colleges, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.

Henry Paley Memorial Award Recipients

2016 John Bassett, Heritage University (WA), Clark University (MA)
2015 Christopher B. Nelson, St. John’s College (MD)
2014 NAICU Legal Services Review Panel
2013 Bernard Fryshman, Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools
2012 Patricia A. McGuire, Trinity Washington University (DC)
2011 The Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
2010 Sister Kathleen Ross, SNJM, Heritage University (WA)
2009 Morgan Odell, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
2008 The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame (IN)
2007 Alexander W. (Sandy) Astin, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California
2006 Clare Cotton, The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts
2005 Robert N. Kelly, Kansas Independent College Association2004 Michael S. McPherson, Spencer Foundation, Macalester College (MN)
2003 James C. Ross, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York
2002 Allen P. Splete, Council of Independent Colleges|
2001 (Special NAICU 25th Anniversary Meeting recognizing all previous recipients – no new award was given)
2000 Sr. Mary Andrew Matesich, Ohio Dominican College
1999 David Irwin, Washington Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
1998 Rev. William J. Sullivan, Seattle University (WA)
1997 James Whalen, Ithaca College (NY)
1996 John Frazer, Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
1995 Richard F. Rosser, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
1994 Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly, College of New Rochelle (NY)
1993 Derek Bok, Harvard University1992 (Special Summit Meeting – no award was given)
1991 Francis "Mike" Michelini, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania
1990 The Honorable Silvio Conte, U.S. House of Representatives
1989 The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Governor, New Jersey
1988 The Honorable William H. Natcher, U.S. House of Representatives
1987 Frank "Sandy" Tredinnick, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts
1986 James Ream, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities
1985 Rev. Timothy S. Healy, Georgetown University (DC)