John C. Hitt, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs fourth president who retired on June 30, has been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education for creating βone of the biggest success stories in contemporary higher education.β
βMany other college presidents have made similar gambits and found mixed results. Hitt is unusual for having accomplished them all, at one university,β according to the Chronicle.
When Hitt arrived in 1992, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was a midsize public commuter school. Twenty-six years later, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has grown from 22,000 students to 66,000; has become a research institution; and has opened a Division I football stadium, a medical school, and soon, a new campus in downtown Orlando.
βMany other college presidents have made similar gambits and found mixed results. Hitt is unusual for having accomplished them all, at one university,β according to the Chronicle.
The Chronicle credited much of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs success to Hittβs ability to form partnerships. During his tenure, he , , the military and defense industry, the city of Orlando and so many others to guide ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs growth and position the university as a supplier of quality talent to companies and industries.
Perhaps one of Hittβs greatest achievements at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is broadening access to a higher education for more people, while also maintaining quality and attracting high-achieving students, Joshua Wyner, founder and director of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute, told the Chronicle.
Minority enrollment under Hittβs leadership rose from 16 percent in 1991 to 46 percent in 2017, while the percentage of students eligible for Pell Grants also grew from 27 percent in 1991 to 41 percent in 2017. Over the same period, weighted GPA of incoming students rose from 3.30 to 4.06, and the graduation rate rose from 40 percent to 70 percent.
Dale Whittaker, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs fifth president who took office July 1, told the Chronicle that involving others was key to Hittβs success at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
He would gather key people to βput our heads together, be creative, find our friends, get support,β Whittaker said.
βHeβs listening very carefully to how the discussion is going. Heβll put in his piece when, and only when, he feels it will make a difference,β added Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for student development and enrollment services.
Hitt and his wife of 56 years, Martha, moved to Madison, Wis., to be near their children. He is now president emeritus, and he is helping ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ successfully complete the while also providing advice and counsel about the implementation of the Collective Impact strategic plan.
Read the full article from the Chronicle.
