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James M. Dennis |
EDUCATOR FOR LIFE
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By Pam Droog
Recruitment materials describe McKendree College as “Classic. Caring.
Contemporary.” That’s also a good description of its president,
James M. Dennis. He’s a classic educator, the son of a college professor,
who says “teaching was something we always talked about at the family
dinner table.” He cares deeply about teaching and learning; the
proof is in his numerous professional awards and achievements. And
Dennis has brought McKendree College into the 21st century, also
bringing international recognition and a growing reputation to the
small, 175-year-old institution, Illinois’ oldest, located 25 minutes
from downtown St. Louis.
The Los Angeles native earned a B.A. in education in 1966 at Occidental
College where his father was a faculty member. He was a faculty
member at the University of Southern California while earning a
doctoral degree. In 1982 he was named vice president for student
affairs.
Then a recruiter came calling. “He knew I might be interested in
a presidential opportunity,” Dennis says. “I was very resistant!
But as I learned about McKendree and the area, I became enamored.
I took a leap of faith and haven’t regretted it.” He began his term
as McKendree College’s 32nd president on July 1, 1994, and it immediately
became clear under his leadership that quality would be an ongoing
emphasis.
Noted education author James Fisher says Dennis is “one of the leading
transformational presidents of the decade.” Although for many years,
McKendree was known as a quality teacher-preacher institution it
nonetheless was a sleepy college and under-enrolled. That all changed
soon after Dennis arrived. He changed the culture of the campus
by launching an aggressive marketing and recruiting campaign that
boosted enrollment from less than 700 to 2,000 students (residentially,
from less than 200 to 750). Students now come from 17 states and
13 foreign countries. He also raised the average GPA of incoming
freshmen from 2.9 to 3.7. Dennis increased fundraising and built
new residence halls, and added programs and services, including
an expanded athletic program. The college’s first masters degree
program, in education, will begin in January 2004.
“I think Fisher also was impressed that our 250-person staff and
faculty are committed to change,” Dennis says. As a result, McKendree
College ranked in the top tier of Midwest regional colleges in U.S.
News & World Report’s 2003 “Best Colleges” listing for the third
consecutive year.
The transition from teaching to administration was not that difficult,
Dennis says, “but I miss teaching very much. The real excitement
of being on a college campus is what takes place between faculty
and students.” Likewise, the transition from southern California
to the Midwest also has not been hard. “I like the St. Louis region,
because it’s comprehendable,” he says. “You can live in LA a lifetime
and not know where things are.”
Dennis typically works six days and six nights a week. It’s no wonder,
because besides running the college, Dennis serves on the executive
committee for the Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and
Universities, chairs the Council of Presidents for the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and is president of the
Associated Colleges of Illinois. He also has been actively involved
with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators,
American Association of University Administrators, American Association
of Higher Education and the NASPA Foundation Board of Directors.
He founded the National Youth Program, and regularly addresses national
conferences on financing, fundraising and diversity in higher education.
Locally Dennis serves on the Leadership Council for Southwestern
Illinois and the boards of the Union Planters Bank and the Friends
of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. In 2001, he received the “What’s Right
With the Region” award from Focus St. Louis.
As a board member of the RCGA, Dennis says his goal is “to have
people on the Missouri side be aware of the contributions that the
people on the Illinois side make to the region. If our region is
to succeed, it has to succeed on both sides of the river.” However,
he says, “in the nine years I’ve been here, I sense a greater cooperative
spirit within the region now than when I first came here.”
For now the big issue at McKendree, as at other colleges, is the
budget. “Public and private institutions alike are struggling to
maintain fiscal responsibility and insure the quality of education
does not diminish as we face budget cuts from state and federal
governments,” he says. “Also the emphasis on technology in learning
means we are spending more money to stay current and that’s a constant
pressure.”
To relieve some of that pressure Dennis jogs, lifts weights and
enjoys the Saint Louis Symphony. He also attends McKendree sporting
events. “I go to just about every student activity, except their
parties,” he laughs.
The classic, caring and contemporary president also is committed—to
the region and to the college. “I have very strong feelings about
education and providing high quality opportunities for people to
enhance their lives,” he says. “That’s my life’s calling, and it
has worked well for me.”
Pam Droog is a frequent contributor to St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
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