EOU presidential finalist shares views on higher education

Apr. 28—LA GRANDE — Rodney Hanley, the president of Lake Superior State University, trusts his wife's intuition — and it's a big reason Hanley is an Eastern Oregon University presidential finalist.

Hanley's wife, Sara Gunhus-Hanley, advised him earlier this year to check an ad posted on a website announcing EOU was taking applications for its open president's position.

She gave no reason, but Hanley, respecting his wife's judgment, took a close look at it.

And he was struck by what he saw — vast potential.

Hanley determined that EOU has a vibrant online program for adult learners, which is significant because there are 65 million adults in the United States who need online educational services. Hanley said the online services Eastern offers to adult learners need to to be marketed more because of the potential they give the university.

"This could become a flagship for Eastern. It may give Eastern a vibrant future," Hanley said during a public forum at the university on Thursday, April 27.

Hanley said adult learners need to be given more attention because the pool of traditional students, age 18-24, is shrinking.

"It is no longer the engine of universities," he said.

Hanley explained the number prospective students aged 18-24 is projected to drop over the next 10 years because the United States birth rate fell during the Great Recession between 2008 and 2010, meaning the number of traditional college age students will decline into the 2030s.

Hanley has served as president of Lake Superior State University, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, since July 1, 2018. He came to Lake Superior State University from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was vice president for academic affairs.

Hanley has a doctorate degree in biology from the University of Kansas, a master's in sustainability leadership from the University of Cambridge in England, and a master's and a bachelor's of science in environmental biology from Eastern Illinois University.

Cutting-edge chemistry

Hanley said universities like Eastern Oregon University need to find niches, something, he said, that has been done at Lake Superior State University, where one of the most promising new degree programs is Cannabis Chemistry. It is the first degree program in the United States focusing on the quantitative analysis of cannabis-related compounds and contaminants including THC, according to LSSU's website. The program offers baccalaureate and associate degrees and is approved by the American Chemical Society.

"In four or five years it could be (LSSU's) most popular program," Hanley said.

Medical and recreational use of cannabis are legal in Michigan.

Diversity

Hanley said he is a strong supporter of diversity and believes it is critical that support for minority students be strong.

His understanding of the challenges minority students face has been enhanced by his work in higher education. He noted that once he received a call about a student at his school who had attempted suicide. It mystified him because the woman was a promising student on the verge of completing her thesis for a master's degree.

The student said she had grown up as a member of a minority believing she was inferior to others because of her race and did not feel she was deserving of the degree, she said.

"Psychologists call it imposter syndrome," Hanley said.

Fortunately, the student received help and now has a successful career with a Fortune 500 company, Hanley said.

Selection process

Hanley's visit to EOU concluded April 28. His visit followed those of finalists Kelly Ryan, the interim chancellor of the University of Indiana Southeast on April 24-25, and Thom Chesney, a former president of Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, on April 20-21.

Now that the three finalists for the president position have visited campus, the EOU Board of Trustees will meet May 1 to deliberate on its decision. The meeting will be in executive session and closed to the public.

The board will not make a decision during the executive session, according to Tim Seydel, EOU's vice president for university advancement. When the board selects a candidate, it will negotiate a contract with the individual selected. The board will meet in open session to appoint the new president and approve a contract.

EOU is searching for a successor to Tom Insko, who stepped down in 2022 to take a position as president and chief executive officer of Collins, a wood products company based in Wilsonville. Insko had served as EOU's president since July 2015.

Lara Moore, Eastern's vice chair for finance and administration, and Richard Chaves, who previously was the chair of Eastern's board of trustees, are now serving as Eastern's interim co-presidents. Moore is serving as EOU's internal interim president, and Chaves is the school's external interim president.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.