Retiring president James Dennis ‘transformed’ McKendree University in Lebanon
James Dennis has been the face of McKendree University in Lebanon for more than 25 years, so it’s hard for people to imagine not seeing the 6-foot-4-inch, white-haired president sitting in stands at football games, eating in the cafeteria, attending concerts or speaking at graduations.
But Dennis, 75, is retiring and heading back to his native California at the end of the month.
“I woke up in the middle of the night, and I thought, ‘For the last 25 years, I’ve been helping to raise other people’s grandchildren, and maybe I should try doing it with my own,’” he said in a recent interview.
Dennis will technically remain employed and on sabbatical from McKendree until his contract ends in June. The board of trustees has named Daniel C. Dobbins as his replacement. Dobbins is currently president of Fiber Bond Corp., an Indiana company that manufactures air-filtration systems.
Dennis will be remembered for increasing enrollment, diversity and the number of academic programs and athletic teams at McKendree. He also guided construction of a new classroom and office building, a regional arts center, two residence halls, an apartment complex and a football stadium.
In 2007, Dennis presided over the name change from McKendree College to McKendree University to more accurately reflect its status and offerings.
“You can’t overstate how he’s transformed McKendree,” said Lisa Sanders, director of media relations. “It’s not the same place.”
On Giving Tuesday and throughout this semester, people who donate $26 or more to the university will receive a pair of “Dr. Dennis socks” to celebrate his nearly 26 years of leadership.
From L.A. to Lebanon
Dennis came to McKendree in 1994. He’s the 32nd president of the private school, founded in 1828 by Methodist pioneers.
Dennis had completed a 27-year career at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, most recently serving as vice president for student affairs. He dealt not only with educational issues, but also social problems such as rapes, assaults and gang shootings.
Dennis was struck by the tranquility of the McKendree campus with its 19th century brick buildings, tall trees and Midwestern pace. He counted 248 steps from his office in Wildy Hall to Stevenson House, the president’s official residence.
“I used to commute 45 minutes each way (in traffic and smog),” he said in a 2004 profile.
The proximity to campus has allowed Dennis to be a regular participant or spectator at Bearcats sporting events, music and theater performances, lectures and other activities.
“He comes from a generation where his hobby is his work, and he has immersed himself in the life of the university,” said Senior Vice President Victoria Dowling. “His professional and personal life merge quite a bit.”
Dennis feels McKendree has improved both in quality and quantity, which he calls “rare” in higher education. Enrollment went from about 800 students in the mid-1990s to a peak of 3,400 before dropping back down to 2,500, partly because of reduced operations at satellite locations.
Students now come to Lebanon from 28 countries and 34 states, including Texas, Florida and California. Some 35% are ethnic minorities, up from 3%.
“We’ve become much more international and much more diverse, and that’s by design,” Dennis said.
$90 million in donations
McKendree has raised about $90 million since Dennis arrived, and much of that money has been used for capital-development projects.
Piper Academic Center opened in 2001, providing space for classrooms, faculty offices and admission and information technology departments. That was followed by construction of Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, also known as The Hett, in 2006 and two residence halls in 2011.
Leemon Field became the new home of Bearcats football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s lacrosse in 2013. Overall, the number of athletic teams has more than doubled to 32.
“That’s important because it’s helped us to grow enrollments, frankly,” Dennis said, noting McKendree even has a bass-fishing team.
Campus renovations have added a coffee house and cyber center and spruced up the bookstore, dining hall, library, Bothwell Chapel and Pearsons Hall. New fountains, monuments and statues include a 2,500-pound bronze sculpture of a bearcat on the quad.
The university has acquired houses and other buildings on its perimeter, opened an art gallery in downtown Lebanon and entered into lease agreements at a wrestling center near campus and the new McKendree MetroRecPlex in O’Fallon, where swimming, diving and ice-hockey teams compete.
Dowling gives Dennis credit for “tremendous leadership” that will keep McKendree moving forward for years to come.
“Certainly, his departure is bittersweet,” she said. “He has done some amazing things for the institution over the years. But change is vitally important in higher education, and this is an opportunity for a new leader to come in and make his mark.”
Pizza with the president
Beyond accomplishments on paper, Dennis has earned a reputation as a friendly and accessible university president who hobnobs with students every chance he gets.
In 1994, Dennis made headlines by staying in a McKendree dorm for two weeks, experiencing campus life first-hand and complaining only that the bed was too short. In 2008, he started going outside on hot days, manning a wheeled cart and serving ice cream to students, faculty and staff.
“I always tell people, ‘When I hand out diplomas at graduation, most students say “thank you.” When I hand out ice cream, every student says “thank you,”’” he said.
For years, Dennis has invited students to Pizza with the President parties at the stately Stevenson House. The idea is to get to know them personally so they feel more comfortable voicing concerns or offering suggestions.
“The one question he always asks is, ‘If you had a magic wand, what would you want to change or fix or improve upon at McKendree?’” said graduate student Rob Watkins, 24, who’s earning a master’s in business administration. “He’s very receptive and very open to student input.”
Watkins met Dennis as a freshman when he played on the men’s volleyball team and Dennis showed up for games. Watkins later served as Student Government Association president and taught a University 101 orientation class with Dennis.
The president ended the class by inviting students to a formal dinner party at Stevenson House and giving them tips on professional dress and etiquette.
“I’d say 95%, if not 100%, of students at McKendree know his name, know who he is and know what he does,” said Watkins, now an intern in the president’s office. “I’d say the vast majority have met him, had a conversation with him or would feel comfortable having a conversation with him.”
California dreamin’
In 2016, Dennis married longtime friend Cynthia Cherrey, who is president and CEO of the Maryland-based International Leadership Association. He has two grown sons from a previous marriage and five grandchildren, ages 7 to 12.
Dennis is moving to Newport Beach, California. He plans to spend some time babysitting, but he isn’t ruling out teaching or taking another part-time job in higher education. He also may get involved in a USC scholarship program called Swim with Mike, which helps disabled student athletes.
“I have been so impressed with what (the two founders) have accomplished,” said Dennis, a competitive swimmer at USC in the 1960s. “If I could help out in some way, I would volunteer to do that.”
Dennis jokes that he will now get to live in a home with modern conveniences. Stevenson House was built in 1841.
Dennis will miss St. Louis Cardinals games, but his other favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers, so he’ll get his baseball fix in California. He also likes traveling internationally, dining out, going to the symphony and reading John Grisham novels.
“I would consider staying in the Midwest if not for the family,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would. ... I love (the university), and I love what I do. The hardest part of leaving is the relationships you develop with faculty and staff and especially students. I enjoy young people more than most people my age.”
Dennis feels lucky, knowing he played a small part in helping an estimated 17,000 students earn college degrees over the past quarter-century.
“There is not a day that I haven’t popped out of bed and thought, ‘I get to go to work today at McKendree and play president,’” he said. “It has been a privilege.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 5:10 AM.
