He's packed. He's moved out of his university residence. But he'll be staying in Indiana.
Former Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Lawrence K. Pettit relinquished his post to Derek J. Hodgson Friday, letting go of a job that he held since 1992.
And it may be the last job of the 66-year-old Pettit's academic career.
"I'm saying no" to positions he's been offered at other universities. "Right now I want some time to regenerate," Pettit said.
After working in higher education for 36 years, a busy occupation, even now he has to remind himself that "I've got time," he said.
While he's in Indiana, he plans to continue to contribute to the university. The board of The National Environmental Education and Training Center, a partnership between IUP, West Virginia University, and other organizations, has asked him to stay on the board.
He also believes he may continue to assist in fund-raising measures and help the progression of the Regional Development Center, IUP's golden child.
"I'll stay here as long as I'm productive," Pettit said.
New leader
Pettit said he is very pleased with his replacement. Though IUP has changed a lot, there is still a way to go, he said.
"I think he's a perfect choice, by background, education and temperament," Pettit said.
Hodgson arrived a week before Pettit handed him the reins.
"I'm going to keep him here as long as I can and he's going to try and get out of here as quickly as he can," Hodgson said, joking before turning serious. "He'll be a very valuable resource; I'm sure I'll be seeking his input."
Hodgson and Pettit are both supporters of IUP, but their backgrounds are very different. Pettit began his career in politics out of college before going academic, and Hodgson spent many years as a chemistry professor.
Hodgson wants to focus on enhancing "measurable academic success" at IUP and improve retention and graduation rates.
"All of us who work here need to come to the agreement that rates are everybody's business," Hodgson said, to "make sure the students don't fall through the cracks" during their first years at IUP.
Though the administration during the Pettit years improved minority enrollment rates and retention rates, Pettit also focused on programs that distinguished IUP from other State System of Higher Education universities.
Pettit admits that pushing the SSHE to accept and award those programs -- such as the Robert E. Cook Honors College, the improvements in the doctoral program and research areas -- has been his biggest challenge at IUP.
The former president believes that the SSHE would rather see the graduation rate go up 1 percent at IUP than fund research projects that may have a negative impact in economics and efficiency.
The fact that IUP is sometimes so distinctive from other system schools makes it difficult for the university to keep standing out. He feels the SSHE sometimes regards the improvements made as "insignificant add-ons."
"It's hard for IUP. The differences aren't always appreciated," Pettit said.
At the same time, Pettit is vehement in keeping higher education available and affordable to the public.
"It's something that I really believe in," Pettit said. "I think it's the salvation of any society."
Challenges
Though Pettit feels he has had "enormous support" from the community and IUP during his tenure, his time at the university hasn't always been roses.
One of his worst memories was of the apartment in John Sutton Hall when he first began. The presidential residence at IUP had bats, no air conditioning, no garage and was down the hall from the campus police, which led to some uncomfortable nights.
Though Pettit said he got over the state of the residence, his wife never did.
"It took its toll on her and consequently on our marriage," Pettit said. The couple divorced in 2000.
After the state system allocated money to the university to build a new residence, there was some controversy over the new home.
Pettit said some didn't realize the money to build the house came from a system fund specifically for presidential residences. The money never came from student tuition, he said.
He also said most would comment negatively about the home's construction when they ran out of arguments against the president. It became a "trash issue," he said.
Complaints surrounding Pettit came to a head in the fall of 2001, when the university faculty approved a vote of no confidence against him. But Pettit shook it off and ignored it, he said, labeling the vote an "anomaly."
"I just had to keep going. I didn't want to get dragged into assessing the motives" behind it, Pettit said. Mostly, he felt it was just a way for critics to complain.
He highly enjoys working with the faculty, in particular the IUP chapter president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, John Steelman.
He said IUP was moving forward at a rapid rate, so rapid that perhaps not everyone's input was received.
"When you're moving that fast, maybe you don't consult with everyone as much as you could. There's just so much going on," Pettit said.
But the positives have outweighed the negatives during his time in Indiana. Perhaps that's why he's chosen to stay for a while.
IUP's first football game this season will be against the university where Hodgson was vice chancellor for academic affairs: The University of Nebraska at Omaha. Hodgson has vowed to his friends in Omaha that IUP will win.
"We always have a winning team," said Pettit.
Most of all, Pettit enjoys seeing new students come to the campus to get their first taste of higher education.
"I can't think of any other part of life that has that renewal," he said.
| The changes |
Many things at Indiana University of Pennsylvania have changed during the tenure of former President Lawrence K. Pettit. Here are a few differences made in those years, from 1992 to 2003, according to information from the university.
Students in the college's history have received awards, scholarships and fellowships such as the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship, Fulbright Scholarships, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the National Science Foundation Fellowship, and the Freeman-Asia Scholarship. Honors College students have been finalists for both the Marshall and Truman scholarships and have studied at Oxford and Cambridge.
Students also achieved numerous academic, cultural and athletic accomplishments. IUP doctoral students in English won an award two years in a row for best dissertation, in 2001 and 2002.
The doctoral push has also led to IUP becoming a national leader in several federal areas, particularly homeland security. The creation of IUP's Weapons of Mass Destruction program, the National Emergency and Disaster Information Center, The National Institute for Corrections Education, the IUP Research Institute and The John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security are a few examples.
Several buildings on campus were constructed and renovated during the Pettit years. The Eberly College of Business, the campus parking garage, new athletic fields and three welcoming archways were built; and renovations and/or refurbishings included McElhaney, Uhler, Whitmyre, Clark and Sutton halls. The Hadley Union Building also got an addition and renovation, and Miller Stadium received astroturf and lighting.
