Leading Heritage

TOPPENISH, Wash. -- Because of his commitment to providing an education to underserved populations, John Bassett was named as Heritage University's new president on Wednesday.

"John was the person who you knew there was no risk," said Paul Moulton, chairman of the board and search committee. "He was going to pick up where Dr. (Kathleen) Ross was and just keep charging forward from there without missing a beat."

Bassett, 67, is the current president of Clark University in Worcester, Mass., a private school that serves a combined undergraduate and graduate student body of
3,000. Heritage's total enrollment is about 1,400 students.

He is replacing founding president Sister Kathleen Ross, who is beginning a national institution to help students similar to those at Heritage earn degrees. The exact date for the start of her new job has not been set.

Bassett will assume his new post next summer. His salary is not being released because Heritage is a private university and does not receive public funds. The search for a new president began after Ross announced her career move in March.

"What really attracted me to Heritage were the students," Bassett said. "Higher education is not a part of their world. To see them graduate and go on to have careers, it makes you want to be a part of it."

Bassett has served as president of Clark University since 2000. Under his leadership, the univer-sity received wide acclaim for its innovative University Park Campus School -- a small urban public school of seventh- to 12th-graders.

The institution has been recognized nationally by Newsweek magazine as one of the 100 best public high schools in the country. More than 99 percent of its graduates have passed Massachusetts' graduation exam and more than 95 percent go on to attend college. Nearly all of them are first-generation college students.

"I think Heritage has made a fabulous hire. This will be a great fit," said David Angel, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Clark. "He's moved Clark University forward in terms of its academic reputation and the relationship it has with the community and the city."

Angel has worked with Bassett for seven years and said Bassett is committed to student success.

During his tenure at Clark, he's also helped increase the school's endowment from $152 million to $240 million, a gain of 58 percent. Annual endowment income during that time has also grown 124 percent -- from $5.8 million to $13 million.

"He's been terrific to attract new faculty and administrative leadership to the university," Angel said. "He is a talented leader."

This personable attitude is what impressed Laura Aguiar, a Heritage sophomore who served on the search committee. She said she was most concerned about finding a president who could interact with students, and Bassett succeeded on that front.

"He integrated himself with the student body right off the bat," she said about his visits. "I'm very excited to see what plans he has in store for Heritage."

Although he needs to meet with students and staff before setting goals for Heritage, Bassett said he and his wife Kay are happy to make the Yakima Valley their home. In Worcester, Kay has served as chairwoman for the Red Cross board and is active in the YMCA and other boards.

The couple has two grown children, and they're lovers of theater, art and music, Bassett said. He also enjoys tennis and hiking.

"We think the Northwest is a wonderful place. It is an adventure," he said.

Ross, who has known Bassett professionally for about 10 years, said she's pleased about his appointment and will help Bassett transition to his new role.

"I'm absolutely thrilled that Dr. Bassett is our choice for the next president because he shares the values and the vision that I've had and that Heritage has," said Ross, 68. "He has a very strong commitment to what we're doing."

Roughly 100 people applied for the job from across the nation, and three finalists were selected for interviews. Although all had demonstrated success in their fields, Moulton said Bassett's experience spoke volumes.

Prior to his work at Clark, Bassett had served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland from 1993 to 2000. He is a scholar and teacher of American literature and has published 11 books and more than 30 professional articles -- including a new annotated bibliography of recent criticism on William Faulkner.

He now serves as vice chair and chair-elect of the 800-member National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

When searching for a new president, Moulton said he wanted someone who shared Heritage's values, someone who had a track record of improving academics and successfully running a university. He found all that, and more, with Bassett.

"John is a down-to-earth person who you feel is an open book," he said. "After talking to him for five minutes, it's like you're talking to your best friend. He's very relaxed and personable."

Michael Moore, vice president of advancement for Heritage, agrees.

"He's got the passion of a scholar, but he also sees the importance of the kinds of students that we serve," Moore said. "To help us focus and continue every effort to expand our academics, John is really well fit to do that."

When Ross announced she was stepping down in March, Moulton admitted he was panicked. Now, after hiring Bassett, he feels much more assured about Heritage's future.

"We have a confidence that we can really keep moving ahead," he said. "He has the same respect Kathleen has throughout the country. That's something we thought we'd have to lose."

Founded in 1982, Heritage University is a private, four-year liberal arts university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition to the main campus in Toppenish, Heritage has sites in Moses Lake, Wenatchee, Tri-Cities, south Seattle and Yakima.

For more information about Bassett's background, go to www.clarku.edu/offices/publicaffairs/news/press/articles/bassett_retirement2009.cfm.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.