New Heritage University president named
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- John Bassett, current president of Clark University in Worcester, Mass., has been named the new president of Heritage University in Toppenish.
Bassett, 67, who will replace founding president Sister Kathleen Ross, will assume his new post next summer.
In a news release, Heritage board Chairman Paul Moulton said Bassett will lead university to great achievements.
“He brings to Heritage and our students the skills, experience and unique abilities that make him the perfect person to lead Heritage at this important time in our history,” he said.
Bassett has been president of Clark University since 2000. The private college serves a combined undergraduate and graduate student body of 3,000. Heritage’s total enrollment is about 1,400 students.
Under Bassett’s leadership, Clark University 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 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.
Prior to his work at Clark, Bassett 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.
“I can think of no greater calling than to lead Heritage University,” said Bassett in a news release. “Higher education is the foundation for our future success as a society. Heritage was founded on the belief that no one should be denied access for reasons of poverty, culture or geography.”
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.
Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or at esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com
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