Hal Wilde to retire after nearly 22 years

Amber Dvorak
News Editor

North Central College President Hal Wilde announced last Friday that he would be retiring at the end of 2012, after nearly 22 years serving as college president.

But Wilde doesn’t want the campus to write him off just yet. “I’m still here, and I still have lots of things to do,” Wilde said. Wilde plans on seeing North Central through the end of its Sesquicentennial celebration and its associated fundraising before retiring from the college on Dec. 31.

“One of the most important things you do in any job you love is to leave at the right time,” Wilde explained. He said that after the Sesquicentennial celebration ended, it “seemed like the right time.” Although his official retirement announcement came just last week, Wilde had told the Board of Trustees of his upcoming retirement plans two years ago, giving the board time to begin preparations for selecting a successor.

“By any standard, Hal Wilde has had a remarkable tenure as North Central’s president,” Board Chair and alumnus Steve Hoeft, ’73, said in a press release.

According to a North Central release, some of the many significant events during Wilde’s presidency include: a tenfold increase in endowment, a 400 percent increase in scholarship support, the largest amount of gifts and bequests in the college’s history and significant changes to the campus, including building renovations and the construction of new residence halls, new stadiums and the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center.

Despite all these accomplishments under his presidency, Wilde doesn’t consider them a part of his “legacy.”

“The most important legacy is the people who’ve graduated under my watch,” Wilde said. “These people are wonderful gifts to the community. … “To call [the buildings] a legacy is the wrong thing. The real legacy is the students and the people who provide them training and enrichment.”

When asked about his favorite memories during his tenure at North Central, Wilde could provide no single answer. “To pick out one memory is like picking out which of my three children is my favorite,” he said. “You can’t do that.” Wilde said he has hundreds of memories dating back to his first year at the college.

“[That’s] one of the great joys of being part of a college,” Wilde said, “there’s so much you absorb.”

Wilde still has nearly another year to continue making memories, after which he plans on spending more time with his four grandchildren, as well as supporting his children and his wife in her work. Additionally, he is looking into taking on a couple of volunteering opportunities upon his retirement.

Wilde explained that he’s had over 35 years of experience in helping match young people with the college that’s the best fit for them. He would like to continue this college counseling, but this time for inner-city kids in Chicago – a place he feels he could provide those kids with the same benefits that kids in higher-income families enjoy.

In addition to college counseling, Wilde said he would like to serve as a consultant for college presidents and be there to talk through “tricky issues” with them. “Everyone in a college president position needs someone to talk to,” he explained, which can be a difficult matter when the content up for discussion isn’t necessarily suited for the board, faculty or staff.

Although come 2013, Wilde will no longer be a constant presence on campus, he has no plans of ending his dedication to North Central. Instead of accepting compensation for serving as a college president consultant, he would like to have checks made out as gifts to North Central and other charities he cares about.

“I want to be helpful,” Wilde said. “I will be happy for the rest of my life to be helpful to North Central if I’m asked for it.”