Heidelberg president contract expanded

The Heidelberg University Board of Trustees has announced that President Robert H. Huntington's 2024-2029 employment agreement contract has been extended an additional year. Board Chair Kathleen Tirbovich Geier made the announcement following the Board's fall meetings in October, according to information provided by the university. Huntington was given a rolling contract designed to automatically turn into another five-year contract at the end of the first year and every year thereafter. As a result, his new contract has been extended to June 2029. "We have appreciated this opportunity, over the past 14- years, to partner with Rob on our shared mission to grow Heidelberg to meet the needs and demands of the next generation of alumni," Geier said in a release. "Our goal is to make education affordable and accessible to all students and we are moving in the right direction." Under Huntington's leadership, according to the university, Heidelberg has invested nearly $55 million since 2010 to complete 24 new construction and major renovation projects. With the anticipated completion of the Student Athletics, Academic, and Recreation Center in the Fall of 2025, that total will soar to nearly $83 million. The University also recently announced the launch of a new major in Data Analytics as well as a new initiative to offer the popular PlusOneAdvantage® MBA Scholarship Program fully online. Huntington has overseen the development and implementation of a number of innovative programs targeted at recruiting strong classes of new students to Heidelberg each fall. "It's critically important to us to make education affordable and accessible to all students," Huntington said in a release. "That's something that really matters to us...In our day-to-day operations and in our collaboration across the campus, we continue to doggedly pursue the idea of transforming generations of students. We are committed to providing differentiated academic programming, excellent and innovative teaching, and holistic opportunities to ensure every student's success, graduation and preferred placement." Huntington began as Heidelberg's 14th president in July 2009. He is a past chair of the Board of Directors of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership and its Executive Committee and still serves on that board. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tiffin Community Foundation and a member of the Tiffin Rotary. In addition, he became a member of the Lakeside Chautauqua Board of Directors in 2020. In higher education, Huntington serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) and as a Trustee for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Ohio (AICUO). Nationally, he served on the NCAA Division III Presidents Council and as a member of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, while also representing the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) on the NCAA Division III Presidents Advisory Group for eight years. Huntington has served as chair of the OAC Presidents Council twice since coming to Heidelberg.