Nebraska’s Hastings College announced last week that Pitzer Vice President for College Advancement Dennis Trotter will become its new president. Trotter will succeed current Hastings president Dr. Phillip Dudley on July 1.

According to Pitzer President Laura Trombley, Trotter’s responsibilities include overseeing all fund-raising activities and alumni and parent relations. The process for replacing him has not yet been finalized, but Trombley said an interim vice president would likely be appointed while a more comprehensive search gets underway.

Trotter expressed excitement for his new position, but praised the 5Cs and advised students to take advantage of their opportunities here.

“I don’t think most Claremont students fully realize the incredible richness of this collaborative academic environment at the Claremont Colleges, how unusual it is in the world of higher education,” he said. “Nowhere else on earth are these types of excellent institutions in such close proximity to one another and work so well together. It’s really a kind of academic miracle and I think we often take it for granted. My only advice is to drink deeply from this experience—it really is a precious gift that few others possess.”

Trotter has worked at Pitzer since 2008. His responsibilities at the school included developing operations to enhance campus infrastructure and the academic and co-curricular programs at Pitzer. The position relied heavily on collaboration and innovation, which helped him and the college establish “a number of significant fund-raising successes despite having to do so in the worst economic environment in the college’s history,” he said.

According to Trombley, the college is currently in the quiet phase of a major capital campaign, which Trotter’s successor will oversee. “Our expectation is that we will start the public phase of our campaign in a year’s time,” she said. “It will be a comprehensive plan, both endowment-based and capital-based.”

The Hastings Board of Trustee approved Trotter’s appointment after a search committee selected him from an initial pool of 100 candidates. The applicants were narrowed down to four and invited to Nebraska to give presentations to Hastings students and faculty and to meet with various campus groups, including the search committee.

According to Harold Dittmer, Chair of the Hastings College Board of Trustees, Trotter was chosen for his exemplary record and for the progress he has made in his own career.

“Dennis Trotter has worked his way up from very modest beginnings to top positions in higher education,” Dittmer wrote in an e-mail to TSL. “He understands excellence and has the drive and energy to lead our college to become better and better. We very much liked his mix of background of admissions, fund-raising, competitive nature and the fact that he has worked at top colleges including Pitzer.”

Trotter described his qualifications as a culmination of 25 years of experience.

“I’ve been attempting to accumulate the skills, experiences and knowledge necessary to become a college president,” he said. “It was very much a process of discernment and discipline, attempting to find the right fit with a college that needed the particular set of leadership skills that I possessed.”

According to Trotter, the jump from VP to President is larger than some may think.

“While some people describe [being college president] as the CEO of an academic organization, I think it is more expansive than that. You’re also somewhat of a coach, a counselor, a motivator, a facilitator and a prophet. It’s an all-encompassing job that is extremely demanding but also extremely fulfilling. I’m anxious to throw myself into the job.”

Hastings College is affiliated with the Presbyterian faith, and this was a factor in selecting the new president, according to Dittmer.

“We did look for someone who was dedicated to the Judeo-Christian tradition,” he said. “We welcome students of all faiths and backgrounds and we very much want our students to have an opportunity to grow not only intellectually but also spiritually. Dennis and his wife demonstrated they have similar beliefs.”

Dittmer said Trotter can look forward to a warm welcome at Hastings.

“There is a great deal of optimism that changes will be positive and [this will be] an opportunity for personal growth as well as growth for the college,” he said.

Trotter received his bachelor’s degree from Whitworth University and holds an MBA from the University of Iowa.