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During his annual spring and fall address, Hastad always talked about the positive stories and achievements coming out of UW-L, from Olympic gold medalist Andrew Rock to the custodian honored by the state for finding ways to remove scuff marks from the floor.
UW Regent and La Crosse attorney Brent Smith saw Hastad’s admiration of students during the La Crosse Tribune’s Extra Effort annual awards reception in April.
“His voice was a little ... you could tell the emotion was there,” Smith said, recalling how Hastad praised the 24 high school honorees. “You could tell how much he cared.”
Those memories aren’t packed in the boxes Hastad brings with him as he travels east to become president of Carroll College in Waukesha County, but they are in his heart as he leaves the institution at which he has spent nearly two decades.
From his first day on campus in August 1989 as dean of the then-College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, to his two years as provost and the past six as chancellor, Hastad said he has loved coming to campus each day to try to do what was best for students.
And while he is excited to return to his private higher education roots — he was a student at Concordia College in Minnesota and taught at private schools — he is sad to leave the institution he had planned to retire from.
“You can’t invest 17 years of your life in an organization and not feel emotional when you leave, especially when you leave a campus with so many friends,” Hastad said.
Moving on
Hastad stressed he is not unhappy at La Crosse but says it’s discouraging to work in an environment that is “less-than-supportive of public higher education.”
His tenure as chancellor was marked by severe cuts in state funding. Nearly $6.3 million was chopped from UW-L’s budget during the past three biennial budgets. That was hard to swallow at UW-L, where benchmarks in everything from retention to graduation rates have been shattered almost annually.
The opportunity to head to Carroll would have been difficult to pass up, he said, because it fits with what he believed about higher education: flexibility in how resources are used, a clear place and purpose, and a well-defined mission.
Few disagree Hastad deeply cares for UW-L. Recently retired Patricia Anderson, who worked in the chancellor’s office since the early 1990s, said Hastad sold the campus as a great place to work during her interviews.
But he had his share of difficulties and detractors during his tenure, such as the years-long battle with the city and veterans on the renaming of the stadium complex, an issue he inherited.
During a WLSU-FM interview in May, Hastad said the university did everything it could to resolve the issue quickly, and he praised veterans and the city for coming to an agreement.
On campus, many faculty grumbled when Hastad reorganized the College of Education, Exercise Science, Health and Recreation — where the programs UW-L was historically known for were housed — into the other three colleges in 2005 as a way to cut costs.
Faculty would have preferred more dialogue about that, said Faculty Senate President Carmen Wilson, although she thinks he “did the best that he could under really challenging circumstances,” especially given the tight time frame.
“He was leading during a time when budgets and the organization were getting smaller,” noted Provost Elizabeth Hitch. “That is a much harder job than going the other way.”
Faculty view him in varied ways, Wilson said. Some would have preferred a chancellor who was more visible on campus and had more teaching experience, while others noted his effectiveness with state lawmakers and the community.
“I think faculty, in general, are not supposed to be supporters of administrators,” said political science professor Joe Heim. “You can’t expect faculty to go ‘rah rah’ about a chancellor. I think he did as well as expected.”
Hastad considers UW-L “blessed with a talented and deeply loyal faculty and staff” who have gone above and beyond duty during tough fiscal times.
“I’ve pointed out to faculty, ‘Should you be happy?’ No,” Hastad said. “These are not good times. But this campus has had the ability to focus on what’s important, the students.”
Leaving a mark
Dick Granchalek, president of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, said most business leaders view Hastad as a collaborator, trying to bring groups together for the benefit of the entire region. A particular success was Hastad’s Chancellor’s Community Council, where the chancellor would talk with businesses, lawmakers and others about the needs of the university and how it related to the community.
“I think the community understood Doug as a true leader who had students and their progress at the center of his decision-making,” added Provost Hitch. “His ability to talk about quality experience at UW-L has been exceptional.”
Regent Smith agreed, calling Hastad a modern-day chancellor who wore the many hats of a university leader with grace.
“I changed my mind on him over the years,” Heim said. “I went from, ‘I’m a skeptic,’ to ‘He’s OK.’ He was a better-than-average chancellor. He improved on (previous chancellor Judith Kuiper’s) record, and that’s a hard thing to do.”
Heim sees Hastad leaving his mark at UW-L through a proposed new academic building. While final approval is pending and many people have been involved in that project, Heim sees Hastad “as the conductor of that orchestra.”
Another Hastad initiative that has people talking is a growth and access agenda that would add 1,000 students to UW-L during the next eight years. The additional money generated would fund financial aid for low-income students and more teaching positions.
Hastad’s hopes for the future are focused on those he leaves behind. He hopes for a reinvestment of state dollars to help increase salaries and continue to improve the quality of education for students.
“These are wonderful students,” he said. “I hope they can get what they deserve, demand and expect from this campus community.”
New administrators to start at UW-L
Provost Elizabeth Hitch becomes interim chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on July 1 as Doug Hastad leaves for Carroll College.
She will serve until a new chancellor is named. A 17-member search-and-screen committee has started the process of looking for the 10th leader of UW-L and hopes to have someone appointed by December.
Other July 1 administrative changes include:
Dean of students: Paula Knudson
Interim Dean of the College of Science and Health: Karen Palmer McLean
Director of the School of Education: Margaret Finders
Kate Schott can be reached at Kate.Schott@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8226.
