NAU President John Haeger and the Arizona Board of Regents have announced a two-year extension to his contract, which will keep him as head of the university through June 2015.
“Working together with regents, faculty, staff and government leaders, we have moved this university forward in many ways, and I look forward to completing some important projects that we already have started,” Haeger said, referring to a variety of student success initiatives that NAU began last year.
The regents announced Haeger’s new contract during a special board meeting today.
“President Haeger has guided NAU to unprecedented gains in access and affordability for Arizona students throughout the state,” said Bob McLendon, chair of the Board of Regents. “An extended contract will assure leadership continuity as we work toward aggressive system goals of increasing degree attainment and expanding research activities to enhance the state’s economy.”
Regent Ernest Calderón, ABOR Resources Committee chair, former board president and NAU alumnus, said, “John Haeger has done an extraordinary job in redesigning and invigorating Northern Arizona University. NAU is now a vibrant and dynamic leader in higher education. I appreciate John accepting our request that he postpone his retirement and continue to provide stability in the face of uncertain challenges ahead.”
During Haeger’s decade as NAU president, the university has experienced unprecedented enrollment growth in Flagstaff and across the state. The campus also has been witness to a dramatic infrastructure expansion, with new and renovated buildings that better serve students while promoting the university’s commitment to energy efficiency. NAU’s Applied Research and Development building was the first LEED Platinum building in Arizona and remains among the greenest in the world.
Other accomplishments during Haeger’s presidency include:
- Introduction of NAU’s Pledge program, which guarantees an unchanging tuition rate for eight semesters for undergraduate students
- Creation of NAU-Yavapai, a new method of delivering higher education in Arizona that saves time and money for students
- Expansion of nursing and health programs
- Construction of the High Country Conference Center, Drury Hotel and the 1899 Bar & Grill while expanding a public-private business model
- Growth of NAU’s partnerships with community colleges across Arizona
- Increasing use of technology as an innovative tool to boost student retention, access and affordability