President Lou Hencken will retire.

He announced his decision today at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees.

“I have always been told that ‘to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens,’ and I firmly believe that there is a natural rhythm to academic institutions like this one – a time to begin and a time to end,” Hencken said. “After serving for 41 years at Eastern Illinois University in various positions., I have no doubt that the time has come for the university to begin the search process for its next president. Accordingly I have advised our Board of Trustees that I will retire as president of Eastern Illinois University.”

Hencken was officially named President of Eastern on Aug. 1, 2001. His current contract expires June 30, 2007. He told trustees, however, that if need be, he is willing to remain in office after that date and until a new president can assume the office.

During the next twelve months, Hencken told the board and attendees that he plans to stay busy working on several goals he wants to accomplish before he leaves.

“I am personally incapable of being a lame duck, and the challenges and opportunities facing the university are too important to permit that to happen,” he said.

He has nine goals he wants to emphasize during his last year: enhance academic programs; achieve equitable faculty/student compensation; improve institutional effectiveness and productivity; heighten the university’s state and national image; increase public and private resources; increase access and diversity within the student body, faculty, administration and staff; address essential maintenance and the campus master plan, enhance technology and equipment; and effectively manage enrollment.

His final statement: “I will always be grateful, more grateful than I know how to say, by the honor given to me by the trustees, by the previous presidents, by the students, by my colleagues on the faculty and staff to have had the opportunity to serve Eastern Illinois University – my Alma Mater – for so long and in so many ways. And I when I leave office I will do so with the continuing confidence in the future of this great university.”

As Hencken left the podium, from which he announced his decision, the board and those in attendance gave the president a standing ovation.

And for once, nobody listened to him when he gestured with his hands for everyone to be seated. They just clapped longer.

After everyone did sit down, Board chair Leo Welch said the board offered to extend Hencken’s contract.

“The trustees did not hesitate to offer him that option,” he said. “This is his decision.”

Board members then took the opportunity to comment on Hencken’s decision.

Vice chairperson Robert Webb said he did not look forward to Friday’s meeting with his usual anticipation because of Hencken’s announcement and Webb added that he did not think Hencken needed to worry about becoming a lame duck.

Board member Julie Nimmons echoed Webb’s opinion.

“There’s nothing in your composition that makes you a lame duck.” she said. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you are doing to move this university forward.”

Why he left

Hencken said at a news conference after Friday’s meeting that he has the energy to continue as president for one more year, but after that it wouldn’t be fair to the university if he stayed.

“It would have been nice for me to be here to cut the ribbon on the Doudna Fine Arts Center, but would that be in the best interest of the university?” he said. “I’d rather have people saying, ‘Gee, I wish Lou was still here.'”

Hencken’s announcement is not as sad as it could be, as the president wrote into his contract a couple years ago that after he retired he would be allowed to stay and teach.

“I would love to teach a couple of freshman foundation classes,” he said.

The president already has his syllabus planned. And with his usual determined attitude about graduation, he painted a picture of how on the first day of class he plans to tell those twenty-two freshmen, “I’m going to track you til you graduate.”