Harold George Jeffcoat, LLM, EdD
Educational leader with 34 years of service to American higher education with significant experience in academic and administrative change management at major public research universities as well as private colleges; achievement as scholar and tenured professor; strong interpersonal and communication skills; active community leader; effective governmental and public relations, proven success raising major gifts, grants and capital campaign management; advocate for shared-governance, and committed to conservative and responsible financial management.
Leadership and Administrative Experience:
Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Texas, President and Chief Executive Officer, 2000 – 2010
Performance Summary
- Elected the 18th President and Chief Executive Officer on August 1, 2000
- Appointed Professor of European Union Law and Professor of Humanities, 2000
- Awarded tenure as Full-Professor, September 2000
- Reappointed as President and CEO on June 1, 2006
- Regained full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools within one year after SACS placed the university on probation in December 2000, and subsequently gained full ten-year reaffirmation
- Attained full accreditation of the School of Law from the American Bar Association
- Attained accreditation for the School of Business and Professional Studies and the Exercise Science and Sports Medicine program
- Developed and implemented the university’s first iterative and measurable long range (Strategic) plan
- Reformed General Education Core Curriculum
- Implemented productivity assessments and merit evaluations for all faculty and staff
- Initiated periodic program reviews and productivity assessments for all academic programs and administrative offices
- Established minimum salaries for tenured or tenure-track faculty holding terminal degrees, and merit salary adjustments for all eligible faculty
- Operated the university on balanced budgets and recently substantial budget surpluses
- Eliminated the use of unrestricted gifts to balance the operating budget
- Reduced endowment draws from 19% in FY 1999 to a flat dollar draw that represents 3.5% of endowment corpus in FY 2007. The amount of the draw will remained fixed over the foreseeable future, and as the endowment corpus grows, the effective percentage draw will continue to decline. The goal is to double the corpus value of the endowment every four years through a combination of new capital gifts and reduced spending from endowment earnings. As the university requires significant capital investments, then increase for one year the percentage of endowment draw, dedicate funds to those start-up programs as scholarship and program endowments, and in the subsequent year return to the flat dollar draw spending policy.
- Increased general endowment and invested fund balances from $28 million to $62 million
- Reduced discounted tuition (unfunded scholarships) from 31% in 1999 to 18% in 2007, and initiated changes in the use of discounted tuition to support well-prepared, less academically at-risk students, while increasing the use of annual earnings from endowed scholarships to support general student financial needs
- Encouraged greater faculty entrepreneurship, increased revenue from contracts and grant awards, and initiated greater stewardship of federal and state relationships including a new $2,000,000 Title III grant which will enable the university to develop and expand upon its use of learning technologies and to implement new programs in experiential/learning communities across the curriculum
- Increased incoming student credentials, improved freshman to sophomore retention from 51% to 65%, stabilized enrollment at 2,900 FTE and set the optimum enrollment goal at 3400 FTE. Enrollment will grow beyond 3,400 but only according to sound business plans for selected academic programs funded adequately with sufficient initial capital investments. Official enrollment for Fall 2009 totaled 3333 FTE.
- Eliminated one undergraduate degree program, added two Masters Degree programs with plans in place to add two new Masters and three Doctoral programs within the next three years
- Constructed new facilities for the Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesia, the Department of Psychology, Department of Biology and Bioinformatics, and Alumni Relations; renovated space for Theatre and Music and the new graduate Counseling Program, and built the new Claudia Stepp Scene Shop for Theatre, about eighty-five percent of all new construction funded with gifts.
- Won federal grant support to renovate the historic Baker building and to support the renovation of dilapidated properties located on three blocks bordering the Historic campus
- Acquired the historic neo-Gothic Polytechnic United Methodist Church Building and grounds as a gift valued in excess of $7.0 million. This acquisition also enabled Polytechnic UMC to continue its operations in the facility without associated costs for maintaining the building and grounds. Then, raised $2.5 million to renovate the educational wings of the structure to provide permanent home for faculty offices and classrooms for the School of Arts and Sciences Completed the renovation and build-out of the School of Law and Law Library raising $3.0 million for the project
- Constructed Wesleyan Village, the first new residence hall complex since the 1960s; renovated and upgraded three older residence halls
- Implemented three-year plan to “annuitize” the previously closed Defined Benefit Retirement Plan which as of June 1, 2008 will free over $1.0 million from the annual budget required to service the plan, then to reallocate those resources for other university priorities
- Created and won grant support and seed-money for the Texas Wesleyan University Global Scholars Program (now funded as a permanent line item in the annual budget) and subsequently provided global experiences for faculty teams to Thailand, China, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Peru and Brazil, and South Africa
- Founded the Texas Wesleyan University Press, in collaboration with the Ex Libris Corporation, a subsidiary of Random House, as a means to encourage scholarly activity of Wesleyan faculty and scholars closely associated with the university. The first publication, "Days of a Chameleon," the collected poems of faculty member Dr. Jeffrey DeLotto, appeared in 2007, the second publication "Proceedings of University College Day" appeared in 2009
- Reformed intercollegiate athletics from NCAA Division II to NAIA Division I. Increased the number of student-athletes to 258 and reduced operating cost by 40%. Average grade point for student athletes now exceeds 2.8 and 100 students earned grade point averages above 3.0. Every varsity team has won at least one conference championship since the change. Women’s Volleyball reached the Elite Eight in 2005. Table Tennis has won seven consecutive National Championships. Texas Wesleyan University was the first university in the nation to offer athletic scholarships for the Olympic sport of Table Tennis. Men’s Basketball won the National Championship in 2006. All starters from that team earned their college degrees, and by May 2008 all members of the championship team will have graduated. Funding for Intercollegiate Athletics follows the same model as academic programs. The policy returns eighteen per cent of tuition and fee revenue (not housing revenue) derived from athlete enrollment to the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics for scholarships supplemented by annual 3.5% draws from endowments restricted to particular sports.
- In 2009 the Athletic Department operated at over $1.0 million revenue surplus and returned all to supplement the general operating budget of the university
- Initiated the first university Government and Community Relations administration office
- Over the past ten years the university operated with surpluses in excess of $6.0 million.
The University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, Vice Chancellor, 1994-2000
Performance Summary
- Appointed Professor of Education, adjunct, 1994
- Appointed Professor of Humanities, adjunct, 1994
- Served as the founding Director and later named Director Emeritus, European Union Center, 1995
- Admitted to the Graduate Faculty and served on several committees for Master and Doctoral degree students in the College of Education, 1995-2000
- Initiated decentralized advancement models and increased private giving from $17 million to $35 million, annually
- Created and funded the MU Global Scholars Program
- Served on the MU Legislative Affairs Committee which developed liaisons with members of the Missouri Legislature
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, Assistant Vice President, 1990-1994
Performance Summary
- Managed and led a comprehensive advancement program with over 100 professional and support staff
- Staffed the Executive Committee and as Campaign Director helped lead the Purdue Vision 21 Capital Campaign which raised $330 million
- Increased private giving from $19 million to $50 million, annually
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Director of Development, 1988-1990
Performance Summary
- Revitalized an underperforming annual fund and initiated a major gifts program
- Tripled private giving in three years while pursuing the doctoral degree at the University of Kentucky
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, Development Officer, 1983-1988
Performance Summary
- Initiated school-based advancement programs for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Arts and Letters while also attending graduate school, 1983-1986
- Served as Associate Director of Development and Interim Director of Public Affairs, University Health Sciences Center, 1986-1988
- Staffed the first university-wide Capital Campaign
The Florida State University Foundation, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, 1980-1983
- Started the first Corporate and Foundations fundraising program in the FSU Foundation
Columbia College, Columbia, South Carolina, Director of Federal Relations, 1978-1980
- Staffed the university president as consultant for reforming the Office of Financial Aid
- Named the first Director of Federal Relations which required developing liaisons with and among the South Carolina Congressional Delegation and members of the US Senate
Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, 1975-1978
- Began new career in higher education as Director of Financial Aid, and Instructor of Philosophy, and Assistant Football Coach and Head Baseball Coach and volunteered as JV Basketball Coach and started graduate school at Kansas University
Significant Academic and Administrative Leadership Assignments:
Educational Rights and Privacy Act Compliance Committee, Baker University, 1976
General Education Review Committee, Baker University, 1976
Title III Implementation Committee, Columbia College, 1978-1980
The Mildred and Claude Pepper Library Planning Committee, The Florida State University, 1980-1983
Capital Campaign Committee, the University of South Florida, 1985-1988
The Greek Studies Council, the University of South Florida, 1985-1988
The Robert Penn Warren Center, Western Kentucky University, treasurer, 1988-1990
Strategic Planning Committee, Chair Financial and Legal Sub-committee, Western Kentucky University, 1988-1990
Capital Campaign Executive Committee and Post Campaign Planning Committee, Purdue University, 1994
NCAA Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee, Purdue University, 1993-1994
PhD/EdD Curriculum Reform Committee, the University of Missouri, 1999
Legislative Information Network, the University of Missouri, 1995-2000
Strategic Planning Advisory Board, the University of Missouri, 1995-2000
Council for International Initiatives, the University of Missouri, 1997-2000
State of Missouri Governor’s Trade Delegations to Southeast Asia and Korea, 1996, 1997
Accreditation Site Teams, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and off-site evaluator, 2007
Accreditation site teams for the American Bar Association, 2007-2008
Academic Appointments and Scholarly Activity:
Education:
University of Leicester School of Law, Leicester, England (U.K.)
Master of Laws, European Union Law, 2000
Dissertation: “Abusive Trade Practices and Intellectual Property Rights in the European Union” examined the case law of the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance together with relevant legislation that has led to the development of several legal theories on restraint of trade used by the Courts to limit intellectual property rights enjoyed by corporations and undertakings in dominant positions.
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
Doctor of Education, Policy Studies and Evaluation, 1994
Dissertation: “Presidents as Autobiographers” examined autobiographies of university presidents and the textual strategies they deployed to construct metaphors of presidential leadership.
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Master of Arts, concentration in American History with cognate field in 19th Century European Intellectual History, 1988
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Bachelor of Arts, American History, with minor in Philosophy, 1973
Professor, European Union Law, Texas Wesleyan University, tenured, 2000
Professor, Humanities, Texas Wesleyan University, tenured, 2000
Director (Director Emeritus), the European Union Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996
Admitted to the Graduate School Faculty, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1995
Professor, Education (Adjunct), University of Missouri-Columbia, 1994
Professor, Humanities (Adjunct), University of Missouri-Columbia, 1994
Instructor, Philosophy, Baker University, 1975
Research Interests:
Legal research interest focuses upon European Union Competition Law specifically the emergence of the theory of speculative foreclosure as it pertains to abusive trade practices of dominant enterprises and its impact upon intellectual property rights in the EU. Humanities research interest focuses upon the uses of biography as a means of teaching American History.
Scholarly Activity:
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “The Concept of Justice in the Legal Thinking of Benjamin N. Cardozo.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Greek Philosophical Society, Athens, Greece, summer, 1988.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “The Concept of Justice in the Legal Thinking of Benjamin N. Cardozo.” In Proceedings of the Greek Philosophical Society, On Justice, ed. Konstantine Boudouris. Athens, Greece, 1989.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “The Equitable Corrective and Ethical Conduct.” Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, Olympia, Greece, summer, 1989.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Reflections on the Bi-Centennial: Making the Constitution and the Classical Past.” In NOMOS, 2, Essays in Honor of Demetrii S. Constantopuli, Thessalonica, Greece, 1990.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Skepticism and Legal Rules,” Paper presented at the 10th International Conference on Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, Olympia, Greece, Summer, 1990.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Skepticism and Legal Rules.” In Skepticism: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Spring, 1991) 163-174.
Jeffcoat, Harold. Book Review, Educational Studies, vol. 22, no.2, 1991.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “The Faith of a Skeptic: A. Bartlett Giamatti and the American University,” Paper presented at the 12th International Conference on Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies, Olympia, Greece, Summer,1992.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Internationalization and the Challenge to American Higher Education. Paper presented at the 14thth International Conference on Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Research, Olympia, Greece, summer, 1994.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Presidents as Autobiographers,” EdD. diss., University of Kentucky, 1994.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “The University as Polis,” Paper presented at the 7th Symposium on Philosophy, Zacharo, Ancient Olympia, and Amaliada, Greece, 1996.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Leveraging Institutional Resources for International Academic Development,” Paper presented at the Conference on Strategic Alliances to Internationalize the Undergraduate Curriculum, Columbia, Missouri, 1997.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Competing Voices,” Paper presented at the 18th International Conference on Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Research, Olympia, Greece,1998.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Competing Voices: Discourses of Power in the American Academy.” Skepsis IX (Spring, 1998) 103-111.
Jeffcoat, Harold G. “Abusive Trade Practices and Intellectual Property Rights in the European Union,” Master of Laws, diss., University of Leicester School of Law, 2000.
Courses Taught:
Texas Wesleyan University:
Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy of Education, Graduate School of Education
History as Biography I, 1640 to 1865
History as Biography II, 1865 to present
The University of Missouri:
Humanities Honors, Ancient Western Civilization
Humanities Honors, Early Modern Western Civilization
Grantsmanship, Graduate School of Education
Baker University:
Introduction to Philosophy
Humanities: The Shaping of Western Thought
The History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine
Grants and Awards as Principal Investigator or Director
(Excludes numerous grants and gifts won as a fundraiser for university programs led or directed by others):
Columbia College, Title III, P.I., Support for Developing Institutions, $624,000, United States Department of Education
The University of Missouri, Columbia, P.I., the European Union Center, $600,000, European Commission
Related Academic and Administrative Activities
University of Athens and the Greek Philosophical Society Conference on Theories of Justice, Athens, Greece, 1988
Olympia, Greece, presenter at several conferences at the International Center for Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Research, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998
Warsaw and Krakow, Poland, Conference on Educational Finance and Development in conjunction with the University of Missouri, 1994
Seoul, Korea, International Trade Conference in conjunction with Korea University, 1998
Capetown and Johannesburg, South Africa, served as Financial Consultant to the President, The University of The Western Cape, Capetown, South, Africa, 1997, 1998
The American University in Bulgaria, the University of Sophia, as part of the University of Missouri Global Scholars Program, 1998
Northern Ireland, the University of Belfast, the University of Ulster, the University of Galway, as part of the University of Missouri delegation and to participate in conferences focused upon the assessment of agricultural economic development in Northern Ireland, 1999
Belgium and Luxembourg, site visits to principal offices of the European Communities and the European Court of Justice, and academic conferences on topics in European Community Law convened at Edinburgh, Scotland, Leicester, England, Stratford, England, 1998-2000
China and Thailand, as part of the Texas Wesleyan University Global Scholars Program, 2000, 2006
Mexico City, Mexico to engage in development discussions with several Mexican universities, 2003
Japan, discussion of International Relations Program with various colleges and universities, 2005
The University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Hedmark College (Norway) and the University of Karlstat (Sweden), Panel Member, Conference on Welfare Rights in Scandinavia convened at Schaeffergarten near Copenhagen, Summer 2006
Recent Community Involvement:
Member of the Board Directors of the United States Table Tennis Association, Chair of the Audit Committee, a Member of the United States Olympic Committee
Member of the Board of Directors of Downtown Ft. Worth, Inc., current,
Former Chair, Educational Committee
Member of the Board of Directors, the Davey O’Brien Foundation, Inc., current,
Marketing and Public Relations Committee
Member of the Board of Directors, Southeast Ft. Worth, Inc., current
Member of the Board of Directors, the Mary I. Gourley Foundation, Inc., current
Past member, Board of Directors, the International Center for Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Research, Olympia, Greece
Rotary International, Ft. Worth, Texas, current
Member of the Board of Directors, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, current
Member, Ft. Worth Executive Roundtable, current
Awards and Recognition:
Gold Medal for service to the Center for Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Research, Zacharo, Greece, 1996
Certificate of Recognition, presented by the Council on International Initiatives, University of Missouri, 1998
Director Emeritus, European Union Center, conferred by the University of Missouri, 2000
University of Kentucky Alumni Hall of Fame, 2002
Other personal information that may be of interest:
Raised in Tampa, Florida, the son of former major league baseball star Hal Jeffcoat, set aside offers to play NCAA Division I football, quarterback and punter, to sign professional baseball contracts. Drafted out of high school in the first round (1965) by the San Francisco Giants and later re-drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Attended college in the off-season (except when on active duty in the U.S. Army), and began career in American higher education in 1975. Married for 40 years to Toril Marie (Tofte) Jeffcoat, a native of Bergen, Norway and graduate of the University of South Florida; Marie is certified to teach high school Mathematics. Together we raised three children. Jennifer Marie Morton earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees at the University of Missouri-Columbia and married Marine Captain Chad Morton. They have two children, Julianna Marie and Ava Grace. Son, James Michael Jeffcoat, earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Southwestern University, and in 2005 was named to the All-American, Lacrosse team. Mike now attends Texas Wesleyan University as a graduate student in the School of Education and plans to pursue the Ph.D. in Eastern Philosophy and Religion. Daughter, Jacqueline Marie Jeffcoat, an honors graduate of Southwestern University, graduated with her Master of Education degree with Honors from the University of Notre Dame and as an ACE Fellow taught in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She now teaches English in Aix-les-Bains, France and will begin Divinity School at Emory University in the Fall of 2010. Hobbies and interests include travel, especially to the family summer house on the island of Halsnoy, south of Bergen, near Hardangerfjord, Norway, alpine and cross country skiing, golf, and building his rare book collection.