Hilpert, who’s been on campus several times since his selection in June, will be occupying the president’s office in his new job as of September 2.

Hilpert will take over from Dr. John Thornell who has been serving as interim president since former DSU president Dr. David Potter was selected as Mississippi’s Commissioner of Higher Education. Thornell is the university’s vice-president of academic affairs.

“I’m ready to get started and to make a difference at Delta State,” says Hilpert. “My wife, Pat, and I are really looking forward to starting another chapter in our life in the Mississippi Delta. During my visits, it’s been an absolutely warm and welcoming reception I’ve received. I know we’re going to enjoy working within the community and the region.”

But Hilpert points out that he wasn’t looking for another job when the president’s position opened up at Delta State.

“No, actually, I wasn’t looking for another job. I was happy right where I was. But a friend of mine, who’s retired and living in Florida, was assisting the search consultants for the Delta State position. She called and asked me if I was interested in applying. I told her I was quite happy at Northern and liked my job. Well, she was pretty persistent,” he says.

“She asked me to consider it and look at the campus. We looked at the situation and I knew that I would be a lot closer to my hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri where I have family. That made it a lot more appealing. So we decided to put our hat in the ring and see what happens. We knew if it was a good fit, it would happen,” Hilpert says.

“So the first visit here, I was really quite impressed with the physical impression the campus makes to visitors. The fencing along the highway with the flags just makes a strong statement for the university. Looking down the quad when you drive in off the highway was quite impressive and showed the campus had been treated with a lot of care. This is so important for prospective students and visitors to the campus. That’s very important for me, also,” Hilpert says.

Since accepting the DSU offer, Hilpert and his wife have been busy wrapping things up in Aberdeen and saying their goodbyes.

“I thought when I took the job at Northern State University seven years ago, that we might retire in Aberdeen, but we’ve kind of surprised ourselves with this move,” says Hilpert. “It’s been a warm and wonderful community here. The people have been so kind to us and are sorry to see us leave.”

In fact, South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds honored Hilpert at a recent state workforce development council meeting by declaring July 9 as “Dr. John M. Hilpert Day in South Dakota.”

“We’ve had some gratifying expression of farewell and community-gathering since we decided to come to Delta State,” he says.

The Cleveland and Delta State community will be able to show its real southern hospitality on September 25 when the Hilperts celebrate 32 years of marriage.

“Pat is a wonderful person and I’m so lucky to have her at my side. She’s a very involved person and has been a registered nurse for 27 years. She’s been very active in her professional life. She’s always been involved in volunteer activities like the symphony, the local museum and has served on a couple of boards that relate to mental health.

“The last five or six years, Pat has taken what has been a hobby in photography and parleyed that into something which has brought her considerable recognition. She’s an award-winning photographer, even winning a photo competition sponsored by The Smithsonian Institute,” Hilpert says.

During one of Pat’s visits to Delta State, she took time to check out the College of Nursing facility and its programs.

“She enjoyed her visit and thought it was a fine program,” says Hilpert.
When Hilpert starts on Sept. 2, he says he will “have a mental list of five or six issues that I will begin to start on. I will be in the office then to begin meeting with faculty, staff and others to share my thoughts and gather information.”

While Hilpert and his wife had not been to the Mississippi Delta before this summer’s visit, he was quick to point out that “I had ridden through the Mississippi Delta when I was young. Highway 61 comes through Cape Girardeau. I remember a family trip or two down Highway 61 on our way to the Gulf (of Mexico). Those were long ago impressions that remained for me. So I don’t really remember much about the Delta but I guess I had to go through Cleveland back then.”

Another positive impression for the Hilperts about Delta life was the food they tasted on their visits here.

“I grew up eating catfish so it was nice to taste that again Delta style. And it was so nice to have breakfast here with grits. You don’t have much of that in South Dakota. You just don’t have much of that food I grew up with in South Dakota,” he says.

One particular meal Hilpert mentioned was where “I was served New Zealand elk at a place called KC’s. It was an absolutely wonderful meal.”

Hilpert says his “fit with Delta State University” is based on “25 years of senior administrative experience in higher education with seven years at the presidential level. I’ve served at institutions that are facing changes in the fabric of the regions where they exist.

“I’ve also worked with systems of statewide higher education and have a background in marketing and raising funds. I know I can use those experiences in addressing the needs and challenges facing Delta State,” he says.

Hilpert had been president at Northern State University since 1997. From 1990 to 1997, he worked at the University of South Dakota as a vice president for university relations and acting president at the Vermilion campus.

His Doctorate is in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He also has a Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in Missouri, a Bachelors of Arts from Concordia Senior College in Indiana and an Associates of Art from St. Paul’s College, also in Missouri.

Hilpert has also served from 1983 to 1990 as vice president for college advancement at Thiel College in Greenville, Penn. and as executive assistant to the president of Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich. from 1978 to 1983.

Using his administrative experience in looking at the new position at Delta State, Hilpert says “I think Delta State’s budgets are challenged but they’re challenges that are exactly faced by many other institutions across the nation. I want to look into resource stability, enrollment, creating new opportunities that bring the university into meaningful connections into the state and the area it serves,” says the president.

While Cleveland’s population hovers under 16,000 people, Aberdeen, South Dakota stands at around 25,000 residents. Northern State University is just over 3,000 students while Delta State tops 4,000 students.

“The regions are remarkably similar in many ways,” says Hilpert. “Both Cleveland and Aberdeen are key communities their respective regions in terms of economic development. And in this area of the state, we face some demographic and economic challenges in order to maintain institutional resources and enrollment. I see that in the Mississippi Delta, too.

“Also both institutions are entertainment and cultural resources in the area with a strong sense of history. And both institutions are one of a state-wide system of higher education,”
Another similarity between the two areas Hilpert noticed was agriculture.

“You can’t live in South Dakota without being aware of the importance of agriculture to the people, economy and the state. It’s the most important industry in the state. They say that as the year goes in agriculture in South Dakota, so goes the state. We certainly prize the kinds and extent of agriculture in our region.

“I don’t know much about agriculture but I realize its importance here in the Mississippi Delta, too. That’s one thing you notice when you drive through the Delta are the fields of agriculture. We grow corn and all kinds of grain crops up here and I saw cotton and rice down there, along with corn and soybeans. So there’s a lot in common with agriculture, too,” he says.

“I’ve spent a lot of time reading background materials during the interview process. All the materials I sought were provided to me so I have a fairly good idea of the kinds of things I want to address when I start.

“I will work with key staff and faculty at the university from the beginning. There will be change but change at a successful university will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary change—for the most part,” Hilpert says.

He also wants to build on things that are working at Delta State and consider other things that have worked in other places that might find success in the Mississippi Delta.

“I think all collaborative opportunities—whether it is with other educational institutions, businesses or governmental agencies—are good for the university. We will do as much of that collaboration as we can. We want to provide as many educational opportunities to give people access.

“When you cooperate and work together, you multiply the services available. I’m very supportive of that. I’m fully supportive of all the outreach efforts. I would like to find ways to multiply that effort. We owe it to the region that we serve,” he says.

When it comes to economic development activities, Hilpert agrees that “a university like Delta State will be there. I absolutely feel that it’s an important role for a university to play. An institution must identify what its strengths are for the purposes of economic development. There may be other ways for the university to be a part of economic development efforts beyond what is being done now. That’s something we will be looking at.”

Hilpert has also had an opportunity to meet and chat with previous DSU president Dr. David Potter during the search.

“I found him to be engaging and encouraging as an individual. We really didn’t discuss details of the DSU situation because of the interview process but I found him to be very bright and well suited to what he’s doing now. I look forward to working with him in the future,” says Hilpert.

And both Hilpert and his wife Pat are looking forward to further discovering the Delta mystique.

“We heard that term while we were here. I suppose we felt it—felt that Delta consciousness. I think it’s important to an area and a reason to feel good about where people live. There’s a history—a sense of place—and thematic approach to the life of the area here. Time and again we heard about this Delta mystique. We’re eager to get to know it better,” says Hilpert. DBJ