As seen in the Fall 2025 DU Review

 

Davenport University President Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., has been a leader in higher education for nearly 50 years. He has been the president of four institutions and has held that role at Davenport since 2009. Pappas announced in August that he will retire at the end of this academic year.

DU Review’s Mary Eilleen Lyon talked to the president about mentors, leadership, Davenport and the idea that he just might not set his alarm for a 4:30 a.m. workout come June.

 

DU Review: How are you feeling about making the retirement decision and then announcing it publicly?

Pappas: I thought about it for a long time. I still have all the passion in the world for what I’m doing. Most people would say you should retire when you lose your passion, but what I thought about was what I want to do after I leave. I have grandchildren to see; my wife wants to travel, but more importantly, I still feel strong physically and mentally, and this might be a good time for me to find some other purpose. So, it was hard, but after I told the board and it was made public, it felt right. Even though I feel passionate about the university, it’s time for somebody else to take the mantle.

 

DU Review: What do you see as the trajectory forward for the next university president?

Pappas: I am so optimistic about where we are and what we’ve come through – the pandemic, for instance. This is a cool place to work! What a unique mission: closing the talent gap, being able to create great programs that help people become successful in the workplace and be ready to work right away. We have a phenomenal leadership team. We have phenomenal faculty and staff. The new president will bring in his or her great skills, and I have confidence in this university and that the board will hire the right person. It’s in a great place, but there’s so much more that can still be done.

 

DU Review: Let’s talk about your career. What made you want to pursue your first presidency at what must have been a relatively young age?

Pappas: My father was a college president, but that wasn’t where I was going. I originally wanted to be the president of General Motors. During my undergraduate years, I was an intern at AC Spark Plug in Flint and then at Chevrolet, and I realized that was not for me. My dad said, ‘why don’t you take a course at the University of Michigan in the higher ed area?’ I loved it, and I started my master’s in business and higher education.

 

DU Review: You must have had fantastic mentors.

Pappas: There was a professor at Michigan, Joe Cosand. He was a great mentor. He was a former president at three different institutions. He was one of the first ones, outside of my father, who said, ‘You ever think about becoming a college president?’ I was in my 20s. People don’t realize what a difference one supportive statement from somebody you respect can make. Then, when I was a dean, there was a president named Clyde LeTarte, and I wanted to be just like him. He was charismatic and a doer; he was so patient. He had to be patient because I was a 30-year-old dean! I gained a lot of confidence as a dean. Then I got my first presidency when I was 37, and I remember walking into my office and shutting the door and saying, ‘What do I do now?’ (laughs) The first headline in one of the newspapers read the new president is decades younger than his staff. People might perceive you to be too old or too young, but it’s your own confidence in your support system and your capabilities, and hiring into a place that needs someone like you – what the boards want. In each of my four presidencies, I was very fortunate to line up in the right way with the boards.

 

DU Review: What are the key qualities a leader at a university should have?

Pappas: Really high on the list is to be empathetic and to care about the mission and the vision that’s been created. You have to believe the work is much bigger than you. You’re just a part of the solution, not the solution. Treat everyone well, not just CEOs. Be humble but confident and motivated to take advantage of opportunities. Hire well and let people do their jobs. When something goes wrong, don’t blame others, take the responsibility. Over communicate and don’t surprise anybody.

 

DU Review: This year will have poignant moments of the last time you’ll do this or that.

Pappas: It’s hard. I love interacting with students and staff and people in the community. To me, that’s fun, and it’s important that I represent Davenport in the way it deserves to be represented. The most difficult for me will be my last commencement. My daughter most likely will be graduating with her master’s at that ceremony.

 

DU Review: What are you most looking forward to in retirement?

Pappas: I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife Pam. Seeing my grandchildren is a joy for me. About 25 years ago, I started writing a murder mystery on a university campus. I have two chapters done, so I might as well finish that and see if I can publish it. The president doesn’t die in this book, by the way. (laughs) I’m physically active, so I’ll work out longer than I do now, but I don’t have a firm plan. I don’t like to garden. I don’t like to fix things, so time will tell what I end up doing. I’m sad about what I will miss, but I won’t miss getting up at 4:30 in the morning, working out and coming in at six. I’ll still get up early, but it won’t be at 4:30!