Those who know him well, or maybe even just a little, know that President Hess is a sports enthusiast—soccer especially. It’s a game filled with precise strategy and yet constant motion—a fitting metaphor for his seven years as president of Wabash College.
But as much as he loves his Arsenal side, in 2013 he found a new team in Crawfordsville. There would be a lot of winning seasons ahead in all areas of student and academic life.
In his first “From Center Hall” after his inauguration, he promised students that he and his wife, Lora, would be their biggest fans. And they were. They were always there—in the audience, at the performances, in the stands, and even on the sidelines.
“In his years at Wabash, Greg was a huge champion of athletics,” Head Football Coach Don Morel said. “I think this was because he so admired the Wabash student-athlete. Both Greg and Lora came to know and love our football players and treated them like their own kids.”
For Hess, part of being a fan of students meant believing in their potential.
Hess established the Professional Development Office, showcasing a new focus on career services, internships, and graduate fellowship opportunities. In 2018 and 2019, 100 percent and 99.5 percent of the graduating classes had a first destination six months after graduation—30 percentage points higher than the national average.
To make Wabash students stand out from all other players out there, Hess led the development of the College’s WabashX co-curricular programs: Democracy and Public Discourse, Digital Media and Human Values, the Global Health Initiative, and the Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship.
“We hear over and over from students in the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse program that the biggest takeaway for them is that they were given the opportunity to make a positive impact—on campus and in communities,” WDPD Director and Associate Professor of Rhetoric Sara Drury said. “Our students have the opportunity to become a different type of leader—a leader who can work to find the best approaches to managing the challenges a community faces. They go on to diverse professional opportunities, from consulting, management, politics, medicine, and law.”
Precise strategy in constant motion. For Hess, that mindset had a name.
When Hess interviewed for his job, he told the Board of Trustees he would bring a “West Coast Offense” with him. Hess grew up in San Francisco, where the 49ers, under head coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana, popularized the term. The West Coast Offense featured short, quick passing routes designed to stretch defenses and increase the possibilities of big plays.
“When Greg got here, he emphasized that higher education was in for a shift, and many colleges would go under,” Chief of Staff Jim Amidon ’87 said. “He wanted to move more quickly, make decisions faster, seek opportunity when possible; take calculated risks with high upsides. We were able to accomplish so much by moving swiftly and being smart.”
At the same time, though, Hess was always looking ahead, wanting to ensure the College’s long-term standing.
Sometimes this took time and patience— like baseball.
“Greg was always quick to point out his love for San Francisco,” Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jay Allen ’79 said. “A few years ago, I asked about Greg’s happiness in his role as president of Wabash College. He assured me he was very happy and had no inclination to go anywhere else at that time. Though, he did say, should the San Francisco Giants call and offer him the center fielder position, he would have to seriously consider it.”
Hess reduced the rate of endowment draw in each of his seven years. He was an architect of the Giant Steps Campaign, the largest comprehensive campaign in Wabash history that has to date raised $197 million toward its $225 million goal. He also helped secure the largest single gift in Wabash history—a $40 million gift commitment from Paul ’75 and Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls.
“The thing I will miss most about Greg is his enthusiasm for Wabash,” Allen said. “As he learned more about Wabash and its students, faculty, staff, and alumni, he gained a greater appreciation for both the unique culture and history of the College, as well as the significant opportunity for Wabash to be a clear winner in a challenging, small, liberal arts college environment.
“Greg brought a healthy mix of economic thought, creativity, paranoia, and deep caring to the office every day, and Wabash College is better for it.”