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Celebrating Fifty Years: How a Vision of Career Education Became a University

Celebrating Fifty Years: How a Vision of Career Education Became a University

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Herzing University Timeline

  • 1965: Henry and Susanne Herzing acquired ECPI
  • 1970: Name changed to Herzing Institute; Madison campus acquired
  • 1979: Atlanta campus acquired
  • 1995: Orlando and New Orleans campuses opened
  • 1996: Name changed to Herzing College; Bachelor’s degrees added
  • 2000: Minneapolis campus acquired
  • 2003: Online campus launched
  • 2004: Regional accreditation awarded by Higher Learning Commission; Akron campus acquired
  • 2008: Omaha campus acquired
  • 2009: Renee Herzing become President; Henry Herzing becomes Chancellor; Name changed to Herzing University; Master’s degrees added; Kenosha and Toledo campuses opened
  • 2010: Brookfield campus opened
  • 2015: Herzing celebrates 50 years

Written from an interview with Dr. Henry Herzing, Co-Founder, Former President and Chancellor Emeritus, Herzing University and Renee Herzing, President and CEO, Herzing University



Herzing

Renee, Henry and Susanne Herzing



Determination, strong business practices and a talented board of directors drive our progress, according to Dr. Henry “Hank” Herzing, co-founder, former president, and chancellor emeritus of Herzing University. However, he says, it is “our real care about our students and their outcomes” that is the heart and soul of this vibrant educational institution.

Herzing continues, “I love the role we play. We change people’s lives. You often hear people say, ‘Thanks for the great education,’ but when they say ‘Thanks for starting the school’ — that is special.”

In the 50 years since the school’s founding in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1965, Herzing, his wife and co-founder Suzanne, and now their daughter Renee, current president and CEO, have taken a single franchise school for computer programmers from a hope-filled notion for two newlyweds on a New York City street to a nonprofit, multi-campus, career-focused university, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.


Herzing University currently encompasses 11 campuses in eight states, a continuing education division, an online division and approximately 6,000 students. The school’s academic reach is evolving. It currently offers Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degrees in technology, business, healthcare, design, and public safety. There are plans to offer doctorate degrees, as well. U. S. News & World Report touts Herzing’s Online B.A. program as “One of the Best.” GI Jobs magazine numbers Herzing among its “Military Friendly Schools.”

Humble beginnings

After the Navy, Herzing went to Northwestern, earning a degree in Electrical Engineering. From there he went to work at Litton Industries, where he was worked on the A-6A, which was called the “computer plane,” for the Navy.

Newly married, to Suzanne, and looking to do something different, Herzing saw an ad in a New York newspaper for a director to start schools in computer programming for ECPI (Electronic Computer Programming Institute). “I thought that really appealed to me because I am not only working with a computer system, but I am training the Navy on how to use it,” said Herzing.

“We stood on a street corner, actually on November 4th; I remember the date exactly, in 1964, before we went in for a second interview to buy the franchise,” said Herzing. “We just stood there and said, lets really think about do we want to do this, or do we not want to do this? We looked at it and we thought lets go for it!”

Their first months were not auspicious, says Henry. “We traveled to Milwaukee in January 1965, in the middle of a snowstorm. I came down with a strep throat, and Suzanne, a few months pregnant, had to look for a doctor. Once we settled in, however, I worked on student recruiting and hiring instructors. Suzanne performed all the administrative functions, from running the front office to accounting and bookkeeping. We did everything! We learned as we went along.”

An opening and a milestone

“We opened in April 1965,” Herzing notes, “with 12 students. We grew steadily, but we struggled. By 1967, it was a bit better, and by the beginning of 1968, we were flourishing. That is when ECPI called us about failing schools in Toronto, Montreal, and Birmingham. We took them over, as our initial expansion beyond the original campus.

“By 1969, computer programming was growing at such a rate that we hired an instructor to update and write curriculum materials. ECPI just was not keeping their curricula current. That led to an unintended result: our separation – they did not want any variation in curriculum. It was a milestone in our development.”

It was a milestone for two reasons. First, the couple was now free to incorporate their educational holdings under the rubric of the Herzing Institute, which they did in 1970. (It would later become Herzing College.) Adding to the challenge, Henry and his wife Suzanne returned to school, demonstrating their belief in further education. Suzanne got her Master’s in Library Science; Henry, an M.B.A.

Creatively, it also freed them to explore schools in related career fields. Within a year they purchased The Wisconsin School of Electronics, in Madison. Herzing notes, “It was very well respected in the state, going back to 1948. Later, we acquired Massey Business College in Atlanta, which also went back to the 1940s. We continued to make other acquisitions with some very good schools that for one reason or another came onto the market.”

Getting an effective board of directors and strong mentor

Henry attributes much of their success, to having chosen brilliant, committed board directors. Certain corporate directors gave the couple unique guidance as educational, fiduciary, and regulatory requirements kept shifting. Such guidance, Henry believes, will be even more essential even after Herzing’s recent conversion to nonprofit status.

He points out that time has also worked to their benefit, helping the couple to stay clear-eyed about business and mission. During the 50 years it has taken for the school to evolve into a multi-faceted, multi-campus institution, many changes happened in the demand for career education and the curriculum focus. As a key mentor on the board of directors said, “There are no such things as happiness curves – where business keeps going up and up unabated.” Herzing says they experienced the first major downturn in the early 1970’s. “It was a near-disaster, from which we may not have survived without a strong board member,” Herzing explains.

Herzing tells us, “An involved and experienced board of directors, people who align with our mission and have a passion for it, has been intrinsic to our program for a long time. In the late 60’s and in 1970s, we purchased a number of schools. However, at the end of 1970, because of a severe drop in computer employment and greatly increased competition our enrollment was the same as 2 years before, although we had twice as many schools. We were in a free fall and hemorrhaging dollars badly. Our key Board member-mentor told us, ‘You must close losing schools and teach-out the students.’”Herzing said, “We had a lot invested in the schools, and he insists that we close them! I said it was not a restaurant where you just do not open the next day. It was also expensive and time consuming to train out students. It was a difficult call. But we did it. We spent several years meticulously teaching-out students and closing schools. He was right. If we had not, we would not have survived. You need advisors like that on your Board; experienced people who have been through all kinds of situations and can make the tough calls.”

The battle over regulations

Herzing and his daughter Renee are adamant that many federal and state regulations interfere with the very work of education, be it for-profit or not-for-profit status. Henry sees regulation as coming in waves that parallel the growth of the career education sector

The regulatory bodies, and the public, often fail to see the great work the sector has done for America.

There was an expansion in private (career education) schools in the 1970s,” says Herzing. “Major corporations got in and then left. The next expansion, in the 1980s, brought alleged abuses. More regulations came in the early 1990s to combat them. Then, after a relatively quiet period, the demand for education grew enormously. Enlightened management greatly expanded the scope of career education, an expansion that peaked in 2008–10.

“Our sector made an immense response to the need for retraining millions of students. We did it with no government investment other than PELL grants and loan costs. The government never would have been able to respond to that demand. We met the market’s needs and helped our country get out of the Recession by retraining people for skills that are now required. We never got credit for it, but we made a great contribution.

“However, that third wave has now led to other regulations. The regulators have come up with issues on credit hours, incentive compensation, and this misguided ‘Gainful Employment’ regulation.”

With her personal contacts as president of the University, Renee Herzing also expressed reservations about their effect upon students’ lives, saying, “My greatest concern is all the energy and the man-hours regulations consume.”

“Our students ask how fast, how long, and how much,” she continued. “Their focus is pragmatic. They want to know whether our programs align with industry’s requirements. Does Herzing provide support services to help students land a job when they graduate? While students attend school, does Herzing provide enough guidance to help them graduate within a reasonable time?”

“Down to a more granular level,” she continued, “they want to know whether our curriculum and our requirements are ‘efficient;’ that is, can the student rely on us to provide courses and as streamlined a study plan as possible, so they can graduate as soon as possible? They look at education as a return on investment.

“Very few governmental regulations address those concerns or improve that picture. I am not speaking just of the for-profit sector. These regulations have taken us three, if not 20, steps back. They distract educators from their mission while adding unnecessary costs and unintended consequences.”

Both Henry and Renee Herzing believe that because regulation has happened piecemeal, rising and falling with the political tides, government and educators need to start afresh. The Herzings say we should be taking out “a clean sheet of paper,” to work out what is fair, what works, and what is “needless interference.”

Renee adds, “We have a uniquely punitive system. No Western country has this default system. There must be a happy medium between punitive default – it can never be forgiven – and free college. We need to maintain that middle ground where you keep the incentive, an obligation to pay back student loans, but the payback equation need not be punitive. It should flex with the health of the economy. Students could repay when they have the ability. In Australia, for example, it is part of a ‘percentage of income lock.’ The government gets its money back over time, but at a ratio that people can handle.”

A third aspect of regulation is the state and federal governments’ emphasis on structure. Henry explains, “We need equal regulations for all providers. It should not be based upon corporate structure, on how you are taxed. Students care about the quality of the education and getting what they paid for. We need a system like Brazil’s where the regulations are uniform, whether you are public, nonprofit, for-profit, or religious.”

Structure and what it takes to flourish for 50 years

Converting to nonprofit was the last leg in the Herzing family’s journey to a lasting family legacy, and while the conversion has meant the family giving up complete control of the institution, the action was taken for its long-term persistence and survival.

Says Renee, “The benefits from going nonprofit accrue over the long-term. Most concretely, they come in access to grants and loans that students could not qualify for before. There is even a loan forgiveness program, under certain conditions, for faculty working for a nonprofit. There are also certain grants for nonprofit institutions – for curriculum building or research – that in effect help students, staff, and faculty.”

For those who might want to convert to nonprofit, the Herzings have some advice. While expensive, experienced qualified attorneys, CPAs and other advisors are mandatory for the conversion process; Henry strongly recommends an experienced, dedicated board of directors, regardless of your taxpaying or ownership structure.

But with all the travails, it has been a tremendously satisfying journey for the whole family. Henry Herzing summarized their route to success by saying, “I am absolutely determined. That is what it takes. If you do not truly believe in the mission of educating others, then do not follow this route. If you do not feel emotional about going to a graduation; if you are in it for the P&L statement, then do not get in this business. But if you have a passion for education, and you are determined to see it through, you will be successful.”

Celebrating the Past
A look back at 50 years of supporting students in achieving professional and personal success



Hank Herzing

Henry G. Herzing is the Chancellor and co-founder with his wife of Herzing University. His academic credentials include: a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University, and an M.B.A. from Marquette University. In addition he has been awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Sullivan University for his contributions to career education. Prior to founding Herzing University in 1965, his experience included Systems Engineering with Litton Industries and serving as Senior Missile Test Officer for the U.S. Navy at White Sands Missile Range.

Mr. Herzing has served as President of Wisconsin Council for Independent Education for fifteen years, President of the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools, and first President of the Career Training Foundation (now the” Imagine America Foundation”). He also founded and is President of the Herzing Educational Foundation which provides scholarships to Boys and Girls Club members and Herzing University students. He served four years on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a research institution on higher education.

By appointment of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin, Mr. Herzing served on the Wisconsin State Advisory Council on Vocational Education for six years, including a term as Vice-Chairperson. He also served on the Governor’s Education Advisory Committee, which functioned as an advisory committee on all aspects of education in Wisconsin.
Elected to the National Accreditation Commission for private career colleges in Canada, he served for four years as its Chairperson.

As a tangible recognition of his contributions to career education, he has received the Community Service Award as well as the Outstanding Member Award from the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools. He has also received the “National Industry Leadership Award” from the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) in Canada, making him the only person to be so recognized by national career college associations in both the U.S. and Canada. In 2012 he received the Irving J. Seher award as an outstanding Boys and Girls Club alumnus and was selected as a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the upper Midwest.


Contact Information:Henry “Hank” Herzing // Co-founder, Former President, and Chancellor Emeritus // Herzing University // 525 North 6th Street Milwaukee, WI 53203 // (Milwaukee Office): (414) 271-8103 ext. 203 // hh@herzing.edu



Renée Herzing

Renée Herzing is the President & CEO of Herzing University, a private, non-profit institution dedicated to improving lives through career-focused education. Founded in 1965, Herzing University consists of 11 U.S. campuses in 8 states, an Online Division, and a Continuing Education Division, serving about 6,000 students. Herzing University offers career-focused undergraduate and graduate programs in business, technology, health care, public safety and design, and has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report on its Best Online Bachelor Degree program list for the last three years.

During her 15 years at Herzing University, Renée has worked in various roles from front-line student service to strategic planning and operations to her current role as President/CEO. She launched the System’s Online division in 2003, which currently serves approximately 3,000 students. Since becoming President in 2009, Renée has overseen the growth of the institution’s nursing and graduate programs, and its conversion from a family-held institution to its current non-profit status.

Renée is on the Board of Trustees for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and a member of its Program Committee. Herzing has actively supported the Clubs, organizing several annual fundraising events (“Celebration Hope”) to support the Clubs’ operating fund as well as to create a college scholarship fund for Club members. Herzing University collaborates with the Clubs on career exposure for its members by hosting field trips. Renée also served on a national Board as a Director for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) and was chair of its Grassroots Committee. Renée is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), where she currently serves as the Chapter Network Officer, TEMPO Milwaukee and of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Renée is a supporter of Pearls for Teenage Girls, GPS Education Partners, United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), the Women’s Fund, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) and SHARP Literacy.

A native of Milwaukee, Renée earned a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University, Honors, Cum Laude, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. After attaining her bachelor’s degree, Renée taught abroad in Scotland and Germany for nine years before completing her M.B.A. online, and joining Herzing. Outside of work, she enjoys playing rock music in a band with her husband, travelling and spending time with her two children.


Contact Information:Renée Herzing // President & CEO // Herzing University // 525 North 6th Street Milwaukee, WI 53203 // (Milwaukee Office): (414) 271-8103 ext. 203 // rherzing@herzing.edu

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