Real Talk with College Presidents: Your Future, Your Questions

On Thursday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Lakeside Chautauqua will host an insightful and thought-provoking panel discussion with five higher education leaders from various universities and community colleges. This event will bring together experienced academic leaders to highlight higher education opportunities and the impact their institutions have across the state of Ohio. 

The moderators, Lakesider Dr. Dale Knobel, former President at Denison University, and Kiris Marie Fox, Lakeside’s Program Manager, will engage leaders so that you can gain diverse viewpoints from their backgrounds and institutions.

Through an interactive format, the moderators will encourage exchange to uncover powerful insights facing institutions today – from access, innovation in teaching, diversity and the role of technology. 

The ‘Real Talk with College Presidents’ Panel is geared toward prospective students thinking about higher education, current students enrolled in college, parents, alumni, grandparents and individuals interested in the future of education.

Following the panel discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to connect with admissions counselors, college presidents and moderators at a Meet & Greet.           

The College Presidents’ Panel

Heidelberg University: Robert H. Huntington
Robert Huntington became President of Heidelberg University in July 2009. Prior to his appointment, he worked in the corporate sector, including 22 years in executive management at Dunkin’ Brands Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. He also served on the Lasell College Board of Trustees for 11 years.

In the Tiffin community, Huntington is an active trustee on the boards of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership and the Tiffin Community Foundation.

He was born in Minnesota and raised in Oregon. He earned his BA degree in political science and German from Middlebury College. He received his MA degree in German literature from Middlebury’s University of Mainz program in Germany, his MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and his Ed.D. degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

He is married to Susan McCafferty, an attorney and clinical psychologist. They got engaged at a The Who concert in Toronto many years ago. Their daughter, Ashley, lives and works in New York City, and their son, Aidan, lives and works in Northern Vermont.

After several hotel and rental experiences, they purchased their Lakeside cottage in 2012. Huntington joined the Lakeside Association Board of Directors in April 2020 and currently serves on the Executive and Governance Committees.

Ohio Northern University: Dr. Juliet K. Hurtig
Juliet Hurtig serves as Ohio Northern University’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer and as an executive leader with the President and Vice President for Financial Affairs in the university’s budget development and strategic planning.

In addition to all academic programs, Hurtig oversees the University libraries, the registrar, information technology, institutional research, grants and sponsored research, multiple support centers and University accreditation. She also assists the president in working closely with the Board of Trustees and her cabinet.

Hurtig joined the faculty of Ohio Northern University’s College of Engineering in 2000 and became Assistant Dean for Admissions and Advising in 2003. She was appointed to the Office of Academic Affairs in 2009.

Hurtig earned her BS in electrical engineering from Ohio Northern University, and her MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Ohio State University.

A licensed professional engineer in the state of Ohio, her research interests focus mainly on education pedagogy and nonlinear system identification.

Hurtig currently serves as a volunteer with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and is active in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. 

Denison University: Dr. Adam Weinberg
Dr. Adam Weinberg joined Denison University as its 20th president in 2013 and has focused on the significant issues facing higher education today, including curricular innovation, student flourishing, accessibility and closing the education-to-career gap.

Weinberg started his career at Colgate University from 1995-2005, where he was a faculty member in the Sociology and Anthropology Department. He also served as Vice President and Dean of the College, overseeing the student affairs division.

Prior to Denison, Weinberg served as President and CEO of World Learning, a global organization focused on delivering international development, education and exchange programs in over 150 countries.

Weinberg publishes widely, including articles in Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, Chief Executive, Higher Ed Dive, The Heckinger Report and the L.A. Times.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Columbus Partnership. He also serves on a wide range of boards, including the Great Lakes College Association, Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges and NCAA Div III Presidents Advisory Group.

Otterbein University: Dr. John Comerford
Dr. John Comerford is President of Otterbein University and a vocal advocate for access, affordability and innovation in higher education.

Under his leadership, Otterbein established a scholarship that covers full tuition for Ohio students from families with financial need, set up a fund to invest in crowdsourced ideas from the University community that would immediately grow enrollment or revenue, and created a four-year career and professional preparation curriculum guided by trained advisors and mentors so Otterbein graduates are workforce ready.

Comerford also serves as President of the Coalition for the Common Good, a higher education system of private, independent nonprofit colleges and universities founded by Otterbein and Antioch Universities to improve equity in education through expanding graduate programs, workforce development and degree completion.

He is a board member for the Columbus Council on World Affairs, Delaware County Finance Authority, and Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators, Inc.

Terra State: Dr. Ronald Schumacher
Dr. Ronald Schumacher has been the President of Terra State for six years. He began his career in higher education in 1992 as Tiffin University’s Assistant Football Coach.

Over the years, he has gained experience in various roles, including Vice President for Advancement and Public Affairs at Tiffin University, Vice President for Enrollment Management at both the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Tiffin University, and Director of Admissions at Tiffin University. 

His 34 years of experience in higher education has provided him with a broad perspective, allowing him to reshape the university into a thriving educational institution.

As a first-generation college student, Schumacher feels a special connection to first-generation students at Terra State and is dedicated to paving a path to success for them. 

He holds a PhD in leadership studies from Bowling Green State University, an MBA from Tiffin University and a BA in communications from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. 

In his free time, Schumacher enjoys relaxing by the lake with his wife, Lillian, and their two daughters, Allison and Elizabeth, or engaging in a competitive game of corn hole or golf. 

The Moderators

Dr. Dale Knobel is a lifetime summer Lakesider. He and his wife, Tina, continue a family tradition at Lakeside that stretches back to the 1890s. Their teenage grandsons are the sixth generation of the family to experience Chautauqua.

Knobel was the inaugural Chair of the Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation and subsequently served two terms as Chair of the Lakeside Association Board of Directors. He is a professional historian, holding degrees from Yale University and Northwestern University.

For the last 15 years of his 40 years as a professor of American history at both public and private higher education institutions, he served as President of Denison University.

For past four years, Knobel has chaired Lakeside’s Historic Preservation & Design Review Board.

Kiris Marie Fox serves as Lakeside’s Program Manager and has enjoyed working with the community since 2023. She served as the Arts Management Assistant during the 2023 season and moved into her current role in 2024.

A recent graduate of Baldwin Wallace University with a BA in arts management and entrepreneurship with minors in marketing and dance, Fox is an emerging voice in the field of arts management and advocacy.  She has a deep love and joy for learning and higher education and as a recent graduate, can relate to the current demographic of students attending colleges and universities.

Fox is excited to speak with this panel of presidents to discuss their school, future goals, how schools are navigating the waters of higher education during this time of uncertainty, and the impact each is having on the state of Ohio and the region.  

About Lakeside Chautauqua

For 150 years, Lakeside Chautauqua has welcomed families to the shores of Lake Erie to take part in an experience dedicated to nurturing mind, body and spirit. Lakeside is a historic community in northwest Ohio that offers an abundance of spiritual opportunities, educational lectures, cultural arts performances and recreational activities year-round for both families and groups of all sizes.