Richard J. Helldobler

Richard J. Helldobler, Ph.D., is the eighth president of William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, one of the state’s largest and most diverse public universities, which educates nearly 10,000 students through its five colleges. He assumed the presidency on July 1, 2018, after six years at Northeastern Illinois University, first as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then as Interim President. President Helldobler has more than 30 years of higher education experience in a variety of academic and administrative roles, along with prestigious fellowships and other distinctions. Like many William Paterson students, President Helldobler is a first-generation student of immigrant heritage, an experience which grounds his work in serving students for whom education is a means of social mobility and economic progress.

Since joining William Paterson, President Helldobler has established new programs to expand access, increase retention and completion, and make the University more equitable and inclusive. He spearheaded the launch of William Paterson’s model Pledge 4 Success program, which fills the gap between tuition and fees and aid for qualifying students. He led the implementation of a new first-year experience program, including Will. Power. 101, a series of student success workshops, which has resulted in gains in first-year student retention that outpaced national averages. He has also expanded the University’s Wayne campus with the acquisition of a new building at 1800 Valley Road, which will provide space for expanded and new revenue-generating programs. In 2020, he led the launch of WP Online, which offers 24 fully-online graduate programs. Enrollment in WP Online has exceeded all goals and been so well received that the program is now being expanded to include select undergraduate programs for the adult student market.

President Helldobler earned his Ph.D. in theatre and master of arts in speech and theatre from Bowling Green State University, and a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Toledo.