By Kim Mayer

In 1984, Ghostbusters was a hit summer movie, Apple introduced its first Macintosh computer and Dr. C. Brent DeVore became President of Otterbein College. While a lot has changed in the last 25 years, DeVore has remained a constant figure at Otterbein and in the Westerville community. On June 30, DeVore will retire from an Otterbein that is much different than it was when he arrived.

DeVore is a Zanesville native and has spent most of his life in Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and then attended Kent State University, where he earned a master’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in higher education. Before joining Otterbein College, he served as vice president of Hiram College and as president of Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia.

Changing Otterbein
While at the Otterbein helm, DeVore has reinvented the college. Since 1984, continuing study programs for adults and graduate programs have been established. Enrollment has nearly doubled, and renovated and newly constructed buildings have increased campus size. Endowment has increased from $6 million to $100 million, and faculty with terminal degrees (the highest degrees possible in a field of study) has jumped from 45 to 93 percent.

Community service hours by Otterbein students and staff have also increased to more than 32,000 hours annually, and the college offers 57 service learning courses. DeVore has made it a point to focus heavily on making sure students participate in service projects.

Otterbein’s commitment to service was recognized nationally when the college was one of only three schools in the country to receive the Presidential Award for General Community Service from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Westerville community has also embraced students’ and staff members’ efforts, fostering a relationship DeVore cherishes.

“I think it’s really important that you have a relationship with the community,” DeVore says. “I’ve never doubted that (Otterbein College and the City of Westerville) have all had the same final goal, and that’s to build the best possible relationship we can so, as the college grows, so does the community. And vice versa – as the community grows, so does the college.”

Beyond statistics
More important than a list of statistics and figures, DeVore hopes he has left a different imprint at Otterbein.

“I hope my biggest accomplishment is whatever part I played in recruiting and retaining a diverse and capable faculty and staff. You’re only as good as the people around you, and you have to surround yourself with the best, the people who share a passion for what you do,” DeVore says. “What’s important is what hasn’t changed, and that’s the culture of the institution. The bottom line is it’s still all about students.”

The next step
Many expect Otterbein will continue to evolve under DeVore’s successor, Dr. Kathy A. Krendl, who most recently served as executive vice president and provost at Ohio University. DeVore, however, won’t make any predictions about what the future holds.

“The only change I can predict is that Kathy Krendl will start on July 1 as the next president,” DeVore says. “I’ve done my thing. I think the future is bright, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen automatically. People are going to have to stay focused, they’re going to have to be observant about the trends in education and how Otterbein College can respond to those needs.”

Post-Otterbein life for DeVore also looks bright, and busy. Along with plans of traveling to Europe and catching up on “overdue” reading, he may spend his time consulting or even in interim assignments in college administration. DeVore will also make time for some of his favorite activities such as bike riding and hiking.

“My wife (Nancy) and I love the outdoors. I’m not jumping out of airplanes, but we like to get out and about. I am retiring from Otterbein. I am not retiring from life,” DeVore says.

DeVore and his wife also plan to frequent their favorite restaurants in Westerville, such as Cardones, Damon’s, Sapporo and The Old Bag of Nails Pub. And, though they haven’t finalized their living situation after his retirement, they plan to stay in Central Ohio.

“I’ll miss the people here – students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, everybody. There has not been one day in 25 years that I have not wanted to come to work. It’s a great place,” DeVore says.

The college he has impacted so tangibly has also become an irrevocable part of him.

“My wife and I have two daughters who are Otterbein graduates and a son-in-law who is an Otterbein graduate,” DeVore says. “It’s in our blood.”

Kim Mayer is a contributing writer for Westerville Magazine.