By SUSAN JONES
Bill Haldeman’s first journey into higher education ended with a Ph.D. in American history, focusing on the U.S. presidents, from American University.
After stints in several federal and state government roles, Pitt’s new vice chancellor and chief strategy officer is in his third higher education job, all of which have included working alongside Joan Gabel, Pitt’s 19th chancellor.
Haldeman first met Gabel in 2018 when he came to the University of South Carolina as director of executive communications for then-President Harris Pastides, who was in the last year of his 10-year tenure. Gabel was provost at South Carolina from 2015-19.
When she became president of the University of Minnesota in 2019, Gabel recruited Haldeman to join her there as chief strategy officer and senior advisor to the president. He brings his experience of helping develop Minnesota’s first strategic plan, MPact 2025, to his job at Pitt, where he will be a key point person for updating the Plan for Pitt.
“I’m really proud of that work (at Minnesota),” Haldeman said. “There were a lot of great outcomes and impact from that. We had record-setting graduation rates, record-setting research expenditures — we crossed a billion dollars in research expenditures when we were there — record startups, patents, philanthropy … as well as innovative programs, from next gen ag to next gen med. But ultimately it was great to be able to create a framework and architecture around what the future of that institution would be.”
Before moving into higher education, he held jobs in New Jersey state government as assistant secretary of state and assistant commissioner of education. He worked as a policy fellow in the White House just after completing his doctorate and as a special assistant and speechwriter in the U.S. Department of State, from 2008-11.
At the State Department he worked on African affairs and with the UN Security Council office to help lead the U.S. work to restore Iraq’s international standing in the UN.
“Bill is a fabulous colleague who I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside since my time as provost at the University of South Carolina,” Chancellor Gabel said. “Amidst headwinds, even excellent universities like Pitt need a solid architecture in place to help articulate our values, and to implement strategies to act on those values. Bill is uniquely trained for and experienced in the development of that kind of architecture, and I deeply value his advice, consultation and friendship as we work to propel Pitt into its next chapter.”
Thinking strategically at Pitt
Coming to Pitt, “was an opportunity to continue the work that we were doing around strategic planning and to help to do that work and drive even greater impact here at Pitt,” Haldeman said.
One area he’ll focus on is how to measure progress toward the Plan for Pitt goals. He said this was something the Board of Trustees stressed to Gabel during her interviewing and onboarding process.
In addition to helping to implement the plan, he’ll “make sure that we’re meeting the targets, so every year we’ll have some sort of accountability report that we will share with the board … to make sure … we’re making the progress we want to make.”
The chancellor made the rounds early in the semester to talk about the Plan for Pitt and to get feedback. Haldeman said there will be another round of consultation in December and January with students, faculty, staff and alumni stakeholders. Then they’ll meet with the Board of Trustees again around its February meeting, and work to “nail down action items and potential metrics with a goal toward setting targets for these action items in time for the board to take action on them in June.”
He also serves as an advisor to the chancellor and will have “a voice in some capacities in terms of her writing, and then how she conveys her messaging across the community.”
“No two days, I think, are the same in this type of role, and I think every day is a new day,” Haldeman said. “There are things that are priorities, but there are things that just come up in the nature of these roles that you need to address and take care of.”
For instance, last month the chancellor put out two messages about Pitt’s reaction to the terrorist attack on Israel and subsequent war against Hamas in Gaza, and another message about her first 100 days in the job.
For now, Haldeman is getting out onto campus and beyond to get a feel for the Pitt and Pittsburgh communities.
“I think when you go to a new place, it’s important to listen, and to learn, and and to engage, and that’s what I’ve tried to do,” he said.
Getting to know Pittsburgh
Haldeman said one of the reasons he decided to come to Pitt was it brought him back to his home state and closer to family who live in the Philadelphia area.
The one difference he’s really noticed in Pittsburgh from other places he’s lived is the “awesome” terrain, which is a lot hillier than he’s previously experienced.
He’s also impressed with the Oakland campus. “You’re within a city but there’s a sense of community, and I think that’s a really unique characteristic. I also think the aspect around community service and how we engage our community is really fantastic.”
The function Pitt plays within the city and the future of the city, “I think that’s what’s so important as we think about the next phase of the Plan for Pitt. And the next aspect of that is how do we integrate ourselves in more to where it’s a rising tide lifts all boats?”
Pitt’s engagement with the city, Haldeman said, is more “inherent here” than other places he’s worked. He noted that when David McCullough, famed historian and Pittsburgh native, gave the Pitt commencement address in 1994, “he spoke about the connection between the University and the city. And I think … he could have given that speech today.”
For now, he’s settling into Pittsburgh and enjoying the museums with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. Haldeman got a chance to tour Acrisure Stadium before the Pitt football season started. As for his favorite sports teams, Haldeman said he’s definitely “adopting the Pitt Panthers. Hail to Pitt,” but kept quiet about other alliances that may lie further east.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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