Governor Appoints ICI President to Midwest Higher Education Compact

INDIANAPOLIS, March 25, 2019—David W. Wantz, president and CEO of the Independent Colleges of Indiana, has been appointed by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb as a commissioner of the Midwest Higher Education Compact. A statutorily-created interstate compact, MHEC maximizes for its members states higher-education opportunity and performance through collaboration and resource sharing.

Wantz has served as ICI president and CEO since 2017. A membership association, ICI serves as the collective voice for Indiana’s 30 private colleges and universities. “I’m pleased to be appointed by Governor Holcomb, and I’m eager to have ICI’s voice a part of MHEC’s mission for high-quality higher education in the Midwest,” says Wantz.

Prior to joining ICI, Wantz served the University of Indianapolis in a variety of roles for more than 30 years, including interim executive vice president and provost, special assistant to the president for community and government relations, director of corporate and foundation giving, dean of students, and full-time professor. Wantz is an active member of the community, having served on non-profit boards and in civic organizations, including public safety groups, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, Spirit and Place, and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Milligan College (Tennessee), Wantz holds a master’s in business from the University of Indianapolis and a doctorate in counseling and counselor education from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Independent Colleges of Indiana serves as the collective voice for the state’s 30 private, non-profit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ nearly 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates. ICI students receive less than 4 percent of the state’s higher education budget, yet ICI intuitions produce nearly 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees. More information about ICI is available at icindiana.org.