New adult studies director keeps his head in the game

Look for Rich Hoehlein, Ed.D., in the stands at Marlins field hockey games.

“My daughter was a champion hockey player at James Madison,” he said. See him lunge for the ball on a racquetball court in Batten Center. “I’ve played pick-up games of basketball all my life. Now racquetball’s easier on the knees,” Hoehlein said.

But the game plan that most excites the new director of Wesleyan’s Adult Studies Program is one that will find him all over the campus and the region, raising awareness of what sets this program apart.

“There are many providers of continuing education for adults in our area,” he concedes. “We need to stand out for the unique, wonderful things we have here. I’ve heard people say our adult studies program is one of the best-kept secrets in Tidewater.”

Hoehlein is convinced Wesleyan’s liberal arts focus is an important competitive advantage.

“Most colleges and universities try to pay some attention to liberal arts, but not in the focused and abundant ways we do,” said Hoehlein. “Here, it permeates everything.”

Are classes in values, ethics, literature and religion really all that important to the adult student intent on becoming an information systems executive? Hoehlein says yes.

“There’s a need for people today to be well informed, clear thinking, good problem solvers, have a lot of tolerance for others and for other points of view – all things that are emphasized in a good liberal arts education.”

Hoehlein’s professional life has championed aspects of both adult education and team play. From B.A., M.A. and Ed.S. degrees earned at Michigan State University, he went on to an Ed.D. degree in adult education at Florida’s Nova University. He has served as community education coordinator in Michigan’s East Lansing public schools, director of continuing education at Tidewater Community College, director of the Greenbrier North Family YMCA in Chesapeake, and, most recently, as director of the Hampton Roads Center of the University of Virginia School of Professional and Continuing Studies. He joined Virginia Wesleyan last Aug., when former adult studies director Kate Loring became vice president for administration and special assistant to President William T. Greer Jr.

Hoehlein lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Jill, who taught science at Chesapeake’s Great Bridge High School for more than 20 years, along the way being named one of the nation’s top 100 science and math educators. Son Rob, married with three children, is a radiologist in Cape Cod, Mass. Daughter Heather is a veterinarian in California’s Big Bear Lake region.

After the workday, when not looking for a racquetball partner at Batten Center, Hoehlein hits practice balls and whittles away at his golf score, now – finally, he says – below 90. Golf became his game when he had to give up basketball. He recalls, “For years I was in a group that played three times a week, full court. As I aged, I started adding things. Knee braces. Then knee surgery. Elbow braces. Goggles. When my vertical leap dropped to three inches, it was time to give it up.”

In addition to what Wesleyan does for students of all ages, he’d like to see people in or near retirement coming here, “not necessarily always for a degree but perhaps as ‘citizen scholars’ exploring the many kinds of cultural enrichment.”

He’s also fascinated by the possibility of creating even stronger bonds between traditional day students and those in adult studies. “Instead of thinking of the two groups as important but distinct, I’d hope we could increasingly visualize and express ourselves holistically,” said Hoelein. “What’s truly exciting about Wesleyan is all of us being here together. I can see great potential for our office to work closely on this with the admissions, alumni and development offices.”

An adult student in his own way, he can be expected to roam the campus, chat, brainstorm with adult studies staff, visit classes in progress, show up at field hockey games – and begin to create a vision.

“A goal this year is to assess the program, so I understand its strengths, recognize areas to be improved, and think about future long-term directions, from offering new majors to attracting new audiences,” he said.