By Nancy Zugschwert, ’19 M.A.
One year after Scott Hagan, Ph.D., began his role as the seventh president of North Central University, he said in a video interview that it was an “…uneventful eventful first year.” The irony of that statement is not lost on Hagan or anyone who has followed his presidency. As Hagan concluded his presidency after six years, it is accurate to say that it fell during some of the most “eventful” years in NCU’s history.
Looking back at the whole of his presidency, Hagan holds a positive perspective and a forever place in his heart for North Central. “I would say the experience exceeded my expectations,” he reflected. “The thrills and feels and the opportunities of the presidency were all wonderful. I found it to be rewarding and fun as a leader.”
Hagan was continually surprised by North Central and its people. Coming to NCU with some knowledge of the school and connections as a parent of a graduate and adjunct instructor, he didn’t grasp the worldwide impact graduates have made over the years through missions and ministry—in churches and the marketplace.
“The school is deeper, wider, broader, and greater than you imagine it to be from the outside,” he said. “The impact of the school globally over 93 years is jaw-dropping. Leaders from here have watered the earth, and I’m not just saying this to be gracious. It’s stunning how that ‘little’ Bible college in Minneapolis has impacted the planet as it has, historically and still today.”
Years in review
In his final interview as president, Hagan shared his perspective of his tenure, starting with the noteworthy events, year by year:
2017 Kicking off his first semester as president with a block party on Elliot Avenue, Hagan thought, “Wow. This is my job. It just all felt very possible, very upward”; celebrating Inauguration as North Central’s seventh president; partnering with Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine for athletic training; creating the NCU Fund; initiating the annual alumni awards at Partners for Progress.
2018 Serving as the command center for law enforcement during Super Bowl LII; launching digital education; renovating Clay Commons.
2019 Launching the national Academic Partners program; Hosting The Now & The Next leadership conference; traveling with a group of alumni to Nepal to climb to Mt. Everest Base Camp; creating the AGWM Missionary Scholarship for children of AGWM missionaries (now known as the Grant Pennington AGWM Scholarship); renovating the Carlson Corridor.
2020 Mourning the health-related death of student Micah Pennington; facing the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic during spring break; pivoting to deliver ALL curriculum virtually to complete the spring semester; delaying the Class of 2020 commencement exercises until December, with only graduates allowed in the Lindquist Sanctuary while family and friends watched virtually from around the world; experiencing violence in Minneapolis and around the world following the murder of George Floyd; hosting the George Floyd memorial service before a worldwide audience; initiating the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship nationwide; renovating the Dining Center in Carlson Hall; reopening campus in the fall amidst the realities of social distancing, masking, and myriad pandemic protocols; celebrating North Central’s 90th anniversary; completing his Ph.D. studies
at Gonzaga University.
2021 Hosting the virtual Leadership Roundtable conference; navigating the social and emotional trauma and disruption to downtown Minneapolis related to the Derek Chauvin trial; returning to in-person spring commencement for graduates and families, with limited numbers due to continued pandemic concerns; introducing NCU’s second master’s degree program; renovating the skyway connecting Carlson Hall and the College Life Center; returning to “normal” operations without COVID protocols in the fall (including daily chapel).
2022 Renovating the 2nd floor of the T.J. Jones Library; hosting the funeral of Deshaun Hill; reinventing Campus Safety and Security staffing model; introducing eSports as a varsity athletic program; celebrating the legacy of Larry Bach after 40 years of service to NCU; returning to a full “normal” commencement ceremony at a new venue, Emmanuel Christian Center; hosting a record-breaking Partners for Progress that raised $600,000+ for student scholarships.
Weight of leadership
“Looking back,” Hagan said, “I feel like Caleb on the back side of the wilderness. We made it through, of course, never dreaming in a million years what was in store when I came here. I found great strength in the sense of being prophetically placed here by the Lord—almost like a chess piece—with God saying, ‘I need you to be standing right here and you’ll know why shortly.’”
Outgoing Dean of the College of Church Leadership Allen Tennison, Ph.D., served on the presidential search committee that selected Hagan. “I met Scott Hagan almost before anyone else,” Tennison said. “I remember thinking during his first interview, ‘I think I’m listening to my new boss.’”
Tennison noted that Hagan came ready to lead. “He hit the ground running,” Tennison said. “Scott Hagan has obvious gifts
of leadership, including the ability to communicate, generate excitement, and see people and their full potential. He was president at one of the most critical times in our university’s history, and I believe that the presidency of Scott Hagan was proof that God has his hand on North Central University.”
Prophetic whisper
Advice Hagan received from North Central’s sixth president, Gordon Anderson, Ph.D., became a guidepost marking Hagan’s tenure at the university. “The last thing Gordon told me as he left North Central—he whispered in my ear: ‘Your number one job is to protect the Pentecostal spiritual atmosphere of this place.’”
Reflecting on this mandate, Hagan shares, “I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit’s presence on this campus has not waned. And that is
a tremendous blessing!”
Hagan recalled witnessing the Holy Spirit’s work at the 2023 commencement ceremony when he invited evangelist Reggie Dabbs ’86, M.A. ’23, to pray over the graduates. “These students had only one ‘normal’ semester before COVID hit,” Hagan said. “And they all just came to the altar, hands up, singing and praising at the top of their lungs.”
With the thread of spiritual vitality marking his presidency, Hagan holds certain moments and accomplishments as significant and hopes these will remain markers of his legacy.
digital education
“We digitized the school and created a digital educational world that did not previously exist for NCU in 2017,” Hagan noted. “We have created sustainable and profitable online digital education led by Bill Tibbetts. Online has allowed us to almost double
the size of our graduate program.”
technology improvements
“North Central invested over $4 million in technology to produce online learning and dramatically improve our technology infrastructure,” Hagan said, noting that the evolution of the Office of Technology & Innovation has brought vital stability to
NCU systems and tools.
developing leaders
Hagan loves to help leaders flourish, and he watched many faculty and staff members rise up during his time at NCU. “All of our current deans became deans under my presidency. I love seeing people’s careers advance!”
Desirée (Bontrager ’06) Libengood, Ed.D., Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, witnessed Hagan’s growth, leadership, and mentorship firsthand. “I believe President Hagan made many significant contributions to NCU’s academic future,” Libengood said.
“Two of the biggest were his support of digital education and his unwavering commitment to ministerial education through church partnerships. Under his leadership, we launched fully online undergraduate degrees, which allowed the church partnerships to develop. This means NCU can support students worldwide in attaining their education.”
Libengood added, “President Hagan was an incredible external president, as well, helping elevate NCU across the country and making sure our story was told wherever he went.”
diversity
“The diversity of our student population has gone from about 15 percent to 34 percent,” Hagan pointed out. “My passion to create a ‘university that looks like Heaven’ was something I expressed from the moment I was considered for this role. It has been wonderful to see our growth in this area.”
advancement and support for missionary families
Creating the Grant Pennington AGWM Scholarship at Hagan’s recommendation has encouraged missionary families.
Tim Hager, D.Min., Vice President of Advancement and Business & Operations, noted that fundraising increased dramatically under Hagan’s leadership. He said, “[As of May 2023], the tally [verified by audit] to date is $9.4 million, a 73 percent increase from the previous six-year period.” The fiscal year ending May 31 was a record year.
leadership presence in Minneapolis
Under Hagan’s leadership, awareness of North Central as part of the fabric of Minneapolis increased exponentially.
“In the past six years, I believe North Central has transitioned from ‘best kept secret’ status to being a well-known partner and servant in the greater Minneapolis community,” Hagan reflected. “Our participation in the 2018 Super Bowl, the opportunity to provide a table of healing during the distressing times following the murder of George Floyd, and providing refuge for the city a second time by hosting the funeral services for 15-year-old Deshaun Hill, a North High football quarterback who was murdered, were unexpected but important events for us to be involved with.” He noted many other ways NCU has impacted the neighborhood, including the neighborhood music program (WOVEN), tutoring, donating computers, the new certificate program (see p. 15), and a partnership with Maakhir University in Somalia.
Paul Hurckman ’96, M.A., who lives and works in Minneapolis, observed North Central’s role and impact on the city from the vantage of an alumnus and citizen. “The lasting impact of President Hagan’s season of leadership at NCU will not be measured in students, diplomas, or majors, but rather in his courage to step up in our city’s most broken and divisive chapter,” Hurckman said. “He not only led our university, but also our city and, in many ways, our nation, as he humbly allowed our chapel to serve as a table of healing, modeling a way forward for other universities and communities to move forward with love, humility, and reconciliation, and to create space for those who feel far away and forgotten from our institutions of education and power.”
growth in athletics
As an athlete who raised his own athletes, Hagan’s passion for sports is well known, and elevating athletics was a personal and professional goal. “Our athletics program has grown by nearly 60 percent,” he said. “There were 168 recruited athletes when I arrived; this fall, we expect to exceed 300! This has had a great impact on enrollment during an overall enrollment downturn!”
economic realities
The “unprecedented season” through which Hagan led the university provided great opportunities but came with a price. “As proud as we are of how North Central weathered what happened internationally and locally in 2020 and 2021,” Hagan reflected, “the impact on our enrollment was significant. Through the fallout from students deciding against returning to school for many reasons, we lost enough students to significantly impact us as a tuition-driven institution. The challenges remain for Dr. Graham in the interim and NCU’s future president, but I have confidence in our phenomenal faculty and staff, our alumni, and our board; everybody has worked to keep the school strong. As we look at our second year of rebounding freshman enrollment, we all know God is not done with NCU!”
the next generation of leaders
“In this generation, you have a dichotomy,” Hagan observed. “On one hand, it’s not difficult to quantify the collapse of our moral fabric. I have challenged our Gen Zs and millennials, teaching them how to be the only Christian in the room. But when you really get with them, they are wholly committed to the spiritual process of transformation. They are the smartest, most consecrated, focused, optimistic students I’ve ever seen. I absolutely believe they will triumph over the moral collapse and serve Christ faithfully. So, I hold great hope.”
advice for NCU’s next leader
“There’s a lot of complexity in front of the new president,” Hagan admitted. “To the next leader(s) I say take heart, keep the ethos of the Bible college here, and trust that ethos will carry this university. I would also say teach; make sure you’re teaching a class so that you constantly know the students, because it all makes sense again when you’re with students—this is why we’re here.”
heart of gratitude
Scott Hagan readily acknowledges his season as president was undergirded by a team of supporters. “I’m grateful to my precious bride, Karen (Mrs. H),” he said. “She’s been phenomenal. I’m thankful for Chancellors, Dr. Rich and Dr. Robyn Wilkerson, who helped me raise the standard for who we could become as a university. I’m thankful for my Chief of Staff, Kristie Kerr, and her husband, Jeff. To my deans and faculty, and our staff, I’m grateful.”
time to move on
As Scott and Karen Hagan spent time last fall talking about all facets of their lives, the president came to the professional realization that North Central needs powerful leadership to take it through the next stage of growth and stabilization. With the growth of their family (now boasting 11 grandchildren), they also felt called to love their kids and grandkids, invest in their marriage, and return to working side by side as they did when they served as pastors in their pre-North Central life.
Hagan is confident this move is right for his family and North Central. “I feel like the Lord prepared us to emotionally assimilate to our world and to understand our environment; I had enough experience in my life to know when we came here that this is what we were supposed to do next,” he said. “Did I do it the right way? I hope so. We have been honored to serve.”
Hagan leaves North Central with the most important element intact. “I do believe that the number one responsibility was to keep the fire of Heaven alive on this campus, which is what makes it unique,” he said. “We are not just a Christian university; we are mandated by God to be an on-fire Christian University. Seeing how it all culminated at this year’s commencement was deeply satisfying.”
