Gregory Hess

Gregory D. Hess (born August 6, 1962) is an American economist, business executive, and former academic administrator. Hess served as Professor of Economics, Dean of the Faculty, and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Claremont McKenna College, prior to his appointment as the 16th President of Wabash College. Hess now serves as president and CEO of IES Abroad.

Early life and education A native of San Francisco, California, Hess received an undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis, followed by master's and doctoral degrees at Johns Hopkins University. Hess was later appointed as the Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Claremont McKenna College, where he was also named James G. Boswell Professor of Economics in 2011. Hess was then installed as the 16th President of Wabash College in July 2013.

Hess serves as book review editor of the journal Macroeconomic Dynamics. He is on the editorial board of Economics & Politics. Hess served as co-editor of a book, Intranational Macroeconomics; two editions have been published. He is a member of the Shadow Open Market Committee and a fellow at the Center for Economic Studies.

President of Wabash College

On July 1, 2013, Hess was inaugurated as 16th president of the college, following the departure of Patrick E. White. In his inaugural address, Hess stated, Our true academic mission — to liberally educate each and every student — is a timeless reminder of the lives we change here at Wabash College, one young man at a time. For while the problems facing higher education and the world are complex, the solutions need not be. Amidst the jostle and the fray and the haranguing static and noise that often surround our academic endeavor, stands our foundation: the simple gifts of the liberal arts. These profound gifts — the ability to act, to see, and to speak — are the bedrock that underpin teaching and learning at Wabash College.

Hess proposed a strategic planning process and in doing so created four new co-curricular initiatives called Liberal Arts Plus: Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative, Global Health Initiative, Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship, and Digital Arts and Human Values. Hess formalized a partnership between Wabash and Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizán on future health research and projects. Hess also presided over a campus master planning process intended to guide capital works projects at the college and join the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Economic Development Council.

On November 4, 2013, Hess joined the Freedom Indiana coalition in opposition to Indiana HJR-3 with DePauw University President Brian Casey.

On September 17, 2014, Hess organized and hosted Celebrating the Liberal Arts, a national conference which highlighted the work of the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College and the results of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education.

On March 10, 2020, Hess announced he would be stepping down as President of Wabash College at the end of the academic year. Hess's resignation followed widespread criticism from students and alumni regarding his administration's communication, particularly in light of a decision to end the 187-year practice of distributing sheepskin diplomas to college graduates. However, Hess denied the impact of these concerns in an exit interview with a student newspaper, noting: It wasn't my job to be loved at Wabash College. It was my job to make sure that there was a place for them to love well after I had gone.

IES Abroad In March 2020, Hess was named as the next President and CEO of IES Abroad. In his inaugural address, Hess emphasized the importance of combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, institutional racism, and nativism through the medium of studying abroad.

Publications