HARRISBURG, PA — On his first day in office, Harrisburg University of Science & Technology President Christopher M. Reber, Ph.D., hosted a university-wide Town Hall Meeting, sharing his leadership philosophy and early priorities and inviting the entire HU community into an ongoing conversation about the university’s future.
Speaking to faculty, staff, and students on June 30, Dr. Reber announced that he will hold Town Hall Meetings monthly — open to students, faculty, staff, trustees, partners, and members of the community — and that he will spend his first weeks and months on a listening tour across the university and the Harrisburg region.
In keeping with the commitment to transparency he made during the meeting, President Reber asked that his remarks be shared with the wider HU community. They are presented below, edited and condensed for length.
Remarks From President Reber
“Allow me to begin by offering special thanks to Board of Trustees Chair Mike Fiaschetti and all our talented, dedicated, and visionary trustees for the honor and privilege of serving as your new president. I am exceedingly grateful for the trustees’ and university community’s trust, guidance, advocacy, and support.
“In preparing to join you, I have been reading about the great work you all do: exceptional STEM-focused certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs that are distinctive nationally and internationally; high-impact, experiential learning embedded into curricula; phenomenal, state-of-the-art facilities; strong partnerships across the region, Commonwealth, nation, and beyond; and a student centeredness that runs throughout the university.
“This is a great university — an inspirational university — and I am honored and thrilled to be joining you as your president. I’ll work very hard to earn your trust and support continuous improvement around our shared goals and dreams.”
A Philosophy of Servant Leadership
“I recognize that the past several years have not been easy. Like many institutions across higher education, Harrisburg University has faced challenges, uncertainty, difficult decisions, and significant change. I appreciate the resilience, commitment, and professionalism that have brought the university to this moment. As I come on board, I am committed to collaborating with all of you to bring increasing stability, promote thoughtful planning for the future, and position the university to grow and thrive in the years to come.
“I aspire to be what some refer to as a servant leader. Servant leadership is a philosophy whereby a leader’s primary goal is to serve and empower those they lead and support, rather than exercise control. Servant leaders focus on the growth, well-being, and success of the people they serve. I will assess my own effectiveness by how the HU family — all of you — feel I am supporting the collective good of our university and its people in service of our mission.
“I believe in transparency and inclusion. I will share with you everything I can about how I am attempting to support the university, including our many challenges and opportunities. I believe in effective and meaningful shared governance, in a campus culture that values everyone’s ideas, and in celebrating the contributions of every member of our community. And I encourage all of us to be open and honest, and to feel comfortable disagreeing with one another with respect and civility. Diversity of thought and perspectives contributes to the strongest results.”
Students at the Center
“There must be integrity in everything we do, everything we advocate, and everything we stand for. And student centeredness is at the heart of all we do: our students’ success is our university’s success, and we are partners with our students on their educational journeys.
“We have so many strengths to build on thanks to the strong leadership of President Dave Schankweiler, the trustees, our faculty and staff, our students, and our partners and donors over the past quarter century. Building on those accomplishments, we can now move to the next level of stellar outcomes for our students and university.”
Two Priorities: Enrollment and Investment
“Like institutions across higher education, we face challenges, many attributable to forces outside our control — including the recruitment and retention of our students, the particular pressures facing our many international students, and the need to grow our domestic, local, and regional enrollment in service of our mission and community.
“We will be open in discussing these challenges, and, working together, we will address them. At the same time, we have considerable ability to control two essential things that will lead to sustained growth and future investment.
“First is growth of university enrollment — everyone’s priority. Every member of our university community contributes to student recruitment, retention, and success through the quality of the experiences we provide. Not only will we focus on bringing new students through our front doors; equally important, we must keep our current students enrolled, engaged, and supported through degree completion and on to transformative future pathways. We must be laser focused on using data and best practices to remove barriers that keep students from completing their programs and achieving their goals.
“Second, we will seek and acquire increasing levels of investment in Harrisburg University. We must grow private and grant investment so that, over time, more of our budget is funded by private, corporate, foundation, and granting-agency partners, rather than asking our students and their families to pay more. We will establish and grow endowed funds that provide the margin of excellence for our university to advance its life-changing mission in perpetuity.”
Growing Our Reach
“I believe growth should be a focus and goal in all our efforts: growth in enrollment and revenue, in programs that address the priority needs of our students and region, in partnerships that deliver outcomes far greater than the sum of their parts, and in our efforts to ensure the success of every student.
“That includes growing our engagement with K–12 students by expanding dual-enrollment pathways and developing new high-impact High School Academies serving students from multiple school districts. More than 1,800 high school students already take HU courses — an effort led by Vice President John Friend, who retires this year and whose legacy of leadership and service will continue to grow.
“We also have a tremendous opportunity to serve nontraditional students, including the thousands of Pennsylvania adults who have earned some college credits but no credential. And we will grow our Professional Continuing Education and Workforce Development initiatives, including industry-recognized micro-credentials nested in academic degree pathways.”
Accreditation and a Culture of Assessment
“We are now beginning a three-year process leading to reaffirmation of our institutional accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education: a very important process that will require all university hands on deck and that will be integrated into our strategic planning. Essential in all our efforts will be a culture of ongoing assessment to ensure quality and continuous improvement in everything we do.”
Investing in Our People
“We are a people enterprise. A mentor of mine once said, “happy universities are successful universities.” Universities where people feel valued, respected, supported, and connected are more likely to succeed and thrive. Our talented faculty and staff are by far our greatest institutional asset, and it is vitally important that we support and invest in the people who educate and support our students and serve our community.”
A New Strategic Plan
“Beginning immediately, we will engage the entire university and surrounding community in the development of a new strategic plan: a living, breathing plan we all own, with specific goals, timelines, accountabilities, and outcome metrics to measure our success. I seek everyone’s ideas for growing the university and for identifying and celebrating the values, dreams, hopes, and goals we all share.”
Three Commitments
“If you take anything away from our time together, it should be this. As your new president, I make you three commitments: First, I will listen before I lead. Second, I will communicate openly and honestly, especially during difficult moments. Third, I will always strive to make decisions guided by our mission, our students, and the long-term success of Harrisburg University of Science & Technology.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to work side by side with all of you, to celebrate our successes and work through our challenges together, and to be your tireless advocate, champion, and servant leader. On this, my first day as your new president, I offer heartfelt thanks to each of you for the honor of serving you.”
A New Culture and Engagement Council
During the Town Hall, Dr. Reber invited Vice President Lorelee Isbell — recently honored as a Central Penn Business Journal 2026 Woman of Influence — to announce the launch of HU’s new Culture and Engagement Council: a faculty- and staff-led initiative focused on strengthening connection, engagement, professional growth, and well-being across the university community.
“Over the past several months, one message has consistently surfaced in conversations across the university: People at HU want to feel more connected,” Isbell said. “You want to understand how your work contributes to the larger mission. You want opportunities to grow professionally. You want stronger relationships across departments. And you want to know that your ideas and contributions matter.”
The council is built around three pillars: professional development, creating meaningful opportunities for faculty and staff to learn and grow as leaders; engagement and recognition, celebrating accomplishments and strengthening relationships across departments; and health and wellness, supporting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees.
The council will be convened by rotating co-chairs: Julie Doxsee, department chair and associate professor of English; Emily Lupi, assistant director of Career Services and Employer Relations; and Jen Millford and Jen Fleig of Human Resources. The co-chairs will identify a core group of faculty and staff representatives, with broader participation to follow through subcommittees and volunteer opportunities.
“This effort is not about creating more meetings or another committee. It is about creating a stronger Harrisburg University,” Isbell said. “We recognize that trust is built through actions, not announcements. The strongest cultures are not built by a president, a cabinet, or a committee. They are built by a community that is already truly special.”
An Open Invitation
Dr. Reber closed the Town Hall Meeting by encouraging every member of the HU community to share ideas, questions, and concerns — by stopping by his office, dropping him a note, giving him a call, or scheduling time to meet. He also plans regular opportunities to connect with students, including ongoing “Pizza with the President” and “Coffee with the President” gatherings.
“Together, we can do more than any of us might believe possible,” he said. “As we approach our 25th anniversary as a community of learners, there is much for which to be thankful, much to celebrate, and much more to do.”
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ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology (HU) is an independent, nonprofit university offering degrees in advanced manufacturing, engineering, robotics, nursing, cybersecurity, and other critical fields. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, HU serves a diverse student body through bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs that link learning and research with practical applications. For information about HU’s affordable STEM degrees and professional development programs, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay in the know by following Harrisburg University on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
MEDIA CONTACT
Do you have questions about this story? Interested in lining up an interview? Please contact Dan Wilhelm, Director of Communications for Harrisburg University, at DWilhelm@HarrisburgU.edu or 717.901.5100×1724.
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