Hencken’s impact on Eastern will be felt long after his last day, if he retires.

“He’s just a person that has such compassion. He cares for students and loves this university,” said Mark Hudson, director of housing. “How could one man have more of an impact on campus? He bleeds Eastern blue in the truest sense of the word.”

Hudson believes that Hencken is a good president because he is a good leader.

“Being a good president is about being a good leader,” said Hudson. “Lou Hencken is a leader extraordinaire. He talks about it and he role models it.”

Provost Blair Lord, one of Hencken’s closest colleagues, said that Hencken was successful at Eastern because he believed in what he does.

“He became president on the same day I became provost, and we have an wonderful working relationship,” said Lord. “He has brought real stability to the senior management team at Eastern.”

When Hencken and Lord took their positions Eastern had been experiencing a number of years of high management turnover, said Lord.

“A critical need then was for a steady hand and newfound stability in the senior management ranks,” said Lord. “President Hencken certainly brought this to his presidency.”

While Lord praised Hencken’s management skills, Allen Lanham, dean of Booth Library, praised his work with the library.

“He has accomplished so many projects, many of them highly visible to the campus and the community,” said Lanham. “He has been supportive of us providing the best possible information services to the students and professors.”

It is Hencken’s work with students that many believe will be his legacy at Eastern.

“He is a warm, friendly, people-oriented person which has served him and Eastern very well during his years in the position,” said Lord.

Hencken is such a people person that during a recent campus tour of housing office graduate students, Hencken saw them out side of his office touring the campus and came outside just to say hello, said Hudson.

“They couldn’t believe it,” said Hudson. “One told me they didn’t even know who the president was at their college, and here was the president of the university coming outside to say hello. I don’t think you will find a university president who is as accessible as he is.”

His accessibility is because Hencken loves working with Eastern students.

“I love being with students,” said Hencken. “I really do.”

This love of students does not go unnoticed by Hencken’s colleagues.

“What I really appreciate is that he cares so much about students and he makes sure as an institution we keep that in the forefront,” said Hudson. “Lou’s legacy is care for the students.”

Hencken said it was difficult for him to pick a moment he was most proud of during his 40-year tenure at Eastern.

“Fundraising has been great, the growth in enrollment has been great, working with the alumni, faculty, students, foundation has been great,” said Hencken. “It’s hard to pick just one.”