President Richard J. Helldobler Is Among Inaugural NJBIZ Executive Excellence Honorees


President Richard J. Helldobler is among the first group of executives who will be honored by NJBIZ with its inaugural Executive Excellence Awards for their roles in shaping New Jersey’s business landscape.

According to NJBIZ, the individuals selected, all senior-level executives, have consistently demonstrated “remarkable leadership skills, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, company performance and community service.” After an open nomination process, 60 honorees were selected by a panel of independent judges.

Now in his eighth year, President Helldobler has successfully steered the University through the toughest series of challenges ever to confront American higher education while challenging the WP community to remove obstacles to student success so that William Paterson’s students, graduates, their families, and local communities can thrive. In doing so, he has increased enrollment and retention, strengthened support resources for the institution’s diverse student population, and helped put more degrees in the hands of the students who are changing the social fabric of New Jersey, while raising the institution’s statewide, national, and global reputation.

President Helldobler has led the University to focus relentlessly on student success and affordability. Through initiatives like the Student Success Teams and the Pledge 4 Success program, which helps make William Paterson one of New Jersey’s lowest-cost public universities, the University is helping students and families fulfill their top goal of using their WP degrees to obtain a good-paying job. Current national data shows that six months after graduating, 86 percent of members of the Class of 2023 had successful outcomes and were earning an average annual salary of nearly $63,000, both exceeding national averages for public institutions.

He also led the launch of WP Online, the University’s fully online degree program, which has grown from zero to more than 4,200 students as of fall 2025, and through which one-third of members of the Class of 2025 earned their degrees. President Helldobler has encouragesd administrators, faculty, and staff to use WP Online as a vehicle for innovation. It has enabled diversification of degree, certificate, and alternative credential programs in response to changing labor market needs, and expansion into new markets, such as New Jersey’s large population of adults with some college credit but no degree.

As a result of these and other initiatives, under President Helldobler’s leadership, WP has reversed enrollment declines. Overall enrollment has surpassed 10,000 for the fall 2025 semester and the second consecutive year—the highest in nearly a decade—including a growing number of international students. The University’s growth under President Helldobler has included distinctions as the largest producer of MBAs in New Jersey, as well as becoming the largest producer of nurses in Northern New Jersey and the largest of any single campus in the state.

WP’s success under President Helldobler is largely the result of a cultural shift in which he has encouraged all employees to embrace a growth mindset and develop their own leadership potential. WP’s culture of success is reflected in external recognition, including being named a Forbes Best Employer in New Jersey, earning an NJBIZ Empowering Women Award, and seeing employees honored as New Jersey State Employee Recognition Day awardees.

NJBIZ will honor the inaugural Executive Excellence recipients on during an event on October 14 at The Palace at Somerset Park. Honorees also will be featured in a special supplement to NJBIZ.

08/28/25