Rebels Without a Pause
Ohio Wesleyan and President Matt vandenBerg Work to Uplift Higher Education
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University is embracing a bold, joyful rebellion – led by President Matt vandenBerg – to improve higher education and make college more accessible and meaningful for students.
"We want to rebel against incremental thinking, against the fear and divisiveness that at times feels pervasive in our society, and we want to rebel against those sort of protectionist tendencies," vandenBerg, Ed.D., recently told reporter Sheridan Hendrix of The Columbus Dispatch.
"We want to rebel for students. We want to rebel for boldness, for kindness, and for innovation."
vandenBerg announced the rebellion to improve higher education during his April 2024 inauguration as Ohio Wesleyan's 17th president – and he has been working nonstop to share that message ever since.
In addition to speaking before a United Nations General Assembly forum last fall, vandenBerg also has been talking to reporters and podcasters, including the recent question-and-answer interview with The Dispatch, headlined "Ohio Wesleyan President Matt vandenBerg wants to start a higher education rebellion."
vandenBerg also spoke this spring with Joe Sallustio, Ed.D., co-founder and host of The EdUp Experience podcast, discussing "How This University President Accelerated Institutional Change in Just 9 Months." The higher education program seeks "to inspire and educate people to pursue a lifelong learning mindset no matter the path they choose."
During his EdUp Experience interview, vandenBerg shared more about the OWU rebellion and what it seeks to accomplish.
"For me, and for us, operating with boldness, kindness, and innovation really is getting at the heart of what is our unique, compelling, distinctive value proposition," vandenBerg explained. "What do students get at Ohio Wesleyan that they can't or don't (get elsewhere)?
"Every student comes to Ohio Wesleyan as an undeclared major, very intentionally, in part because we believe that college is the time to reduce the pressure, to give you a safe space to be able to find your fire and get the skills that you need to launch your career with confidence," he stated, without costing the students extra time and money.
"We're really intentional about not pigeonholing students, about not making the major the sole source of their identity, and about giving them the latitude and the agency to try some things on for size and then to pivot when it doesn't go right."
Most recently, vandenBerg discussed how to "Lead for Good" with Chris Looney, CEO of Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership. The podcast's mission is "to empower you with the knowledge and insights needed to elevate your leadership skills and maximize your impact."
"I try to really reflect on and lead with values – values like clarity, like consistency, like action – because people don't follow ambiguity, because consistency builds trust, and because most people know that rhetoric alone changes nothing," vandenBerg stated. "It's action that actually produces change. ... I think culture starts with the leader."
Read more about Ohio Wesleyan University President Matt vandenBerg and his commitment to higher education, the liberal arts, and expanding access for students. Together with the OWU community, he is turning a personal leadership philosophy into an institutional movement – one grounded in clarity, consistency, and meaningful change.