Dr. Gary H. Quehl '60
2022 Recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Gary H. Quehl '60 has played a major role in advancing the welfare and interests
of independent colleges and universities nationwide and is a pioneering example of
an alumnus living out Carroll’s mission of lifelong learning. Quehl’s 26 year career
in higher education has been characterized by high energy, visionary leadership, and
a gift for innovation.
On completing his masters and doctoral degrees, Quehl became director of institutional
research at Wittenberg University (Ohio) and assistant professor of philosophy. There,
he also designed and directed one of the nation’s first Upward Bound programs to help
prepare disadvantaged youth for higher education. He was then asked to orchestrate
a regional Ford Foundation program to recruit and retain minority college students.
During this early stage of his career, Quehl also co-directed the nation’s first statewide
study of private higher education that helped to foster the creation of 47 state associations
of independent colleges and universities now found across the country.
After serving at Lindenwood College as academic vice-president and dean of faculty,
Quehl became President of the College Center of the Finger Lakes, a consortium of
private colleges and universities in Upstate New York; his accomplishments there attracted
the attention of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), in Washington, DC. Quehl
would then serve as CIC President for 12 years leading numerous projects, including
undergraduate curriculum reform and a national education campaign (Small Colleges
Can Help You Make it Big), with President Ronald Regan as honorary chair. Under his
leadership—and those presidents who followed him—CIC has become the largest and most
reputable organization of private colleges and universities in the country.
Quehl was then elected President of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE). He and his staff mobilized over 1,000 education, business, foundation, and
political leaders to plan and implement the first national public relations initiative
between higher education and the American public. That effort resulted in the widespread
distribution of his national study, Higher Education and the Public Interest. While
at CASE, Quehl was also instrumental in establishing an office to bring fund raising
and public relations services to colleges and universities in Australia, Canada, and
Europe.
Following his leadership posts at CIC and CASE, Quehl established a national firm
in San Francisco to serve colleges and universities. He consulted with campuses in
the areas of fundraising, strategic planning, board development, academic program
assessment, faculty development, and enrollment management. His clients included such
institutions as the University of Wisconsin, Washington and Jefferson College, and
the California State University System Board of Trustees.
Quehl has made numerous contributions as a writer and public speaker. He has written,
co-authored, edited and published more than 32 books and articles in the fields of
philanthropy, public affairs, and higher education; his most recent include The Sages
Among Us (the result of a two-year study of community leaders in Grass Valley and
Nevada City, CA) and a sequel to that book, Generativity. Also, he served on 50 boards
during a 45-year period, led leadership seminars for non-profit and for-profit organizations,
and was a senior fundraiser in helping colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations
to raise over $300 million in philanthropic support.
Quehl holds a bachelor’s degree from Carroll University in elementary education and
earned a master’s degree and interdisciplinary doctorate in philosophy, political
science, and higher education administration from Indiana University. He was recognized
by his graduate school alma mater in 1988 as recipient of IU’s School of Education
Distinguished Alumni Award. He also has been awarded four honorary degrees, was listed
in Who’s Who in America, and early in his career was selected by Change Magazine as
one of 100 young leaders in American higher education.
In addition, Quehl served on the Carroll Board of Trustees from 1971-1987. His brother,
Mark '66 and sister-in-law Claudia (Judd) '67 Quehl are also Carroll graduates. He
lives in Grass Valley, CA, with his wife, Bonnie and has two adult children, Catherine
and Scott.
