Academic Career
From 1980 to 1992, he was dean of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's College of Education and Allied Professions. He moved to Florida in 1992 to head University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. He was the first permanent head of the St. Petersburg campus in three years, beginning in August 1992. His predecessor, Lowell E. Davis, had died in 1989. A number of temporary replacements had served in the interim. His brief was to develop the campus' business, liberal arts, and journalism departments, as well as to complete the library and marine center building projects.
Dr. Heller led the St. Petersburg campus as dean and chief executive officer from 1992 to 2002. He resigned as CEO of the St. Petersburg campus at the behest of USF president Judy Genshaft and became a faculty member in August 2002. The City Council had planned demolishing its Bayfront Center arena and theater complex to USF and renting the land to USF, which would have used the land to build a conference center. They had second thoughts when Dr. Heller resigned. A rental agreement with an outside agency such as USF would have required a referendum. Other options included renovation and finding some other use for the land after demolition. His successor was Karen White, former dean of fine arts at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a concert violinist, originally from Joplin, Missouri.
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