Heeger was born in 1942 in Iowa where his father owned a grocery store.
[1] Heeger taught at University of Virginia in the department of government and foreign affairs.
In 1980, he became dean of the school of continuing studies at Adelphi University and later became provost and executive vice president.
He was the dean of the New York University School of Professional Studies where he created NYU Online.
Heeger left UMUC to become the founding president of Whitney International University System Ltd.[3] Heeger is married to Geraldine, a librarian, college English teacher and a teacher of English as a second language.