introducing
Millersville’s President On April 1, 2013, Millersville University welcomed its 14th president, Dr. John M. Anderson Inauguration: Friday, October 25, 2013
by Janet Kacskos
In true Millersville fashion, the community and campus rolled out the red carpet, figuratively speaking— electronic signs flashed greetings, welcome banners fluttered in the breeze, and a Marauder-led crowd bearing gifts paraded from the Student Memorial Center to Biemesderfer Center, where Dr. and Mrs. Anderson met them with sincere smiles and hearty handshakes. Not even the brief shower could dampen the enthusiasm of the honorees and those who gathered for this event.
The Road to Millersville Anderson’s journey to Millersville began when he attended a public institution of higher education. “I was the youngest of three children and my family didn’t have money for me to attend college. Public higher education allowed me access to this opportunity,” he stated. Anderson has first-hand knowledge of the financial struggles today’s students are facing. After completing his associate degree in math and science at Westchester Community College in New York, he had to take a break from his education and work full-time to get the money to continue. Anderson would go on to receive his B.A. in physics from SUNY Brockport, an M.A. in physics from SUNY Geneseo, and his Ph.D. in education from Cornell University. He also received postgraduate education at Harvard University. Perhaps his own background explains Anderson’s passion for public higher education.“If it wasn’t for public higher education, I wouldn’t be here,” he maintains. But Millersville wasn’t Dr. Anderson’s first stop on the journey. His more than 20 years experience in senior-level administrative posts at various institutions includes service as dean of student development, interim vice president of student services, vice president of institutional advancement, vice president for academic affairs, provost, executive vice president and president. Immediately prior to his appointment at Millersville, Anderson served for five years as the 11th president of Alfred State College in Alfred, N.Y. 10 Millersville’s 14th President Spring-Summer 2013
Poised for Takeoff Early in his career, Dr. Anderson’s research interests were in the field of atomic and nuclear physics, specifically neutron activation analysis and Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) spectroscopy. Over the years his areas of administrative expertise evolved to include strategic planning, student civic engagement and sustainability—proficiencies that dovetail beautifully with Millersville’s priorities. Sustainability – For three consecutive years, the University has been cited in the Princeton Review as one of America’s “green colleges.” Dr. Anderson, who currently serves on the executive committee for the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), wants to take that a step further and will be meeting with interested faculty and staff who aspire to a deeper sustainability commitment. Civic Engagement – Millersville University students annually contribute approximately 75,000 hours in volunteer service in the community. “There’s already a great civic engagement initiative here through the Civic & Community Engagement & Research Project,” Anderson notes. He’s looking forward to learning more about projects that are already under way and others that are being planned. Anderson himself models the commitment he’s seeking from Millersville students. For the past nine years, he has served on the board of Springbrook in Cooperstown, N.Y. Springbrook is a not-for-profit organization with approximately 1,000 employees that supports children and adults with development disabilities, or as he likes to point out, “people with different abilities.” Strategic Planning – The campus and its new president are preparing for a University-wide strategic planning process. “There’s been a lot of great work done recently by Transformation Action Teams, a variety of groups representing