APLU Names Dr. Eugene L. Anderson as Vice President for its Office of Access and Success

Washington, DC – The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced that Dr. Eugene L. Anderson has been named as its new Vice President for the Office of Access and Success. Dr. Anderson will support the work of the Council of 1890 Universities, the Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence (CADE) and contribute to or lead a wide array of APLU projects and initiatives focused on expanding access and increasing degree completion. He will officially join the APLU staff in August, but will be involved in several meetings and activities prior to that.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Eugene L. Anderson to the APLU team as our new Vice President for the Office of Access and Success,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “Dr. Anderson has a very impressive background that includes extensive experience focused on boosting minority student success and expanding diversity across the higher education community. He brings a strong set of leadership skills combined with a vision and drive to strengthen access and success programs at HBCUs, HSIs, and all public universities. We are very excited for what the future holds under his leadership of the Office of Access and Success.”

“This position is the perfect intersection of my expertise and personal passion,” Dr. Anderson said. “I am excited to join the APLU team and look forward to building on the many great accomplishments of the Office of Access and Success. The institutions that comprise APLU’s membership, including the HBCUs and HSIs, are critical to our nation’s collective effort to boost access and degree completion. We will work tirelessly to support and help these institutions in their effort to grow stronger and offer the benefits of a college education to a diverse array of students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds.”

Anderson comes to APLU with a vast array of higher education, research, and communications experience that includes extensive time helping to advance the mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) while ensuring all institutions are accessible and responsive to minorities. He most recently spent eight years at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) where he served as the Chief Policy Officer and Managing Vice President. As part of that role, Dr. Anderson worked to build stronger ties between the dental community and HBCUs and HSIs. As Chief Policy Officer of ADEA, Dr. Anderson led the association’s research, government relations and diversity offices.

Prior to ADEA, Dr. Anderson spent seven years at the American Council on Education (ACE) in various research, policy, and advocacy roles. As the lead researcher in ACE’s Office of Minorities in Higher Education, Dr. Anderson was responsible for research on students of color, HBCUs and HSIs. He led and assisted with an array of research papers and initiatives designed to help the higher education community collectively ensure the success of minority students.

An eight-person search committee chaired by Dr. Mortimer Neufville, former President of Coppin State University and former APLU Executive Vice President, helped sort through dozens of applications, conducted interviews with leading candidates, and ultimately recommended the hiring of Dr. Anderson. The other members of the search committee included Dr. Juliette Bell, President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and chair of APLU’s Council of 1890 Universities; Dr. Kevin Rome, President of Lincoln University and chair of APLU’s CADE; Ms. Deborah Santiago, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Policy of Excelencia in Education; Dr. Mary Evans Sias, Director of Millennium Leadership Institute and Assistant to the President of American Association of State Colleges and Universities; and three APLU vice presidents.

“There were many well qualified applicants for this position, but Dr. Anderson emerged as the strongest candidate with the best fit and vision for how to maximize the work of APLU’s Office of Access and Success,” Dr. Neufville said. “Our nation’s public HBCUs and HSIs are remarkable places facing extraordinary challenges and opportunities. APLU is uniquely positioned to help bring these institutions together to collectively grow stronger while also helping to ensure all public universities are diverse institutions that maximize the ability and potential of all students. Dr. Anderson will now have a leading role in helping to shape and execute this agenda.”

Dr. Anderson was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his master and doctorate degrees from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Anderson will replace Dr. RoSusan D. Bartee who will return to the University of Mississippi, after 16 months of academic leave to serve as APLU’s Interim Vice President, Office for Access and Success. Dr. Bartee is a Professor and Program Coordinator in the Department of Leadership and Counselor Education. Her research interests are educational leadership, social and cultural capital, and educational and social attainment. In July 2012, Dr. Bartee became the first African American to receive tenure and promotion to full professor in the Department of Leadership and Counselor Education at the University of Mississippi.

APLU is a research policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With a membership of 235 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU’s agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. The association’s membership includes 23 HBCUs, of which 21 are land-grant institutions (19 under the 1890 Morrill Act, two under the 1862 Morrill Act). APLU’s membership also includes 17 HSIs and 25 emerging HSIs.