A researcher who has dedicated his career to improving the education system has been chosen to lead the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. Chancellor Robert Coombe on May 20 announced the appointment of Gregory Anderson to the position of dean of the college, effective July 27.
Anderson is an associate professor of education at Columbia University. He is on leave from the school while serving as a program officer of higher education policy at the Ford Foundation in New York City.
“We are delighted that Greg Anderson will lead the Morgridge College as we seek to position it as a catalyst for positive change in education,” says Coombe. “He has the ability, the experience, the commitment and the passion needed to make a real difference for the college and for the people of the region.”
At the foundation, Anderson oversees one of the largest portfolios of international and domestic higher education grants. He is a member of executive committees of multi-foundation partnerships and foundation-wide initiatives involving the U.S., Africa, Central and Latin America and Asia. He also serves on the foundation’s Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom Program Division, leading a strategic planning team responsible for developing a new vision for U.S. and international higher education planning.
“It is a great honor to be named the dean of the Morgridge College of Education,” says Anderson. “I am eager to begin the exciting work of advancing the mission of the institution in partnership with communities, the faculty, and the provost and chancellor of the University of Denver to help address the pressing social issues of the day.”
Anderson has a BA and MA in sociology from the University of Toronto and a PhD in sociology from the City University of New York.
Since 2001, enrollment at the Morgridge College of Education has grown by 66 percent, going from 495 students in fall 2001 to 822 in fall 2008. It has long-standing relationships with local school districts, educational organizations, libraries, businesses and mental health agencies that serve to ground the instructional and research environments within the college. In 2008, it marked the 110th anniversary of its teacher education programs.
The college recently completed a $35 million fundraising campaign, which includes construction costs associated with a new building, three endowed faculty positions, and the creation of new institutes and scholarships.
Jerry Wartgow, former superintendent of Denver Public Schools, has been serving as interim dean of the college since September 2008.