Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662
edmondsk@aascu.org

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CARLSBAD, CA, Nov. 15, 2022 – Heidi M. Anderson, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore(UMES) since September 2018, today assumed the post as chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) Board of Directors at the association’s annual conference in Carlsbad, CA.

Anderson has more than 30 years of higher education experience in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Maryland.  Anderson has served on the AASCU Board of Directors since 2020 and chairs AASCU’s Council of State Representatives.

Under her leadership, UMES developed strategic initiatives that are improving enrollment and retention.  UMES has increased its six-year graduation rate to a level higher than in the past 20 years, and the university has experienced record-breaking research funding and philanthropic efforts.  Anderson has completed construction of a $95 million academic building for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. UMES has received the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute award to support STEM education and career readiness.

“Heidi Anderson has dedicated her career to expanding access and opportunity for students from underserved populations, and as a first-generation college graduate, she knows firsthand the transformative power of postsecondary education,” said AASCU president Mildred García.  “We know that she will bring that lifelong dedication to this role, particularly as higher education grapples with declining enrollments, the impact of the global pandemic on our campuses, and threats to our democracy.”

“I am both honored and eager to collaborate with our AASCU campuses in pursuit of innovative actions and strategies that will enhance new majority student success. As a catalyst for our conversations, my theme for the year and for the 2023 annual conference is “AASCU Leading for Democracy: Rebuild, Restore, Reframe.” At this significant time in our history as educators, I look forward to conversations exploring transformations consistent with the AASCU mission and vision.”

Anderson is a proud graduate of AASCU’s Executive Leadership Academy and AASCU’s Academy for New Provosts.  She earned a B.S. in pharmacy, M.S. in education, and a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration all from Purdue University, in her home state of Indiana.

During AASCU’s 2022 Annual Conference, Ronald S. Rochon, president of the University of Southern Indiana, was appointed chair-elect of the board. His term as chair will begin in 2024.

Rochon became the fourth president of the University of Southern Indiana (USI) in 2018. He previously served as USI’s provost since 2010. As a current AASCU board member elected in 2020, Rochon serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Millennium Leadership Initiative Executive Steering Committee.

Under Rochon’s leadership, USI has improved its rates of overall degree completion, at-risk degree completion, STEM degree completion, student persistence, and on-time graduation rate. He has secured over $124 million in state funding for capital projects and operations and led USI’s reclassification process from NCAA Division II to Division I athletics.

In October 2020, Rochon was appointed to Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s Workforce Cabinet for a two-year term and to the Midwest Higher Education Compact in 2021. He also serves on the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference Board of Presidents and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Board of Directors.

The AASCU membership also elected six new presidents to the Board of Directors:

Newly elected directors include:
Erika D. Beck, president, California State University, Northridge
Andrew Feinstein, president, University of Northern Colorado
Gloria J. Gibson, president, Northeastern Illinois University
Mark A. Nook, president, University of Northern Iowa
Kirk A. Nooks, president, Gordon State College (GA)
Daniel A. Wubah, president, Millersville University (PA)

The following presidents and chancellors will continue their terms as members of AASCU’s board:

Past Chair: 
Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president, Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Treasurer:
Timothy Mottet, president, Colorado State University Pueblo
Emily Cutrer, president, Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Karrie G. Dixon, chancellor, Elizabeth City State University (NC)
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, president, City University of New York, York College
Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, president, Oakland University (MI)
José Luis Cruz Rivera, president, Northern Arizona University 
Zulma R. Toro, president, Central Connecticut State University
Ashish Vaidya, president, Northern Kentucky University
Alisa White, president, Sam Houston State University (TX)

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of nearly 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise. Visit us at www.staging.aascu.org.