Dr. John Anderson Inaugurated as Eighth IIT President
Dr. John L. Anderson today is being inaugurated as the eighth president of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Anderson succeeds Lewis Collens, who retired after 17 years as president of the university.
In his inaugural address, Anderson expresses the goal of taking Illinois Institute of Technology to a new level of accomplishment, offering a well-rounded education to high quality students who can then have an impact on society.
"IIT is positioned to become one of the top technology-focused universities in the world," he says. "My greatest hope is that future generations will look back at this time in our long and distinguished history and mark this as the moment when a very good institution took the necessary steps to become great -- by embracing a bold and enduring vision -- and by developing an aggressive and thoughtful plan to realize that vision. Above all, our vision will be reflected in IIT's highest aspirations of what a great university is and can be – and the role that it plays in fostering a more positive and productive world."
In his address, Anderson looks retrospectively at both the long and recent history of IIT, and at the challenges and opportunities facing the university today.
"Institutions like IIT have always played a role in meeting society's challenges," Anderson says. "And today, that ole is growing."
Anderson discusses the beginnings of IIT with its initial focus on science and technology and stresses how the university must stay at the forefront in these and its other educational program offerings. He also recognizes the importance of involvement with the community as another key to the university's success.
"In numerous ways we are lifting, and being lifted by, our community and our city – creating jobs, strengthening neighborhoods, supporting innovation in the public schools, and enhancing Chicago's image as a center of learning and social progress," he stated.
A Wilmington, Del., native, Anderson served as provost of Case Western Reserve University from 2004 until joining IIT in August 2007. Prior to Case, he served for 28 years at Carnegie Mellon University, including eight years as dean of the College of Engineering. He was a member of the Cornell University faculty before joining Carnegie Mellon.
Anderson received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Anderson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has held visiting professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (The Netherlands). He has presented guest lectureships at universities throughout the United States, and is the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.
Anderson and his wife, Pat, have two children and two grandchildren.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
