Upstate SC News

Founders Day Convocation, 20th Anniversary Celebration of President Dr. Evans P. Whitaker and Mrs. Diane Whitaker 

Evans P. Whitaker is the 12th president of Anderson University. He assumed the post in November 2002. He and his wife, Diane Whitaker, made Anderson their home.   When the Whitakers arrived, roughly 1,600 students attended the private college in Anderson, South Carolina. The institution added graduate degree programs and was styled Anderson University in 2006. Today, more than 4,200 are enrolled, making Anderson University South Carolina’s largest private university and, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the 16th fastest growing regional university in the United States over the last decade. In addition to growth in numbers, Anderson's academic selectivity and reputation have appreciated to the extent that, according to The Princeton Review, Anderson is among the top six more academically selective universities (public and private) in South Carolina.   Under President Whitaker's leadership, and the stewardship and support of Mrs. Whitaker, more than $100 million has been invested in campus facilities, including a 90,000-square-foot student center, a 60,000-square-foot library, five residence halls, a cancer research center, an engineering academic facility, a health professions graduate center in Greenville, football and numerous other athletic facilities; campus acreage has quadrupled from 68 in 2002 to more than 400 today. Anderson University manages and is a major partner in the Rocky River Conservancy, a 200-acre wetlands and wildlife preserve near the campus.   In short, Anderson University is one of the most respected comprehensive universities in the United States. Moreover, it has successfully balanced rigorous academic programs while acknowledging and promoting the validity and applicability of the Christian faith, free enterprise, and uncommon civility. A highly selective and entrepreneurial Christian university, Anderson University is among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Regional Universities South,” and is on the publication’s “Best Value” and “Best Online Programs” lists. Anderson also is ranked #25 nationally for Student Engagement by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education; is a “Best College” among institutions of higher learning in the southeast by The Princeton Review; is a four-time Apple Distinguished School; and is one of only a few universities on the honor roll of the Chronicle of Higher Education's prestigious Great Colleges to Work For annual recognition program.   President Whitaker also serves as professor of management, leadership & organizations. He holds masters and doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt University and has engaged in additional professional study at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (UK). An accomplished musician and vocalist who has toured worldwide, Mrs. Diane Whitaker holds a bachelors degree in commercial music from Belmont University. She is the Director of External Relations and Campus Design at Anderson University and has served on volunteer boards of the Salvation Army and the United Way. 

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