James Anderson

James A. Anderson serves as chancellor and professor of Psychology at Fayetteville State University. He began his duties as Chancellor of the state’s second-oldest public institution on June 9, 2008. Before coming to FSU, Anderson served as the University at Albany’s (New York) Vice President for Student Success, Vice Provost for Institutional Assessment and Diversity and Professor of Psychology.

Raised in Washington, D.C, Anderson majored in psychology at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.  He later earned a doctoral degree in the field of cognitive psychology from Cornell University in New York, and upon completion, he accepted his first academic appointment in the Department of Psychology at Xavier University in New Orleans.

In 1992, he began his 11-year tenure as vice provost for Undergraduate Affairs at North Carolina State University. In 2003, Anderson was recruited to Texas A&M University, a major land-grant institution serving more than 46,000 students, as vice president and associate provost for Institutional Assessment and Diversity. He held that post until joining the University at Albany in 2005.  Dr. Anderson has consulted with over 350 colleges and universities addressing topics such as teaching effectiveness, retention and persistence, and the assessment of student learning and diversity.

Anderson has expanded the global footprint of the university by expanding international initiatives in China, Africa, India, and Europe. These initiatives are focused on degree program completion, reciprocal program development, summer institutes, and faculty/staff residential exchanges. FSU also supports real-time, web-based academic courses that FSU students share with students from China and India.

Among his edited publications are “The Unfinished Agenda: Brown vs. the Board of Education”, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision.  He also published a second-best seller: “Driving Change Through Diversity and Globalization: Transformative Leadership in the Academy.”  Anderson has consulted with over 350 colleges and universities addressing topics such as teaching effectiveness, retention and persistence, and the assessment of student learning and diversity.