Story by Bella Utley, Contributing writer

Mark Anderson, the second finalist for the Provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, visited Murray State on Nov. 9 for an open forum in which faculty, staff and members of the community could meet him and ask questions.

Anderson is currently the dean of the College of Science and Math at Kennesaw State University. He has been a member of the faculty and held administrative positions at the University of Colorado-Denver and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

He is a physical and analytical chemist with a list of publications, presentations and mentoring opportunities with research students.

“My goal is to help everyone be successful,” Anderson said.

He said he believes the essential focus in schools should be the importance of liberal arts, and higher education shouldn’t be career training—it should be educating the whole person.

In a university setting, he said the student should be taught how to think, not what to think, because by using information to formulate their own judgment, the student will positively question the way they think.

Anderson said study abroad is critically important because students should get exposure to other countries and cultures in order to be more efficient in their future career paths.

However, he said the experience at a university is the entire package with more downtime than students have ever experienced.  He said this time is critical because students begin to have more adult conversations with people who aren’t their immediate friends and family.

Anderson said he enjoys Murray State because he sees the growth in the community. He said he has the confidence that he can collectively contribute to make a difference.

“My goal has always been to have a lasting impact with the student,” Anderson said. “I am prepared with the appropriate background, personality and sensibility to do so.”