Dr. Belinda C. Anderson

The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Belinda Childress Anderson the 11th President of Virginia Union University on May 25, 2004. Dr. Anderson is the first female to serve in the 141 year history of the University. Dr. Anderson was appointed by the Board to serve as Interim President of Virginia Union University for the 2003-04 academic year. During the interim year, Dr. Anderson provided leadership in eliminating a four-year negative change in net assets, formally established the Virginia Union University Art Museum, and initiated the renovation of Barco-Stevens gymnasium to a multi-purpose facility.

Dr. Anderson joined Virginia Union University in August 2000 as Vice President for Academic Affairs. In this position, she monitored and evaluated academic policies and procedures, administered university budgets, monitored program development and provided leadership in curriculum and faculty development. During her tenure as Vice President for Academic Affairs, the university implemented several firsts to include: automating the registration process for students and faculty; placing the university catalog on the web and on CD; and providing laptops for faculty for the University’s wireless network.

Dr. Anderson has been actively involved in higher education, specifically in the areas of academic and student affairs, since 1982. Dr. Anderson’s tenure in higher education is unique due to her involvement in higher education on both the institutional and state levels.

She began her career teaching high school social studies in the Portsmouth and Norfolk school systems. In 1984, she served at Radford University as Director of Academic Advising Services where she coordinated a campus-wide academic advising system. In 1989, she assumed the position of Dean of the School of General and Continuing Education at Norfolk State University. As Dean, Dr. Anderson provided both administrative and academic leadership for the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Office of Adult and Continuing Education, and Office of Undeclared Students. Dr. Anderson earned tenure and the rank of professor and taught six hours per semester within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Norfolk State University.

At the state level, Dr. Anderson served as Director for Student Affairs and Senior Academic Affairs Coordinator at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. As Director for Student Affairs, she conducted policy analysis and development for student affairs related issues; administered $3,853,430 in funds for OCR mandated equal education opportunity programs and conducted reviews of those programs. In her position as Senior Academic Affairs Coordinator, she provided assistance to two- and four-year institutions on program approval, assessment, restructuring, and productivity review.

Dr. Anderson has presented numerous papers on student retention, authored numerous grants, and she has received numerous awards and recognitions. Specifically, in October 2001, she was honored by Radford University as the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. She earned her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Community College Education from Virginia Tech. She also holds a M.S. in History and a B.S. in History and Social Science from Radford University. She is a native of Roanoke, Virginia.