Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Steven Anderson will be the next dean of the School of Social Work effective September 16, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Professor Anderson has served as the director of the School of Social Work at Michigan State University since 2014.

This is actually a homecoming for Professor Anderson, who earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work at Illinois and was a member of the school’s faculty for 13 years. Professor Anderson also holds both a master’s and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He left Illinois to become director of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University in 2011. 

Professor Anderson is an accomplished administrative leader, a respected and productive scholar and a decorated teacher. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated how academic scholarship can fuel innovations in training and development that lead to real, positive impacts and engagement with communities. And he has a clear recognition of the particular responsibilities and opportunities that come with service at public research universities like our own.

Dean Wynne Korr will continue to lead the school through September 15. I want to thank her for her leadership and service to her students, faculty and staff and for her willingness to stay just a little longer than she had planned to ensure an easy transition this fall.

I also want to thank the members of the search committee, chaired by College of Law Dean Vikram Amar, for their efforts in this national search. Professor Anderson brings an outstanding combination of prioritization of students, administrative experience, academic record and vision to the School of Social Work. He will be a strong addition to our academic leadership team here at Illinois.

Please join me in congratulating Professor Anderson and in welcoming him back to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

John P. Wilkin
Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost