Following a national search that involved participation from NC’s Executive Team and employee and student representatives, I’m very pleased to announce that Rick Anderson has been appointed vice president Student Success.
Rick is an experienced senior leader in the Ontario college system and will be a familiar face to many of you. Rick is rejoining the Niagara College community after serving as vice president, Student Affairs at St. Lawrence College. Rick previously served as director, Student Services and interim vice president Student Affairs at Niagara College from 2012 – 2016. He began his career in the public college sector more than 15 years ago as Aboriginal Program and Services manager at Mohawk College, progressing to roles as registrar at both Mohawk and St. Lawrence colleges, before joining the Niagara College team.
Rick’s appointment also marks an important milestone for Niagara College, as he becomes the college’s first Indigenous vice president.
As vice president Student Success, Rick will lead the College’s athletics and recreation, enrolment services, marketing and recruitment, and student services teams.
Rick Anderson, VP Student Success
Rick is a passionate advocate for student success, having spent his career focused on access initiatives and the development of student-focused policies and holistic, integrated services. Rick has a long history of collaborative work with student associations and student leaders, working together with student representatives to develop and implement student-focused programs, facilities, and policies.
Along with prior postsecondary teaching and counselling experience, Rick has deep experience in strategic enrolment management and the development of data frameworks to support evidence-based decision making. Rick has led several projects to align academic and student success initiatives to deliver comprehensive and effective support to students, including academic advisement and academic early alert systems.
Rick also has extensive experience working with Indigenous communities, as the director of Education for the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, as an education counsellor and project consultant for Grand River Employment and Training, and as the director of Aboriginal Education at Mohawk College.
Rick has contributed to several provincial committees through Colleges Ontario and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) and served on community boards including the Maltby Centre (Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington) Pathstone Mental Health (St. Catharines), and Grand River Employment and Training (Ohsweken).
Rick holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Social Work (Policy Analysis) from McMaster University. He is currently completing his PhD (Community College Leadership) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
Please join me in welcoming Rick back to Niagara College.
