Anita Gustafson

Anita Olson Gustafson (born March 3, 1961) is an American historian and academic administrator who is the 20th and current president of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. She took office on August 1, 2023, and was most recently the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.

Anita Gustafson
20th President of Presbyterian College
Assumed office
August 1, 2023
Preceded byMatthew vandenBerg
Personal details
Born
Anita Ruth Olson

(1961-03-03) March 3, 1961
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Children1
Education

Early life and education

Gustafson was born Anita Ruth Olson on March 3, 1961;[1] she is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[2] She attended North Park University in Chicago, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and Swedish, before earning a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.[3] She was named a Northwestern University Dissertation Fellow in 1988.[4]

Career

Gustafson began teaching history at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, in 1997.[2] She was chair of the history department from 2000 to 2004,[2] and was professor of the year in 2007, the same year she received the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award.[4] She was interim dean of academic programs at Presbyterian from 2005 to 2007, and was interim provost for a two-year stint from 2010 to 2012.[2]

On March 25, 2016, Gustafson was named dean of the Mercer University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, effective August 1 of that year. She replaced Lake Lambert, who left the job to take the presidency of Hanover University.[2] In addition to leading the college, she taught in the history department.[3]

After Presbyterian College president Matthew vandenBerg announced his intention to step down, the school began a national search that concluded on June 27, 2023, with an announcement that Gustafson would be the school's 20th president, effective August 1, 2023. She will be the first female president in the college's history.[5]

Work and research

Gustafson's work focuses largely on the history of Swedish immigration, particularly into the United States, and Swedish-American communities in the United States.[3] Her manuscript, Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920, was published by Northern Illinois University Press on December 14, 2018.[6]

Personal life

Gustafson and her husband have one son.[7]

References
  1. "Library of Congress Name Authority File: Anita Gustafson, 1961–". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  2. "Dr. Anita Olson Gustafson Named Dean of Mercer University's College of Liberal Arts". Middle Georgia CEO. March 25, 2015. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  3. "Dr. Anita Olson Gustafson". Mercer University. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  4. "Anita Olson Gustafson, Dissertation Fellow". The Alumnae of Northwestern University. Northwestern University. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. "Anita Olson Gustafson, Ph.D., named 20th president of Presbyterian College". Presbyterian College. June 27, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. Gustafson, Anita (December 14, 2018). Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-87580-791-1. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. Clayton, John (June 28, 2023). "PC hires former professor, administrator as next president". Laurens County Advertiser. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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