It was philosopher Matshona Dhliwayo who wrote that a tree’s greatest strength lies in the roots, not the branches. Talk to Rick Anderson, NC’s new vice president, Student Success, about his career and life trajectories, and Dhliwayo’s words ring true.
Anderson, who starts his new post March 1, is returning to NC after spending the last four years at St. Lawrence College, part of which was spent as VP, Student Affairs. In his new role, he’ll oversee Student Services, Athletics and Recreation, Marketing and Recruitment, and Enrolment Services. Anderson’s experience and passion for all the elements of this new portfolio come through in his view that each is vital to student success.
Anderson didn’t always see himself in a postsecondary executive role, but education is in his roots. His father was a teacher and principal.
Growing up on Six Nations of the Grand River, there was a divide around whether education harmed or helped culture. His parents believed the latter and were adamant that their son attend university.
Starting in Electrical Engineering, Anderson found his psychology elective more interesting and changed majors. He also studied philosophy and found his academic footing. “I’ve always said everyone should have a degree in philosophy. It’s really helpful in teaching you how to think and to see things from different perspectives.”
After graduating from McMaster, he was hired as a counsellor with the Grand River Post Secondary Office (GRPSO), working with Indigenous students from Six Nations attending postsecondary institutions in eastern Ontario.
Following GRPSO, he moved to a management position at Mohawk College and began to climb the ranks, starting in Aboriginal Services, with Aboriginal academic programs added to his portfolio. Although these roles gave him his start in a college environment, he wasn’t fond of how he was typecast.
“Early in my career, I started with an Aboriginal portfolio, but I was very much stereotyped or pigeonholed,” he recalled. “But I bucked against it. I didn’t like the perception that all I knew or all I could do was limited in some way.”
Those first jobs at Mohawk gave him the chance to connect with his roots and spend time with Indigenous elders, something he had limited opportunity to do earlier in his life. That time with elders exposed him to traditional world views, which he has carried with him ever since and brings to the executive team as Niagara College’s first Indigenous VP.
“The best chance for success is to embrace different world views and perspectives. No matter what the problem is – there is value and added strength in considering Western ideology and traditional ideology.”
His time with the elders, and his pursuit of a Master of Social Work focused on policy analysis, reinforced for Anderson how everything is interconnected. “There was this time period where everything was about understanding holistic thought, whether in nature or societal structures and looking for linkages in all those things” he explained. “The elders really made me reflect on how connected we are and it’s important to think that way.”
During his career, Anderson has seen the true power of education. “Education is really transformational. I wouldn’t have what I have without education. Education and access to education is really important to me. It’s how you control your life, your destiny.”
Anderson is currently furthering his education through a PhD in College Leadership at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.
As the VP Student Success, Anderson is committed to supporting the teams in his portfolio, to nurture student engagement, diversity and inclusion and student mental health. “It’s a broader portfolio and bigger challenge,” he said. “I know there are amazing teams at Niagara College and I want to know what’s important to them, what missions they’re trying to accomplish, and how to support them.”
