Born in Nashville but raised around the world, Dr. Tony Atwater, IUP’s twenty-fourth president, had lived and learned on three different continents by the time he was fifteen. Not surprisingly, his world-view and his deep appreciation for, and awareness of, diversity are among the many strengths he brings to IUP as an educator and a leader.
In fact, one of the many institutional priorities Dr. Atwater referred to in his October 2005 inaugural address was the urgent need for IUP to continue to move forward in strategic ways in order to avoid being overrun by rapidly evolving market forces and necessities on a regional, national, and global scale.
In his October 2005 inaugural address, Dr. Atwater urged the IUP community to renew its commitment to the advancement of academic excellence, to increase and maintain significant IUP community partnerships, to increase private support to IUP through the Division of University Relations, as well as to steady enrollment growth over the next five years.
After earning a Ph.D. in communications research from Michigan State University in 1983 and postdoctoral studies at the University of Michigan, Dr. Atwater began his illustrious career as an educator, an administrator, and a leader with Northern Kentucky University, where he served as dean of the College of Professional Studies and Education. His subsequent leadership roles have included serving as chairperson of the Rutgers University Department of Journalism and Mass Media, special assistant to the provost at the University of Connecticut, associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Toledo, and as a trustee board member of the Northwest Ohio Public Television Foundation. Along the way, he has also earned three graduate certificates in higher education administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Currently, Dr. Atwater is a distinguished member of several state and regional boards, commissions, and directorships. He is also a postdoctoral fellow with the Ford Foundation, focusing his research on news selection behavior in the mass media. Before assuming the IUP presidency, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Youngstown State University.
Dr. Atwater’s dynamic leadership has already guided IUP to numerous institutional achievements, including:
- The successful acquisition of land to build the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, which not only opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the IUP community but also is expected to have a significant impact in revitalizing the local and regional economy.
- The student Residential Revival project—the largest housing replacement program currently under way in the nation.
- An ambitious renovation of IUP’s music classroom and practice facility, Cogswell Hall, as well as achievement for IUP of the prestigious All-Steinway designation.
- Establishing the President’s Commission on Reducing Student Substance Abuse, an initiative that reflects IUP’s determination to address an issue of concern to universities nationwide.
“It is a good beginning, but it is just that—a beginning,” said Dr. Atwater. “I’m looking to be here as long as I’m needed. I’m sensitive to the university’s need for continuity, given the leadership upheavals of the last few years. I believe we have ample cause for optimism and confidence as IUP moves forward into the twenty-first century. I believe we can continue to graduate the kind of leaders who can, and will, capably exercise their responsibility as skilled and productive stewards of America’s future economic and cultural vitality.
“I intend to build upon our accomplishments of the past, so IUP may maintain a legacy of excellence that has spanned over 130 years.”
See President Atwater’s Official Biography.
