2023 Keynote Campus Address
Mark P. Becker, PhD
Mark Becker is President of the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU), a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The association's membership consists of more than 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations.
From January 2009 to August 2021, he was the seventh president of Georgia State University. Becker led the transformation of Georgia State from a formerly little known “commuter school” into one of the nation’s premier urban research universities. The university more than doubled sponsored research funding during his tenure, and GSU became a widely recognized national leader in the introduction of innovative programs and initiatives to foster student success. Georgia State University has been consistently ranked as one of the three most innovative universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
Prior to Georgia State, Becker held academic appointments at the University of Florida, University of Washington, University of Michigan, and leadership positions at the University of Minnesota and University of South Carolina.
Becker has received numerous awards and recognitions, including being named one of America’s 10 most innovative university presidents by Washington Monthly in 2015, the Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2017, and the Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence in Higher Education from TIAA Institute in 2019.
On Friday, March 3, 2023, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. (Eastern), Dr. Mark Becker will present his Keynote Community Address. The location for the event will be the Herron School of Art + Design Auditorium (HR 101) (735 W. New York St., Indianapolis, IN 46202). Attendees will also have the option to attend the event virtually via a Zoom webinar. The title of his talk is "Success by Design: Transforming the Student Experience to Achieve Equitable Outcomes." Student Success has become a major priority across higher education institutions, and yet progress has fallen short of ambitious goals nationally. One question for universities and colleges to ask is “Are we the Problem?” In many cases they are, often unwittingly, and the problems also tend to create or exacerbate inequity in higher education. The question then becomes “how do we identify and remedy those problems so that every student achieves their full potential?” Light refreshments will be served. Register for the Keynote Community Address on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 6pm.