2023 Keynote Community 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 Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern), Dr. Mark Becker will present his Keynote Community Address. The location for the event will be the John H. Boner Community Center (2236 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, IN 46201). Attendees will also have the option to attend the event virtually via a Zoom webinar. The title of his talk is "Won't Lose This Dream: How an Upstart Urban University Rewrote the Rules of a Broken System." Many a college graduate recalls being told “look to your left, look to your right, in four years one of you won’t be here”. However, the truth is even more discouraging. Only a little over one-half of the freshmen who start college each fall graduate within six years. The statistics are worse for racial minorities and students from low-income families. In this talk we will explore how Georgia State University transformed from a little-known commuter school in Atlanta, GA into one of the most innovative and fastest rising universities in the nation by pioneering a new approach to student success that increased graduation rates, eliminated disparities, and thereby leveled the playing field for all students. Light refreshments will be served. Register for the Keynote Campus Address on Friday, March 3, 2023 at 12 noon.