Office of the President

President Linda R. Buchanan, Ph.D., began her tenure as the second woman to lead Andrew College in June 2015. Her journey to Andrew is the culmination of nearly 40 years of higher education experience. President Buchanan’s professional background includes leadership roles at Iowa Wesleyan College and LaGrange College, both United Methodist-related institutions, as well as Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)-related Midway College in Kentucky. Additionally, Buchanan served in the United States Navy, retiring at the rank of captain.

“Andrew College has been a beacon of education, culture, and spiritual uplift since 1854,” Buchanan said. Knowing the resources colleges can bring to a community, Buchanan asks two questions: How can Andrew College best serve the region of Southwest Georgia? How can Andrew College best serve the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church? Answers to these basic questions formulated the foundation of task forces led by faculty and staff early in the fall of 2015.

With a strong belief in servant leadership, Buchanan said, “Andrew College will rekindle the flame of leadership to serve both the region of Southwest Georgia and the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.”

Career Accomplishments

Buchanan’s portfolio spans accreditation, athletics, curriculum development, enrollment management, strategic planning, and student services. Her most notable accomplishments include a research-based enrollment and marketing overhaul that resulted in record-breaking admissions, leading a transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III athletics, participating in $16 million of renovation and construction of facilities, contributing to the leadership a $65 million capital campaign, developing and teaching a required seminar for first-year students, and a dozen on-site reviews with regional accreditation agencies.

She also has widespread experience with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which visited Andrew College in the fall of 2015 as part of a decennial recertification process.

Prior to her student services career, Buchanan was the director of athletics, a volleyball coach and a faculty member at Midway College in Midway, Kentucky.

Educational Background

Buchanan holds a bachelor’s degree from George Williams College in Downers Grove, Illinois, a master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University and a doctorate from Georgia State University. Her Stansbury Award-winning dissertation studied small American colleges in the 19th century. She is an honorary member of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

A lifelong historian, Buchanan has presented at the Southern History of Education Society multiple times. She coordinated and hosted the conference in 2009. Her work on two historically black colleges has been published in Garland Publishing’s “Essays of Twentieth-Century Southern Education” and presented to the American Educational Research Association.

About Andrew College

Established in 1854, Andrew College is related to The United Methodist Church. The college is situated in the rural southwest Georgia community of Cuthbert, Andrew College offers the Associate of Art, Associate of Music, Associate of Nursing, Associate of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Elementary Education degrees. Its mission is to prepare students for lives of servant leadership and purpose through higher education that is relevant to its region and beyond.

To discover more about Andrew, visit andrewcollege.edu or @AndrewCollege on Twitter.

Andrew College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award certificate, associate, and baccalaureate degrees.  Questions about the accreditation of Andrew College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling 404-679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).