Often when one returns to their alma mater, they do so with a sense of pride and a desire to help other students experience the same level of education they did. This was how Kathleen Rex Anderson, Ed.D. ’66, interim vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, returned to Chestnut Hill College in 1990. She soon found herself impacting future Griffins, specifically those in the newly launched School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS).

Anderson served as a teacher and principal at several K-12 schools before returning to CHC and embarking on her career in higher education. She filled various roles in her first five years at the College, but it was in 1995, upon the decision to start the Accelerated Division, now known as SCPS, that Anderson truly made her mark on the institution.

As the first dean of SCPS, Anderson brought a strong educational background. She guided the school and helped it grow in its early years. During her seven years in the position, the school added five new programs to its original two and began to offer courses at three different off-campus sites in addition to the ones at the College.

Today, SCPS offers students the opportunity to choose from 11 different bachelor’s degree programs as well as several partnership agreements with local community colleges. Students affiliated with agencies such as SEPTA, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, WAWA, the Philadelphia Police Department and others are also now eligible to receive tuition discounts on their education.

None of this would have been possible if not for the groundwork that Anderson laid all those years ago. That is why, at SCPS's 20th anniversary celebration last May, Anderson was honored for her contributions to the program’s growth and her role in starting it.