Andrew Sund

The field of higher education is one that is in continuous flux. However, as a higher education leader, my core mission has been the same, regardless of external economic, cultural, or political factors. It is to provide underrepresented students with access and opportunities for success by strengthening institutions with dedicated missions to serve minority and non-traditional students. As a senior-level agent of change within the field, I have a solid history of turning around underperforming operations and driving successful outcomes for students, faculty, and communities. As an educator, administrator, and turnaround expert, my professional mantra is to put students and their success at the center of everything I do. In 2017, I became President of Heritage University, an institution created to provide access to higher education to people of the Yakima Valley, an area within a Native American reservation and a high percentage of Latino students. During my tenure, we have transformed the institution by a sharp focus on mission. I have successfully led teams that increased enrollment, cultivated relationships leading to stronger fundraising results, and developed programs and activities focused on the people served by Heritage. But most importantly, I was able to make a difference. I brought Heritage back to its original mission of serving under-represented students of the Yakima valley, increased enrollment and graduation rates, and strengthened the university’s accreditation. Prior to Heritage University, I was President of St. Augustine College in Chicago. Similar efforts at St. Augustine allowed me to bring the institution from the brink of losing its accreditation to developing strong academic programs that continue to leave a positive mark in Chicago.