Dr. George Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State University
During its Graduate and College of Continuing Studies Commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 16, Rider University will proudly bestow the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State University.
Rider, which has been celebrating the 100th anniversary of its School of Education throughout the 2012-13 academic year, is proud to honor Dr. Pruitt, who has led New Jersey’s only college exclusively for adults since 1982. During his tenure, the University continued to serve as a national leader in the assessment of adult and experiential learning and in using technology to deliver innovative higher education programs to adults where they live or work.
Dr. Pruitt has been highly valued as a consultant to business and government, as well as within the higher education community. He has served in an advisory capacity to four Secretaries of Education under three United States presidents of both parties, and remains active in the formulation of educational policy nationally and within New Jersey.
Prior to his presidency at the University, Dr. Pruitt served in executive leadership positions at Illinois State University, Towson State University, Morgan State University, Tennessee State University and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). He has been the recipient of four honorary degrees, as well as numerous awards, honors and commendations. In a study of presidential leadership funded by the Exxon Education Foundation, Dr. Pruitt was identified as one of the most effective college presidents in the United States.
Dr. Pruitt has served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning in Chicago; and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.; the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.; and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity within the U.S. Department of Education. He has also served on the New Jersey State Planning Commission; and the Board of Trustees of Rider University. He has chaired the New Jersey Presidents’ Council; the Board of Trustees of The Union Institute & University in Cincinnati; and been an adviser to the Kellogg National Fellowship Program, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, of Battle Creek, Mich.
He is also the chair of the Board of Directors for Capital City Partnership, Inc., of Trenton; vice chair of the National Commission on Higher Education Attainment; a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; and a member of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (ASCU).
He has an adult daughter, Shayla, and resides in Lawrenceville with his wife, Pamela.
Toni M. Terry, BA