About Dr. William N. Ruud

Dr. William N. Ruud became the 15th president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania on February 19, 2007. President Ruud, Bill as he prefers and is known on and off campus, is in his third year of service as president.

Throughout a career of more than 30 years, President Ruud has been a leader at several colleges and universities throughout the nation, and he has used that wealth of experience and knowledge to lead Shippensburg on a path to academic excellence and achievement, as well as an enhanced role in the life of the region.

Since his presidency began, the University has, among other achievements, seen a positive increase in enrollment; a double-digit increase in applications, including an increase in applications from minority students; continued to have the highest graduation rate in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; completed a master facilities plan that will guide the university's future for decades; expanded graduate programs to such areas as Harrisburg and Hanover; and is beginning the process for an academic master plan to help the University enhance its programming. Community outreach opportunities at the University have been expanded including the Growing Edges Community Counseling Clinic that offers free counseling services to the community as well as numerous cooperative ventures with local municipalities in such areas as planning and regional development.

In addition, President Ruud has also been named to various national and regional groups since joining the University. For example, he is serving a three-year term as a member of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Effective Leadership, and was appointed to the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy for the City of Harrisburg. He also serves on numerous community service organizations, including Chair of the Board of Directors of the Frontier District of the Boy Scouts of America.

During his tenure thus far, a number of campus improvement projects have been completed or started. Among those include completion of the student recreation center, renovation and expansion of Dauphin Humanities Center and Reisner Dining Hall, and work is progressing on such projects as the expansion of Huber Arts Center and the Ceddia Union Building. The University also plans to begin work soon on building all-new residence halls to enhance the living-learning opportunities on campus.

He was also instrumental in the university’s award-winning marketing campaign that began in 2008 and focuses on words like “leaderSHIP,” “internSHIP,” “championSHIP,” and “scholarSHIP.”

President Ruud earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and Hospital Administration from the University of North Dakota, and both master’s and doctoral degrees in Organizational Behavior, Management and Strategy, and Organizational Communication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After earning his doctoral degree, President Ruud served his country as an officer in the U.S. Army—at Fort Knox, KY; Fort Polk, LA; and the U.S. Army Research Institute in Washington, DC. He also taught at Northwestern Louisiana State University and Central Michigan University before joining the faculty at the University of Toledo as an Assistant Professor of Management. He later served there as Director of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Business and Director of Graduate Studies.

In 1989 he was named Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, and, two years later, was appointed Interim Associate Director of the University Honors Program. He then was named Interim Dean of the College of Business Administration, a position he held for a year before being hired as Dean of the College of Business & Economics at Boise State University.

At Boise State, President Ruud was responsible for an annual budget of approximately $7.5 million while overseeing 65 faculty and 25 staff. He was named Vice President for Institutional Advancement in 1998, serving at the chief advancement officer. He had direct responsibility for alumni and university relations and development, including the BSU Foundation, with more than $50 million in assets. He took a two-year leave of absence from the university beginning in December 2000 to serve as Senior Policy Adviser and Chief Education Adviser to former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne as part of an Executive-in-Residence program.

President Ruud joined Shippensburg University from his position as Professor of Management, Policy and Strategy at California State University, Stanislaus. Immediately prior to that, he served 2½ years as that university’s Vice President for Development and University Relations. In this role, he was responsible for the leadership, management and organization of the university’s advancement program, including development, alumni relations, athletics, athletic fundraising and development, communications, community affairs, and special events. He also represented the university’s advancement interests to the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University System. He conducted various successful fundraising campaigns, initiated a presidential scholarship fundraising campaign and helped to double membership in the university’s alumni association.

President Ruud has belonged to numerous professional and community organizations, including the American Society of Personnel Administrators and American College Personnel Association. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Modesto United Way, where he served as chair of the organization’s capital campaign. He has published numerous journal articles and has made presentations at dozens of regional and national conferences.

He and his wife of 33 years, Judy, live in the Martin House on the campus of Shippensburg University with their three-year-old beagle, BJLouis.