About
Dr. Heidi Anderson-Isaacson has 30 years of higher education experience and currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Student Life at the University of Minnesota Rochester. She has a proven ability to combine strong collaboration, project management and leadership skills to implement major departmental change directly impacting student retention and satisfaction. As an accomplished leader, author and presenter, she is a visionary higher education professional who implements strong assessment practices to inform strategy. Her work at various institutions has led to measurable increases in retention.
In her role as the Vice Chancellor she provides strategic direction to the Student Life staff team to increase student engagement, well-being and retention. The Student Life team includes residential life and living learning communities, counseling and health services, disability resources, intercultural student center, student campus safety, recreation and student well-being and engagement. She also manages student conduct, care reporting, biased incident response and serves as the Title IX Coordinator.
Dr. Anderson-Isaacson received a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College. She completed her Master’s of Arts in Educational Leadership General Administration and Doctor of Education degree at the University of St. Thomas, investigating “The Persistence of At-Risk Students in Higher Education” in her dissertation. She most recently served as Dean of Student Development and Success at the innovative Alverno College, known as a leader in competency-based education. In that role, she led initiatives that increased retention by 10% and 4-year graduation rates by 4%. She has also served as a dissertation advisor and has taught as an adjunct faculty member in areas of education, leadership and criminal justice. One of her proudest accomplishments was receiving the Most Supportive Faculty and Staff Member Award in 2023. Throughout her career, Dr. Anderson-Isaacson has served in a variety of roles within student life, including leadership roles in residential life and student activities.