Christopher W. Anderson

Christopher W. Anderson is an accomplished scholar, experienced teacher, and engaged leader at the University of Kansas and its host community of Lawrence, Kansas. A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Anderson attended Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska, the University of Iowa for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business and economics, and the University of Pittsburgh for a doctorate in financial economics. Before joining KU, Anderson taught at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, and before his academic career, he worked as a financial analyst in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anderson currently serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs at the KU School of Business. In this position he directs the B.S.B., B.B.A., and business minor programs. Additional responsibilities include oversight of Student & Academic Services, Business Career Services, the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program, the Business Leadership Program, the Multicultural Business Scholars Program, and the Business Communication Center.

He formerly was active in several service and leadership roles within the School of Business, including the P&T committee, undergraduate team, MBA team, dean search committee, faculty research evaluation & development team, faculty advisory committee to the dean, faculty advisory committee to the federal grant-funded Center for International Business Education & Research, the school’s United Way campaign, and multiple faculty search committees. At the University level, Anderson has been a member of the University Senate Athletic Committee, the KU Core Curriculum Committee, the University Senate Organization & Administration Committee, and the mentoring program for KU’s student-athletes.

Anderson speaks Portuguese and Spanish, and he has begun studying Chinese. He frequently has led MBA students to Brazil on project-based study abroad experiences involving U.S. and Brazilian firms across a variety of industries. He has also enjoyed professional and scholarly experiences in Chile, Ecuador, Japan, and China, and he recently was a visiting scholar at Chongqing University. He is active in interdisciplinary scholarship with the Center of Latin American & Caribbean Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, and the Center for Global & International Studies. He sponsors the Portuguese for the Professions scholarship program at KU.

Anderson lives in Lawrence with his wife, Shari, their three children John (18), Ethan (16), and Rosey (9), and a recently adopted German shepherd puppy named Loki. He is active in several community organizations, including the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s Investment Committee, the Lawrence Schools Foundation Board of Trustees, Boy Scout Troop 52, and Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church & School. He enjoys golf, scouting, classic films, and fiction.