Board of Trustees

Martin J. Anisman
President
Daemen College
Amherst, NY

Dr. Martin J. Anisman is the fourth president of Daemen College. Dr. Anisman holds an A.B. in English Literature from Syracuse University. His Master of Arts and Ph.D. are also in English Literature, specializing in the Victorian novel. Both advanced degrees are from New York University.

Dr. Anisman began his tenure at Daemen in 1996, as the College approached its 50th anniversary. Under his leadership, the College enrollment has surpassed 2,000 students, an all-time high. While maintaining allied health programs for which Daemen has become known, Dr. Anisman has promoted an increased focus on a more balanced undergraduate curriculum, emphasizing the liberal arts. Daemen’s signature graduate-level programs in nursing, physical therapy, and physician assistant are expanding, but the largest enrollment growth for the College is in undergraduate degree programs – education, graphic arts, psychology, English, and history. Additionally, under Dr. Anisman’s leadership, the College Mission Statement was re-written, to emphasize critical thinking, cultural understanding, social responsibility and diversity. Moreover, Daemen College has now become one of Western New York higher education’s leading centers of service learning. Dr. Anisman has been elected to a second term on the Board of Directors of the Albany, New York-based Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. His additional Board memberships include the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the YMCA of Western New York, and former chair of the Western New York Higher Education Consortium.

Dr. Anisman was appointed president of Sam Houston State University in 1989. During his tenure there, he raised admissions standards, and increased student enrollment to 12,900, an all-time high. He created the Offices of Institutional Research and Continuing Education, and re-established the University's Development Office, almost tripling endowment. Under his direction, a Small Business Development Center, and the Texas Regional Institute for Environmental Studies were established at Sam Houston State. Dr. Anisman also implemented the University's first Comprehensive Strategic Plan. During his tenure at Sam Houston, Dr. Anisman was chair of the Teacher Education Advisory Committee of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and chair of the Executive Committee of the Texas International Education Consortium. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Texas Education for Tomorrow Alliance 2001, fostering business/educational partnerships, and the promotion of science education at all levels. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of the Houston Advanced Research Center.

Before assuming the presidency of Sam Houston State, Dr. Anisman was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Prior to this, he was dean of the School of Arts and Science at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut.
 
Dr. Anisman is married; he and his wife, Cheri, have three children.