avid F. Andersen joined the Department of Public Administration and Policy in 1977 and since then has served as dean of the Graduate School of Public Affairs (1983–88), director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government (1987–89), and interim chair of the Department of Public Administration and Policy (1991–93 and 1995–96).
Andersen is a leader in curricular innovations that cut across departmental and disciplinary lines, as evidenced by his work as director of the Certificate for Advanced Study in Planning and Policy Analysis, an interdisciplinary degree which provides a needed post- masters course of study for professionals interested in the quantitative study of public administration and policy, criminal justice, social welfare, sociology, geography and planning, computer science, and economics.
Andersen was a founding faculty member of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in information science and also served as faculty fellow in the Center for Technology in Government, where he helped craft the original design of the Center.
During his time at the University, Andersen has excelled at teaching, playing a significant role in a curricular innovation called "management labs," which uses role-playing, computer simulations, presentations and professional writing.
His service is not limited to the University. He was consultant and project coordinator of a three-county research and implementation project in welfare reform for the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Office for Children and Families. He was also a consultant for the United Nations and USAID on a Project to Define National Information Policies for Lebanon, and a consultant for the New York City Office of Management and Budget.
Andersen was also most instrumental in bringing about the creation of the System Dynamics Society, an international organization devoted to encouraging the development and use of a computer-aided approach to policy analysis and design. He was made its first president. He was also a five-year member of the national council for Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society in public administration.
Excellence Awards University at Albany