Hillsdale College Grants Honorary Degree to Local Health Official
Duke Anderson receives honorary Doctor of Public Service degree
HILLSDALE, Mich. — At its 168th annual Commencement ceremony held in person on July 18, Hillsdale College awarded an honorary doctor of public service degree to Duke Anderson, recently retired president and chief executive officer of Hillsdale Hospital.
Anderson earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University in 1980, followed by certification as a graduate respiratory therapist at University of Chicago hospitals and clinics. In 1986, Anderson became the Director of Health Promotion Services for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. He began serving on the board of Hillsdale Hospital in 1994, becoming the first chief operating officer in 2006. Shortly thereafter, Anderson was promoted to president and chief executive officer, a position he held until his retirement in June. Throughout his career, Anderson has been an advocate for making healthcare accessible in rural communities, earning him a place on Becker’s Hospital Review’s Top Rural Health CEOs to Know list five times.
Anderson joins an esteemed list of Hillsdale College’s honorary degree recipients, including poet Will Carleton (1876), cryptologist Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1939), entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes (1984), Senator Mitt Romney (2007), Senator Ted Cruz (2013), Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence (2018), and Senator Mitch McConnell (2019).