Earl H. Potter III
President
2007-2016
Earl H. Potter III President of St. Cloud State University, a regional public university offering an affordable, high-quality education and well-rounded college experience for students who hail from Minnesota and around the world. Under President Potter's leadership the University has a strong commitment to strengthening an integrated student learning experience that prepares graduates for work, life and citizenship in the 21st century.
President Potter has established himself as a leader who envisions the University as a driving force for progress and problem solving in the region and a source of great pride for the community and the state. The University community has been energized by his forward-looking perspectives and his innovative approach to bringing about positive change.
In addition to his duties as President of St. Cloud State University and responsibilities to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, Potter serves on the City of St. Cloud's Create CommUNITY Steering Committee, Initiative Foundation Board of Trustees, Minnesota Campus Compact Board of Directors, United Way of Central Minnesota Board of Directors, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation, Regional Economic Development group, Minnesota National Guard Senior Advisory Task Force, and other community task forces and initiatives.
Potter's national board service includes American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Council of State Representatives, American Council on Education (ACE) Council of Fellows, Campus Compact, Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Presidents' Trust for Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP). International associations include United Nations Academic Impact Consortium, International Association of Universities (IAU) and International Association of University Professors (IAUP).
Previously, Potter was executive vice president and provost at Southern Oregon University, dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University; dean of the School of Management at Lesley University; director for organizational development and employment services at Cornell University; associate dean for academics at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; chief negotiator for management and head of the Department of Economics and Management at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; a fellow for the American Council on Education in the Office of the Chancellor at the University of Colorado; a Mellon Foundation Faculty Fellow at Yale University; and a National Institute of Mental Health Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Potter holds a doctorate in organizational psychology and a master's degree in psychology, both from the University of Washington; and a bachelor's degree in psychology with honors from Williams College. He also served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1969 to 1993 and retired at the rank of captain.
Potter and his wife Christine Marshall Potter have adult children and grandchildren.