Beginning his 21st year as president of Winthrop University, Anthony J. DiGiorgio, Ph.D., is now the longest-serving president of any public university in South Carolina.

After receiving his undergraduate degree at Gannon College in Erie, PA, Dr. DiGiorgio earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University. Dr. DiGiorgio continued his education with extensive postdoctoral training in psychology and educational development. In 1987, he attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

Dr. DiGiorgio’s career in education began in 1963 when he taught English at Belleville Senior High School in New Jersey. Three years later, he became an instructor and Assistant to the Dean of Humanities, Social Science and Education at Purdue.

In 1970, Dr. DiGiorgio began the first of 19 years of service at The College of New Jersey, a former state teachers’ college that has grown into a nationally-recognized comprehensive college. He has served The College of New Jersey in a number of positions, including Vice President for Academic Affairs. Also while there, he met his wife, Gale, who was then Dean of Student Life at a nearby institution. The DiGiorgio family includes two daughters, the eldest of whom passed away in 2007, and three grandchildren.

In January 1989, Dr. DiGiorgio was appointed by the Winthrop College Board of Trustees to become Winthrop’s ninth president. In that role, he led the college’s conversion to Winthrop University, a comprehensive teaching institution now offering 89 undergraduate and 41 graduate degree programs and options. He also initiated the University’s successful drive to achieve 100% accreditation in all Winthrop programs for which national accreditation is offered.