Anne Milner is the president of Weber State University. She has extensive experience in university administration. She has a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate degree.
Where did you get your education?
I grew up in Tennessee. I went to the University of Tennessee and got my bachelor's degree in education. From there I went to Vanderbilt and pursued the medical technology program. After I started my professional career, I went to Southwest Texas State University for a master's degree. After I came to Weber State I received my doctorate from Brigham Young University.
When you were in school, what career path did you pursue?
At the point of my bachelor's degree, I suspected that I would have a career in public education. Because my background was in science and math for secondary education, my expectation had been to go into secondary education. But there were no jobs available in secondary education or public education in general in Tennessee. I decided instead to take my background in science and math and go into medical technology in the health field. That’s when I pursued the program in medical technology at Vanderbilt University. It wasn’t a master's degree, it was a medical technology program. You can either come in with your bachelor's degree or there are some programs like Weber State where you can take the program to get your bachelor's degree. At that point in time there were two different programs available. Most of the students in my class already had a bachelor's degree. My degree at Vanderbilt really launched my career in higher education in the health field. At the point when I finished my program, I had both some work experience and some background in education in the health field, so I was hired as the education coordinator for the medical technology program at Vanderbilt University.
Then I went to work in a joint program between Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania in continuing education, non-traditional programs in the healthcare field. I was in southwest Texas where I got my master's degree. I taught there as a lecturer in their bachelorette level programs. Then I came to Weber State in continuing education in the health field. My career has been at Weber State University since that time. I have been here for twenty-two and one-half years. I have been from continuing education in the health field, to continuing education, from there to involvement in community and economic partnerships working externally with the community, and building bridges between the university and the community in partnership-type activities. Then from there the president asked me to become a vice president of community partnership. We were in budget cuts not long after that, and the president combined that vice presidential role with responsibilities in university relations and I became vice president over all of that. I got involved in extended and continuing education to partnership activities, university communications, alumni relations, legislative relations, development, etc. It really broadened my role and the kind of activities I was involved in and my perspective and experience in the institution.
What differentiated you from others that allowed you to move up?
I think I had a commitment to the university’s success and worked with people and did what was best for the institution at all levels. It also helped me to be focused in establishing goals, getting people involved as a team, and helping make things happen for the institution. I was results oriented.
I’ve always focused on where I was and tried to do my very best in whatever role or responsibility I was in. I also would look for the opportunity to take the next step, but I was generally focused on the next step in the orga | 
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