Biography

Fred Stielow is presently Dean and Vice President at the American Public University System—a fully online and regionally accredited body that serves some 125,000 students in 120 countries. An acknowledged leader in online education, he is the revolutionary creator of the school’s sector-leading virtual library, electronic course materials operations, and electronic university press.

Other senior administrative positions include directorships at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, the Reuther Labor Library at Wayne State University, and the Mid-Hudson Public Library System. Major consultancies range from Bowie State University, National Agricultural Library, and New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival to the World Bank and Sirs-Mandarin’s M-3 Automated Library System. Following Vietnam-era service in the U.S. Army, Dr. Stielow earned a dual Doctorate in History and American Studies from Indiana University along with his M.L.S. from URI. He has held full-time professorial appointments at the University of Maryland and Catholic University along with visiting professorships at the universities of Illinois, Perugia, Puerto Rico and Israel’s Galillee Institute. Long engaged on the professional scene, Stielow is a former chair of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Round Table and Web Advisory Committee. Other service includes duty as a University accrediter for the Higher Learning Commission and on a variety of advisory boards—e.g., Books 24/7, Cengage’s MindTap Advisory Board, Ebrary, CourseSmart’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Grotto Global Trade, and on three National Park Service Commissions.

Achievements & Awards

• Fulbright Fellowship in Italy
• Jameson Fellowship of the Library of Congress
• An MCI Cybrarian of the Year
• APUS Etter Innovation Prize
• IMSGlobal Gold Innovation Award for Electronic Course Guides Project
• An alumnus of the year from the URI Library School.

Writings: Written or edited over 100 scholarly articles and 12 books, including the award-winning Management of Oral History Sound Archives, Activism in American Librarianship,Creating Virtual Libraries, Building Digital Archives, Finding Success for Veteran & Military Students, and 2013’s forthcoming Reinventing the Library for Online Education.

Advice for Students

You are studying at ground zero in the midst of the greatest communication revolution in history. As someone immersed in the new virtual economy, my best advice is to remain flexible and be ready for life-long study. My delight will be to see where you help take me and society in the future.