UF graduate student is first to complete six certificate programs. This is why he did it.

Russell Anderson remembers the countless nights that he only got four hours of sleep to fit in an extra 90 credit hours in two years at UF.

During his time, Anderson, 32, of Gainesville, broke the university’s Graduate Certificate program record with six certificates, doubling the prior record. He discovered the achievement through his program administrators.

To do this, Anderson said he took full course loads for nine consecutive semesters. He took 18 hours during both fall and spring and nine per summer. He finished his six certificates in the fall of 2017.

“I'll be honest, coupling that commitment and the coursework along with working 20 hours per week and sustaining a small business was not easy,” Anderson said.

The majority of certificate programs, which is a grouping of classes offered by a specific field of study, range from 12 to 18 hours of coursework. Despite the workload, Anderson said he managed to meet his obligations and sustained a 3.64 GPA.

Anderson did not start out with the motivation of earning six certificates, but he considers himself to have always been an interdisciplinary and experiential student. He said he felt there was more to learn than what his sustainable development practice master’s program offered.

“When I learned about the certificates and started reading about what was available, I felt like a kid in a candy store,” Anderson said.

Anderson earned his certificates in ecological restoration, natural resource policy administration, Latin American studies, tropical conservation and development, leadership in agricultural education and communication and emergency services and disaster management.

“I was often running from one commitment to another and sacrificing social engagements,” Anderson said. “More than once I found myself double-booked, overwhelmed or crashing against deadlines.”

He currently works as the chief operating officer for a transnational development corporation aimed at advancing long-term sustainable solutions for global problems.

Many of his professors inspired him during his academic career, which helped lead him to his overall success, Anderson said. Two of them, UF professors Paul Monaghan and Glenn Galloway recognized Anderson’s distinct work ethic.

Galloway said that this accomplishment takes a person who has diverse interests, a passionate desire to learn and commitment to taking on challenges and seeing them to completion.

“It has been a great pleasure to have Russell in our program, and we are proud of his accomplishments,” he said.

Monaghan said Anderson’s intellectual curiosity gave him the motivation to seek out the extra programs.

“I think Russ just has a thirst for knowledge, experiences and challenging himself," Monaghan said. “I honestly don’t know how he actually did complete them.”

Russell Anderson