Bio

Dr. Jeff Ankrom serves as one of Wittenberg's Faculty Athletics Representatives, a vital role that represents and protects the student-athlete's academic interests and duties.

Ankrom has served Wittenberg in a wide variety of capacities during his career. In addition to his work as a professor of economics, Ankrom has served as the university’s associate provost for faculty affairs and institutional research since 2008, and he has been one of Wittenberg’s Faculty Athletics Representatives to the NCAA and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) since 1988.

Ankrom has served on Wittenberg’s Athletics Policy Committee since 1988, and he has been a member of numerous search committees for coaches and administrators for the Department of Athletics. Ankrom assumed leadership of Wittenberg's Department of Athletics as its interim director of athletics and recreation from August 2013 through January 2014 following Garnett Purnell's retirement after 14 years in the position.

Frequently a voting delegate at the NCAA Convention since he started attending the annual event in 1990, Ankrom currently chairs the NCAC’s Faculty Athletics Representatives Council. In addition, he has served two stints on the NCAA Division III Financial Aid Committee, acting as chair in 1999 and 2011, and two terms on the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representatives Association Executive Board, acting as Division III vice president in 1999 and 2002. Ankrom was also involved in the NCAA Restructuring Task Force from 1994-96 and the NCAC’s Committee on NCAA Restructuring approximately a decade later.

A former chair of Wittenberg’s Department of Economics, Ankrom has published papers in a variety of publications, including The Eastern Economic Journal, Scandinavian Journal of Economics and Litigation Economics Review. He has visited and conducted research on Nordic economics while living in Sweden during sabbatical visits at the Swedish Institute for Social Research.

Ankrom earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Otterbein College in 1978, winning the Norris-Elliott Award that year as the Cardinals’ top student-athlete. He went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in public sector economics.

Ankrom and wife Sue reside in Springfield. They have two children, Maggie and Pete.