The board of trustees of historically Black Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas, has announced that it has extended the contract of President Lester C. Newman for five years through June 30, 2020. Dr. Newman has been president of the college for the past three years.
According to a statement from the chair of the college’s board, of trustees “Dr. Newman has transformed Jarvis Christian College into an educational oasis. With his leadership, the institution has experienced growth in student enrollment and academic programs; and he has created a more energetic college learning environment to support the educational process.”
Before becoming the 12th president of Jarvis Christian College, Dr. Newman was executive assistant to the president and director of administrative management programs at Wiley College, a historically Black college, in Marshall, Texas.
Dr. Newman is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Atlanta University.
According to the most recent U.S. Department of Education data, Jarvis Christian College, located east of Dallas, enrolls about 750 students and has 30 full-time faculty members. Blacks make up 81 percent of the student body.
