Lester Newman Is Stepping Down as President of Jarvis Christian University in June

Lester C. Newman, president of Jarvis Christian University in Hawkins, Texas, recently announced that he intends to retire in June. His retirement comes after 47 years in higher education and 11 years at Jarvis Christian.

“There comes a time when a leader knows it is time to step aside,” Dr. Newman said in an address to the university community in the campus chapel. “Jarvis needs a new perspective, new energy, and a new leader. I called this meeting today because I wanted my students, faculty, and staff to hear it from me first.”

During his tenure, Dr. Newman has improved the educational institution’s financial position, increased enrollments, and restored athletic programs. He expanded educational degree programs to include mass communication, cybersecurity, and healthcare management and opened a satellite teaching location in Dallas. He presided over the transition from a college to a university with the addition of two new master’s degrees in business and criminal justice.

Before becoming the twelfth president of what was then Jarvis Christian College in 2012, 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.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Howard University Achieves R1 Status While North Carolina A&T State University Falls Short

Howard University has received the prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification, making the institution eligible for major federal grants. NCA&T University narrowly missed the achievement, averaging just three less annual doctoral graduates than the classification's requirements.

Three Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Faculty Positions

The new endowed professors are Eddie Chambers at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stefanie Dunning at the University of Rochester in New York, and Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire at Harvard University.

North Carolina Central University Establishes Early Assurance Program With the UNC School of Pharmacy

Students at North Carolina Central University now have the opportunity to apply to an early assurance program for the doctor of pharmacy degree program at the University of North Carolina's Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the top-ranked pharmacy school in the United States.

Five Black Administrators Taking on New Roles at HBCUs

The appointments are Anthony Neal at Florida A&M University, Tara Cunningham at Dillard University in New Orleans, David Camps at North Carolina A&T State University, Michael Meyers at Paine College in Georgia, and Sidney Brown at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Featured Jobs