Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá has been appointed president of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
North Central College enrolls over 2,300 undergraduate and 300 graduate students. African Americans represent about 5 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Gòkè-Pariolá brings nearly five decades of higher education experience to his new role. For the past nine years, he has served as North Central College’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. As the college’s chief academic officer, he led the development of new undergraduate and graduate program offerings, the transition from a trimester-based to semester-based academic year, and the renovations of several academic facilities.
Before his tenure at North Central College, Dr. Gòkè-Pariolá served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he also served as acting president. Throughout his career, he has held several academic leadership positions with Otterbein University in Ohio, Berry College in Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and Illinois State University.
As a professor of English, Dr. Gòkè-Pariolá has conducted extensive research on language and linguistics. His work led him to authoring numerous publications including The Role of Language in the Struggle for Power and Legitimacy in Africa (Edwin Mellen Press, 1993).
Dr. Gòkè-Pariolá received his undergraduate degree in English from what is now Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. He holds a doctorate in English language and literature from the University of Michigan.
