Leonard E. Dawson, the seventh president of historically Black Voorhees University in Denmark, South Carolina, passed away on October 29. He was 91 years old.
Born in Augusta, Georgia, Dr. Dawson earned his bachelor’s degree in English from historically Black Morris Brown College in Atlanta. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army. He received an honorable discharge and went on to receive his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Columbia College in South Carolina. Later in life, he earned his doctorate in counselor education from George Washington University.
Dr. Dawson’s career in education began at Johnson Junior High School in Augusta, where he served as the head counselor. In 1967, he joined the staff of historically Black Paine College in Augusta and was promoted to dean of academics two years later. Soon after, he took a position as a senior program officer with the R. R. Moten Memorial Institution, leading collaborative initiatives with the federal government and HBCUs. By 1977, Dr. Dawson had risen to the role of executive vice president of the Moton Institute. In 1980, he joined the United Negro College Fund as director of special projects.
In 1985, Dr. Dawson was named the seventh president of Voorhees College (now University). During his presidency, he doubled the HBCU’s student enrollment, alleviated a massive financial deficit, and expanded academic programming and student support services. In honor of his many contributions to the college, Voorhees established the Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resources Center in his honor.
After retiring from Voorhees in 2001, Dr. Dawson was named a senior consultant to the White House Initiative on HBCUs. That same year, the governor of South Carolina awarded him the Order of the Palmetto – the state’s highest civilian honor.
