Prezell Russell Robinson, president emeritus of Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away on June 29. He was 105 years old.
Dr. Robinson, a native of Batesville, South Carolina, received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from what was then Saint Augustine’s College. He went on to receive his master’s and doctoral degrees from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, before returning to his undergraduate alma mater as a faculty member.
After serving several years as a professor and dean, Dr. Robinson was named the eighth president of Saint Augustine’s College in 1967. Over the course of his 28-year presidency, the HBCU experienced significant growth in its academic offerings as well as its physical space, with many of the campus’s landmark facilities constructed under Dr. Robinson’s leadership. (More than 30 years after Dr. Robinson stepped down as president, this past spring St. Augustine’s University filed for bankruptcy.)
Beyond his service to Saint Augustine’s, Dr. Robinson served as president of the United Negro College Fund, chair of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and vice chair of the North Carolina State Board of Education. He was the recipient of 12 honorary doctorates and a Fulbright scholar who lectured internationally in India, Africa, and South America. During his career, Dr. Robinson also received appointments from Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton to represent the United States on diplomatic missions in Africa.
