Resignations

“I have spent my career in higher education and will always champion the nation’s community colleges and its leaders,” said Dr. Bumphus. “I know first-hand the challenges and rewards of leading a community college and I am grateful to the many colleagues and friends that I have made along the way.”

Dr. Chance was appointed dean of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in 2014, making him the school's first Black dean.

Gilda Barbino, president of Olin College of Engineering, and Soraya Coley, president of Cal Poly, Pomona, have announced their plans to retire at the end of this academic year. Both Dr. Barbino and Dr. Coley are the first woman presidents of their institutions.

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to have led Bennett College through a period of significant transformation," said President Walsh. "Bennett College is well-situated for its next chapter of growth and impact."

Before being named the first African American president of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2022, Dr. Farmbry served as a professor of public administration in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University in Newark.

Spelman College President Helene Gayle has officially resigned after taking a personal leave of absence in October. Interim President Roz Brewer will continue to serve in her role while the women's college searches for its next leader.

Nine years ago, Dr. Jones was named the first African American chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He will retire at the end of the current academic year, following a decade of enrollment growth, academic improvements, and successful fundraising.

Rutgers University's first Black president, Jonathan Holloway, has announced his intent to step down at the conclusion of this academic year. While the university has experience significant enrollment and fundraising growth, Dr. Holloway has faced controversy around his response to pro-Palestine protests on campus.

In 1998, Dr. Brown was appointed as the first woman and first African American president of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Throughout her 26-year tenure, FIT has created more than 30 new degree and certificate programs.

Anita Thomas has resigned as president of North Central College in Illinois after one year in the position. When she assumed her presidency in July 2023, she became the first-ever woman and person of color to lead the college.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as president of the University of California these past several years, and I am immensely proud of what the UC community has accomplished,” said Dr. Drake, who will step down from his presidency at the conclusion of the upcoming academic year.

Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson, Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, and Morehouse College President David Thomas have all announced their plans to step down from their respective presidential appointments.

The retiring presidents are Rochelle Ford from Dillard University, Logan Hampton from Lane College, and Belle Wheelan from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Jaffus Hardrick, president of Florida Memorial University, has stepped down from his role after five years in the position. Until a permanent successor is appointed, William C. McCormick, former university board chairman, will serve as interim president.

Dr. Jordan has led St. Mary's College of Maryland for the past 10 years. She has previously held faculty and leadership positions with Xavier University of Louisiana, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Lewis & Clark College.

In 2014, Dr. Berger-Sweeney became the first African American and first woman president of Trinity College since its founding in 1823. Over the past decade, the college has experienced growth in enrollment and graduation rates, hired more diverse faculty, and improved campus infrastructure.

The retiring scholars are Charles Sykes, executive director of the African American Arts Institute at Indiana University, and Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University.

Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at historically Black Howard University, Phylicia Rashad, has announced her retirement at the end of this academic year. She is best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

"It has been my privilege to lead the AUC Woodruff Library, guiding it to its current level of excellence," said Parham. "I am forever grateful for the contributions of the Library staff and the commitment of the presidents of our member institutions who believe, as I do, in the value and strength of the nation’s HBCUs and their students who are deserving of nothing less than the best."

Dr. Johnson Akinleye joined NCCU as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in February 2014, then assumed the role of acting chancellor in August 2016 and interim chancellor in December 2016, before his appointment as chancellor in 2017.