Four African Americans Who Have Stepped Down From Their Higher Education Posts
The four African Americans who have retired from their positions in the academic world are Forrester Lee at Yale University, Micheline Rice-Maximin at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, William Welburn at Marquette University in Milwaukee, and Lynn Thompson at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach Florida.
Ray Belton to Step Down as Head of Southern University and the Southern University...
Ray L. Belton president of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana announced that he intends to retire in the fall of 2022. He has held these posts since 2015. Earlier, he was chancellor of Southern University Shreveport.
Colette Pierce Burnette Is Stepping Down as President of Huston-Tillotson University in Texas
Dr. Pierce Burnette was named president in 2015. She is the first woman to hold the position since the 1952 merger of Tillotson College and Samuel Huston College. She will pass the baton of leadership on June 30.
Rodney Bennett Announces He Will Step Down as President of the University of Southern...
Rodney Bennett, who has served as president of the University of Southern Mississippi since 2013, announced that he will step down from his post at the end of his contract in 2023. He is the first African American to serve as president of one of the state's five predominantly White public universities.
Livingstone College President Jimmy Jenkins Announces That He Will Retire on July 1
Dr. Jenkins has served as president of the historically Black college for the past 16 years. He is credited with saving the college from closure from its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Wayne A.I. Frederick to Step Down as President of Howard University by June 2024
Dr. Frederick, who had been serving as provost, was named interim president of Howard University in 2013 and assumed the permanent position in 2014. He has spent 34 years at Howard as a student, faculty member, administrator, and president.
Brian K. Mitchell Has Resigned from His Faculty Post at the University of Arkansas...
Shortly after being granted tenure last year, Brian K. Mitchell, an associate professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, filed an employment discrimination lawsuit in federal court against the university. Now Dr. Mitchell has resigned from his faculty position.
President of York College in Pennsylvania Will Retire at the End of the 2022-23...
Dr. Gunter-Smith became the fourth president of York College in 2013 after serving as provost and academic vice president at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Previously, she was the Porter Professor of Physiology at Spelman College in Atlanta.
West Liberty University Board Votes to End the Tenure of the University’s First Black...
In January 2021, W. Franklin Evans took over as the 37th president of West Liberty University in West Virginia. Dr. Evans was the first African-American president in the university’s then 183-year history. Just 20 months later, the university's board of trustees voted not to renew his contract.
Cynthia Warrick Will Step Down From Presidency of Stillman College in Alabama Next June
Dr. Warrick was named interim president of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in January 2017 and was elevated to president later that year. She is the first woman to serve as president of the college.
The End of an Era: Nikki Giovanni Retires After 35 Years on the Faculty...
Professor Giovanni has been teaching at Virginia Tech since 1987. She is the author of many collections of poetry, children’s books, and works of nonfiction. She has published 11 illustrated children's books, received 30 honorary degrees and seven NAACP Image Awards, and has been a finalist for a Grammy and for the National Book Award.
Nikki Giovanni Named University Distinguished Professor Emerita at Virginia Tech
Professor Giovanni began teaching at Virginia Tech in 1987. She is the author of many collections of poetry, children’s books, and works of nonfiction. She has published 11 illustrated children’s books and received 30 honorary degrees
Sylvia M. Jenkins to Retire From Presidency of Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois
Dr. Jenkins started out her career as a librarian at Virginia Union University in Richmond. She joined the library staff at Moraine Valley in 1986 and in 1995 was named department chair of the library. She subsequently served in several administrative positions before becoming president of the college in 2012.
Clarence Armbrister to Step Down in June From Presidency of Johnson C. Smith University
Clarence Armbrister became the fourteenth president of the historically Black university on January 1, 2018. He had been president of Girard College, an independent college preparatory school in Philadelphia. Previously, he was senior vice president and chief of staff at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Lester Newman Is Stepping Down as President of Jarvis Christian University in June
During his tenure, Dr. Newman has improved the educational institution's financial position, increased enrollments, and restored athletic programs. He added bachelor's degree programs and presided over the transition from a college to a university with the addition of two new master’s degrees in business and criminal justice.
Two African American Women Scholars Announce They Are Stepping Down
Phylicia Rashad will step down from her position as dean of the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University in Washington, D.C. at the end of the current academic year and Sonya Williams resigned as chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community College, after serving in the post for just one year.
Harry Elam to Step Down as Occidental College President at the End of the...
Harry J. Elam Jr. became the sixteenth president of Occidental College in Los Angeles on July 1, 2020. Dr. Elam recently announced in a message to new students that he would be stepping down from his post at the end of the academic year due to a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
Glenda Glover Will Step Down as President of Tennessee State University in 2024
"It was a decision that did not come too easily," President Glover said, "and it was not made lightly. My voice is needed now on a more national platform."
Harold Martin Announces He Will Step Down as Leader of North Carolina Agricultural and...
Harold L. Martin, Sr., who is in his fifteenth year as leader of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year. He is currently the longest-serving chancellor in the 17-campus University of North Carolina System.
Claudine Gay Resigns as President of Harvard University
Dr. Gay had served as president of Harvard University for only six months. She was the first African American and the second woman to lead Harvard in its nearly 400-year history.
North Carolina Central University Chancellor to Step Down in June
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.
Atlanta University Library CEO Loretta Parham Announces Retirement
"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."
Howard University Fine Arts Dean Phylicia Rashad Announces Retirement
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.
Two African American Scholars Announce Their Retirements From Indiana Universities
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.
Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney Announces Retirement
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.
Tuajuanda Jordan to Retire From the Presidency of St. Mary’s College of Maryland
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.
A Change in Leadership at Florida Memorial University
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.
Three Black Presidents in Higher Education Announce Their Resignations
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.
Three Black Presidents in Higher Education Announce Their Resignations
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.
University of California President Michael Drake Announces Retirement
“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.
Anita Thomas Resigns as President of North Central College
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.
Joyce Brown Announces Her Retirement as First African American President of FIT
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.
Jonathan Holloway to Step Down as President of Rutgers University
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.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones Announces His Resignation
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.
Spelman College President Helene Gayle Officially Steps Down After Personal Leave of Absence
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.
