In the past two years, there have been numerous firsts with African Americans selected as presidents of predominantly white institutions (PWIs). In 2020, we saw the appointments of Jonathan Holloway of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey; Lynn Wooten of Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts; Dwight A. McBride of The New School in New York City; Darryll J. Pines of the University of Maryland; Lori Whiteof DePauw University in Green Castle, Indiana; and Gregory Washington of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The following year, in 2021, there were more appointments, including William Tate IV at Louisiana State University; Laurie A. Carter at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin; Brian O. Hemphill at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia; Vincent D. Rougeau at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts; and Michael V. Drake at the University of California—one of the largest university systems run by an African American—after he served successfully as president of Ohio State University from 2014 to 2020. (more)
- Claudine Gay had been named as Harvard’s next president.
- Melissa Gilliam will be Boston University’s 11th president
- Berenecea Johnson Eanes was appointed as the new president of California State University, Los Angeles.
- Winston Oluwole Soboyejo, Ph.D., is SUNY Poly’s next president.
- Linda G. Mills will become president of New York University
- Joan Gabel will become the University of Pittsburgh’s 19th chancellor
- Nemat “Minouche” Shafik has been named the 20th president of Columbia University
- Vanessa Beasley, Ph.D., is the 20th president of Trinity University
- Ben Vinson III, Ph.D., was named as Howard University’s 18th president
- Helene D. Gayle is President of Spelman College