CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
RETURNS HOME JC SU AS PRESIDENT daughter BY ZERLINE HUGHES SPRUILL
T hree leading HBCUs this school year have made the major transition of ushering in new presidents for their institutions. Both located in the nation’s capital, in August, the University of the District of Columbia and Howard University inaugurated their 10th and 18th president, respectively. Though UDC had an acting woman president for a short period in 2013, both universities have yet to name a woman as sitting president. UDC has existed for 47 years, and Howard University celebrated its 156th Charter Day in March. The third HBCU campus that started its 2023-24 school year with a leadership transition is located a six-hour drive down south, or about 385 miles from Washington, D.C., Johnson C. Smith University welcomed Dr. Valerie Kinloch, the university’s second woman president since it opened its doors in 1867.
a woman in the role as president,” said Dr. Kinloch. “I know for so long, we have not – particularly Black women–been positioned by others in ways where our expertise and knowledge have been equally valued and honored. I do believe we have just as much, and even more, insight and expertise. We know how to navigate the world, confront struggles and obstacles, enact opportunities, and figure out what can become. We just need opportunities to engage in the world and engage everyone else in productive ways that account for our leadership. And it’s overdue.” Following the January announcement of Clarence D. Armbrister’s departure as JCSU’s president, Board of Trustees Chairman Steven Boyd said the school that is home to 1,100 students would be “searching for a transformational leader who can move the university to the next level by focusing everything we do on enhancing the quality of education we provide, the breadth of our programs, and the public-private partnerships we have established across this region.”
Dr. Kinloch’s track record checks all those boxes, and her experience includes a personal connection to the institution having graduated from JCSU in 1996. She received her master’s degree in English/African American literature and a doctorate in English, from Wayne State University in Detroit. Her academic career includes serving as associate dean and professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and as a faculty member at Teachers College-Columbia University in New York City, and at the University of Houston-Downtown. Education Week named her to its 2023 list of the nation’s most influential scholars, and she also served as president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Prior to becoming President of JCSU, Dr. Kinloch served as dean of the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh where she led academic transformation, recruited top faculty, exceeded fundraising goals, overhauled operations, and oversaw more than $9 million in capital projects and renovations.
“It’s so significantly important having
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