CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
Youth,” which was published in 2009. The book details the importance of integrating Black cultural practices within education as an equitable form of teaching, while it also details Dr. Kinloch’s early career experiences as an educator and researcher. “There’s hardships and struggles, but also opportunities. That is what was instilled in me when growing up in Charleston, SC,” she said. “My PK- 12 teachers believed that I could do anything, even if I did not always think so...I believed my educators–primarily Black women and men. I always played school on my parent’s front porch in Charleston, so I knew I would be doing something related to education, teaching, and leading. I knew I wanted to work with others to save the world and make it better.”
Dr. Valerie Kinloch
Unbothered by the Odds Motivated by Commitment
A Full-circle Moment But it all started at JCSU where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and literature. She was first introduced to the school when she was invited by Drs. Baldeo Chopra and Henry Russell to work in the lab during the summer of 1992 when she planned to major in chemistry. “It felt instantly like a full-circle moment that I was not initially anticipating,” said Dr. Kinloch when she returned in August on campus no longer as an alumna, but as president. “It was momentous for me because it was a collision of my past, my present, and my future all at once at an institution where I grew up. I officially started as a student at JCSU in fall 1992. I remember going into my freshman dorm and meeting my roommate Eilleen from High Point, NC. I remember thinking, ‘I am home. I am not sure what this is, but I know it will work out.’”
“When I reflect on that time, I am flooded with memories of professors who literally cared about me and said ‘you will graduate, go into the world and contribute, and help other people,’” added Dr. Kinloch. “The fact that people who believed in me from when I was an undergraduate student at JCSU were sending me well wishes and flowers, and thanking me for coming home… that is beautiful. The first woman president of JCSU, Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, sent me flowers. I hold that sacred.”
According to the Center for the Study of HBCUs at Virginia Union University, of the approximate 100 HBCUs, about 25 have experienced a vacancy in the presidents’ office in 2022. Furthermore, the Center reported a high rate of departure, with more than a dozen presidents leaving the helm since March this year, many of those being women. Despite these dissuading statistics, Dr. Kinloch is motivated to serve as president and hone in on JCSU’s growth areas. She said the institution has the
Incorporating Self into Her Role In tangent with her academic experience, Dr. Kinloch is an award-winning writer of essays, articles and books, including “Harlem on Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban
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