Campus
Celebrating Leadership: Presidents of America’s Esteemed HBCUs
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been pillars of higher education, culture, and community for over a century. Their presidents play crucial roles in steering these institutions toward success, fostering innovation, and preserving the rich legacy of HBCUs. Today, we highlight the visionary leaders at the helm of these distinguished schools.
Location: Normal, Alabama
President: Dr. Daniel K. WimsAlabama State University
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
President: Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr.
Albany State University
Location: Albany, Georgia
President: Dr. Marion Ross Fedrick
Alcorn State University
Location: Lorman, Mississippi
President: Dr. Felecia M. Nave
Allen University
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
President: Dr. Ernest McNealey
American Baptist College
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
President: Dr. Forrest E. Harris, Sr.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Chancellor: Dr. Laurence B. Alexander
Arkansas Baptist College
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
President: Dr. Carlos R. Clark
Barber-Scotia College
Location: Concord, North Carolina
Interim President: Dr. David Olah
Benedict College
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
President: Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis
Bennett College
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
President: Dr. Suzanne Walsh
Bethune-Cookman University
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
President: Dr. Lawrence M. Drake II
Bishop State Community College
Location: Mobile, Alabama
President: Dr. Olivier Charles
Bluefield State College
Location: Bluefield, West Virginia
President: Dr. Robin C. Capehart
Bowie State University
Location: Bowie, Maryland
President: Dr. Aminta H. Breaux
Carver College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. Robert Crummie
Central State University
Location: Wilberforce, Ohio
President: Dr. Jack Thomas
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Location: Cheyney, Pennsylvania
President: Dr. Aaron A. Walton
Claflin University
Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina
President: Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack
Clark Atlanta University
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. George T. French, Jr.
Clinton College
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
President: Dr. Lester A. McCorn
Coahoma Community College
Location: Clarksdale, Mississippi
President: Dr. Valmadge Towner
Coppin State University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
President: Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins
Delaware State University
Location: Dover, Delaware
President: Dr. Tony Allen
Denmark Technical College
Location: Denmark, South Carolina
President: Dr. Willie L. Todd, Jr.
Dillard University
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
President: Dr. Rochelle Ford
University of the District of Columbia
Location: Washington, D.C.
President: Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr.
Edward Waters University
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
President: Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.
Elizabeth City State University
Location: Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Chancellor: Dr. Karrie G. Dixon
Fayetteville State University
Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Chancellor: Dr. Darrell T. Allison
Fisk University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
President: Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr.
Florida A&M University
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
President: Dr. Larry Robinson
Florida Memorial University
Location: Miami Gardens, Florida
President: Dr. Jaffus Hardrick
Fort Valley State University
Location: Fort Valley, Georgia
President: Dr. Paul Jones
Gadsden State Community College (Valley Street campus)
Location: Gadsden, Alabama
President: Dr. Kathy L. Murphy
Grambling State University
Location: Grambling, Louisiana
President: Dr. Rick Gallot
Hampton University
Location: Hampton, Virginia
President: Dr. Darrell K. Williams
Harris-Stowe State University
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
President: Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith
Hinds Community College at Utica
Location: Utica, Mississippi
President: Dr. Stephen Vacik
Howard University
Location: Washington, D.C.
President: Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick
Huston-Tillotson University
Location: Austin, Texas
President: Dr. Melva K. Williams
Interdenominational Theological Center
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. Matthew Wesley Williams
J. F. Drake State Technical College
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
President: Dr. Patricia Sims
Jackson State University
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
President: Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony (Interim)
Jarvis Christian University
Location: Hawkins, Texas
President: Dr. Lester C. Newman
Johnson C. Smith University
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
President: Dr. Clarence D. Armbrister
Kentucky State University
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky
President: Dr. M. Christopher Brown II (Interim)
Knoxville College
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
President: Dr. Leonard Adams (Interim)
Lane College
Location: Jackson, Tennessee
President: Dr. Logan Hampton
Langston University
Location: Langston, Oklahoma
President: Dr. Kent J. Smith, Jr.
Lawson State Community College
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
President: Dr. Cynthia Anthony
LeMoyne-Owen College
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
President: Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs
The Lincoln University
Location: Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
President: Dr. Brenda A. Allen
Lincoln University
Location: Jefferson City, Missouri
President: Dr. John B. Moseley
Livingstone College
Location: Salisbury, North Carolina
President: Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Location: Princess Anne, Maryland
President: Dr. Heidi M. Anderson
Meharry Medical College
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
President: Dr. James E. K. Hildreth
Miles College
Location: Fairfield, Alabama
President: Dr. Bobbie Knight
Mississippi Valley State University
Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi
President: Dr. Jerryl Briggs
Morehouse College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. David A. Thomas
Morehouse School of Medicine
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice
Morgan State University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
President: Dr. David Wilson
Morris Brown College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. Kevin James
Morris College
Location: Sumter, South Carolina
President: Dr. Leroy Staggers
Norfolk State University
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
President: Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston
North Carolina A&T State University
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Chancellor: Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr.
North Carolina Central University
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Chancellor: Dr. Johnson O. Akinleye
Oakwood University
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
President: Dr. Leslie N. Pollard
Paine College
Location: Augusta, Georgia
President: Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones
Paul Quinn College
Location: Dallas, Texas
President: Dr. Michael J. Sorrell
Philander Smith College
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
President: Dr. Roderick L. Smothers, Sr.
Prairie View A&M University
Location: Prairie View, Texas
President: Dr. Ruth J. Simmons (Interim)
Rust College
Location: Holly Springs, Mississippi
President: Dr. Ivy R. Taylor
Savannah State University
Location: Savannah, Georgia
President: Dr. Kimberly Ballard-Washington
Selma University
Location: Selma, Alabama
President: Dr. Stanford E. Angion
Shaw University
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
President: Dr. Paulette Dillard
Shelton State Community College (C.A. Fredd Campus)
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
President: Dr. Chris Cox
Shorter College
Location: North Little Rock, Arkansas
President: Dr. O. Jerome Green
Simmons College of Kentucky
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
President: Dr. Kevin W. Cosby
South Carolina State University
Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina
President: Dr. Alexander Conyers
Southern University at New Orleans
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Chancellor: Dr. James H. Ammons, Jr.
Southern University at Shreveport
Location: Shreveport, Louisiana
Chancellor: Dr. Rodney Ellis
Southern University and A&M College
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
President-Chancellor: Dr. Dennis J. Shields
Southwestern Christian College
Location: Terrell, Texas
President: Dr. Ervin D. Seamster, Jr.
Spelman College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
President: Dr. Helene Gayle
St. Augustine’s University
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
President: Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail
St. Philip’s College
Location: San Antonio, Texas
President: Dr. Adena Williams Loston
Stillman College
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
President: Dr. Cynthia Warrick
Talladega College
Location: Talladega, Alabama
President: Dr. Gregory J. Vincent
Tennessee State University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
President: Dr. Glenda Glover
Texas College
Location: Tyler, Texas
President: Dr. Dwight J. Fennell
Texas Southern University
Location: Houston, Texas
President: Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young
Tougaloo College
Location: Tougaloo, Mississippi
President: Dr. Carmen J. Walters
H. Councill Trenholm State Community College
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
President: Dr. Kemba Chambers
Tuskegee University
Location: Tuskegee, Alabama
President: Dr. Charlotte P. Morris
University of the Virgin Islands
Location: St. Thomas and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
President: Dr. David Hall
Virginia State University
Location: Petersburg, Virginia
President: Dr. Makola M. Abdullah
Virginia Union University
Location: Richmond, Virginia
President: Dr. Hakim J. Lucas
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
President: Dr. Kathy Franklin
Voorhees University
Location: Denmark, South Carolina
President: Dr. Ronnie Hopkins
West Virginia State University
Location: Institute, West Virginia
President: Dr. Ericke S. Cage
Wilberforce University
Location: Wilberforce, Ohio
President: Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard
Wiley University
Location: Marshall, Texas
President: Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr.
Winston-Salem State University
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Chancellor: Dr. Elwood L. Robinson
Xavier University of Louisiana
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
President: Dr. Reynold Verret
Fun Facts About HBCUs You Might Not Know
The legacy of HBCUs is rich with history, culture, and achievements. Here are some cool facts about a few of these remarkable institutions:
Howard University
- Did You Know? Howard University is often referred to as “The Mecca” because of its pivotal role in African American culture and history. It has produced more African American Ph.D. holders than any other university in the world.
Spelman College
- Did You Know? Spelman College is the oldest historically Black college for women in America. It was originally founded as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary in 1881 and later became Spelman College in 1924.
Tuskegee University
- Did You Know? Tuskegee University is home to the famous Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces. The university also has a National Historic Site, the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, on its campus.
Morehouse College
- Did You Know? Morehouse College is the only HBCU dedicated exclusively to the education of African American men. Among its notable alumni are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., filmmaker Spike Lee, and actor Samuel L. Jackson.
Florida A&M University (FAMU)
- Did You Know? FAMU has one of the top-ranked public pharmacy schools in the nation. The university’s Marching “100” band is also world-renowned and has performed in venues like the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards.
Xavier University of Louisiana
- Did You Know? Xavier University of Louisiana produces more African American students who go on to complete medical school than any other college in the U.S.
Lincoln University (PA)
- Did You Know? Lincoln University is the first degree-granting HBCU in the United States, founded in 1854. Notable alumni include Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, and Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana.
North Carolina A&T State University
- Did You Know? North Carolina A&T State University is the largest HBCU in the United States by enrollment. It is also known for its powerful engineering programs and is one of the top producers of African American engineers in the country.
Hampton University
- Did You Know? Hampton University owns the largest free-standing proton therapy cancer treatment center in the world, the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute.
Bethune-Cookman University
- Did You Know? Founded by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune with just $1.50 and a mission to educate African American girls, Bethune-Cookman University has grown into one of the most respected HBCUs in the nation.