Dr. Walter Kimbrough, 44, tapped to lead Dillard
7th November 2011 · 0 Comments
Dillard University’s board of trustees has chosen Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D., to lead the university as its seventh president. Dr. Kimbrough will assume the post on July 1, 2012.
“We are thrilled to bring such an energetic, visionary leader to Dillard,” says board chair Dr. Joyce M. Roché. “Dr. Kimbrough is uniquely well-suited to help the university build on its strengths and chart a strategic course for the future.”
Kimbrough will succeed Dr. Marvalene Hughes who announced in February that she would step down after six years at the helm. James Lyons, a trustee, has served as interim president since July 1.
Kimbrough’s last day as Philander Smith College’s president is May 31, 2012. He is leaving the Arkansas HBCU in good shape with the second-largest freshman class in school history enrolling this fall.
“Philander Smith has made great strides under Dr. Kimbrough’s leadership,” said Bob Birch, chair of Philander Smith College’s Board of Trustees. “Graduation and retention rates have improved, entering freshman test scores are up, and two new dorms have been completed and fully occupied. We are very excited for Walter and his family to have this opportunity to advance to a larger institution. Dillard will likewise benefit from his guidance.”
“It is bittersweet to leave now, but the timing is also right,” Kimbrough said. “Philander Smith College is a wonderful institution with a rich heritage and even brighter future. I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity to serve as president. I’ve made memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.”
“It is tough to leave a place you love, but in order for both Philander Smith College and myself to grow, we need new experiences,” said Kimbrough. “Dillard is a great, highly ranked liberal arts university, and being located in New Orleans which is Ground Zero for social justice after Hurricane Katrina, this opportunity was one I could not resist. Plus, my wife’s family is in Mobile which is two hours away, and it will be great for our two children to be closer to lots of family.”
Dillard “is a really strong institution, and I wanted to be a part of furthering that legacy,” he said.
Kimbrough joins Dillard after serving for seven years as president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., where he orchestrated a remarkable revitalization effort. Under his leadership, the college dramatically increased student recruitment and graduation rate. The university also adopted a new mission and greatly raised its stature by focusing on its core values and history as an HBCU and a charter member of the United Negro College Fund.
Kimbrough, who is among the youngest college presidents in the nation, is known for his active use of social media to engage and stay connected with students. “The depth of Dr. Kimbrough’s dedication to students is inspiring,” says Dr. Roché. “He is successful because he puts students’ success above all else.”
Kimbrough’s knowledge of and affinity for hip-hop music and culture earned him the Twitter moniker “HipHopPrez” and led him to establish the wildly popular “Bless the Mic” lecture series at Philander Smith College.
Prior to beginning his tenure at Philander Smith, Kimbrough served for four years as the vice president for student affairs at Albany State University in Albany, Ga. The Atlanta native also served as director of student activities and leadership at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and held administrative posts at Georgia State University and Emory University.
Kimbrough received a bachelor of science in agriculture with a major in biology from the University of Georgia. He earned a master of science in college student personnel services from Miami University and a doctor of philosophy in higher education from Georgia State University.
Kimbrough, 44, has written widely on the role of fraternities and sororities in education, particularly in the educational experiences of students of color. His book, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities, has won popular acclaim and is now in its 10th printing. He has also been recognized for his extensive research and writing on African-American men in college. “The Black Male Initiative” he created at Philander Smith College has become a model for similar programs nationwide.
News of the selection of Dr. Kimbrough as Dillard’s seventh president came just as the school is celebrating being ranked among the top 10 HBCUs for the fifth consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report’s long-running America’s Best Colleges feature. Dillard was ranked at number nine. The publication ranked the country’s top 35 HBCUs in order.
This marks the fifth straight year that U.S. News & World Report has produced a ranking of undergraduate education at HBCUs. The colleges are compared only with one another for these rankings, using a special peer survey among HBCUs.
To be on this rankings list, a school must be currently designated as an HBCU by the U.S. Department of Education, a status created as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Additionally, the college must be a baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students.
Kimbrough has received numerous honors and awards. He was selected as a 2001 Nissan-ETS HBCU Fellow and a 2002 participant in the Millennium Leadership Initiative sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of “25 To Watch.” And in 2010, he made the coveted Ebony Magazine Power List of the 100 doers and influencers in the African-American community, joining the likes of President and Mrs. Obama, Jay-Z, Richard Parsons, Tyler Perry, Debra Lee, Michael Jordan and Tom Joyner.
Dr. Kimbrough and his wife Adria Nobles Kimbrough, associate general counsel with the University of Arkansas System, are the proud parents of two children: Lydia Nicole, five, and Benjamin Barack, two.
This article was originally published in the November 7, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper
