May 30, 2012, 2:17 pm
By Marybeth Gasman
I often write about Walter Kimbrough, the current president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., and future president of Dillard University in New Orleans. I write about him because he is a model president. He is a president of a historically black college and university (HBCU), but his leadership should be studied by all presidents as well as those looking to lead in the future. Kimbrough is about to make the move to Dillard, which has struggled financially and in terms of enrollment since Hurricane Katrina. It was hit hard during the storm and the recovery has been long. I have no doubt that he will apply his data-driven decision-making techniques and innovations to Dillard just as he did to Philander Smith College.
Over the past couple weeks, Kimbrough has been posting his “Top 10 Notables” on his personal blog (a blog I would recommend you read) and to Facebook (I…
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March 28, 2012, 5:30 pm
By Marybeth Gasman
Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed on February 26. People across the country have rallied to support this young man’s family and call for the apprehension of his killer, George Zimmerman. People from all different racial and ethnic backgrounds have marched together, signed petitions, donned hoodies, and expressed their hurt, outrage, and dismay over this young man’s death. Anyone with a heart can understand the utter pain felt by Trayvon’s parents. To lose a child is perhaps the most devastating thing that can happen in one’s life.
On the campuses of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) students are rallying for justice as well. Across the country, students and, in many cases the presidents at HBCU’s, are gathering together to bring attention to Trayvon Martin as well as all of the other black boys and men who are killed in the United States each year. …
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November 3, 2011, 2:06 pm
By Marybeth Gasman
On Tuesday, the board of trustees of Dillard University selected Walter Kimbrough to be their next president. Kimbrough is the current president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. When he stepped into the leadership role of the small Arkansas college, it was somewhat unstable, with uninspired faculty and staff members. Kimbrough turned the institution around completely by empowering students, faculty, and staff, increasing student success, and attracting more external funding support.
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Philander Smith campus on several occasions and it is vibrant, energetic, and thriving. Kimbrough has the ability to inspire those around him. He hires excellent people and trusts them to do their jobs. But more than inspiration, Kimbrough is wedded to using data to make decisions. He collects data on everything related to his institution’s…
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July 22, 2011, 2:21 pm
By Marybeth Gasman
HBCU Digest, a black-college-focused online publication, recently published a list of the five most vocal HBCU presidents. These include Walter Kimbrough of Philander Smith College (Arkansas), Julianne Malveaux of Bennett College for Women (North Carolina), William Harvey of Hampton University (Virginia), James Ammons of Florida A&M University (Florida), and David Wilson of Morgan State University (Maryland). HBCU Digest’s recognition of these individuals was based on their speaking out locally, at the state level, and nationally about higher-education issues (and beyond).
If I had made the list, I would have included Beverley Tatum at Spelman (Georgia), who blogs for the Huffington Post and often appears on National Public Radio, and Michael Sorrell, the president of Paul Quinn College (Texas) who frequently pens op-eds for the Dallas papers as he fights for resources for the…
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