HBCU Presidents Offer Advice to New Leaders

Most agree that the challenges facing HBCUs cannot be addressed without effective leadership, but often new leaders struggle with where to turn for guidance and advice when they enter a campus environment.

During the White House Initiative on HBCUs’ annual convening held this week in Washington, D.C., a panel of HBCU presidents offered advice to some of their counterparts looking to make a positive impact on the community.

For one, said former North Carolina Central University Chancellor Dr. Charlie Nelms, HBCU presidents must be passionate about the work—and passion is more than just a fake smile at the right times, he said.

Florida Memorial University President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis went a step further, saying HBCU presidents should be called into the office.

“I’m firmly of the belief that university presidency is a calling,” she said, “and, if you have not been called, stay home.”

“It’s not easy work,” Artis cautioned. “You have to be ready to give 100 percent every day.”

Though many take the traditional path through academia to the presidency, many, particularly today, do not.