LANGSTON, Okla. – Outgoing Langston University President JoAnn Haysbert has named school alumnus Henry Ponder as acting president of the institution.
Haysbert announced Thursday that Ponder will take over as acting president today.
Ponder has held a variety of positions at six historically Black colleges and universities, including a stint as president of Fisk University.
He came out of retirement to return to Langston as an endowed chair and professor of educational and institutional advancement, before being named acting president.
Meanwhile, Haysbert plans to use her accrued leave time over the past six years instead of remaining at her post through the end of the fall semester. The Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges approved Haysbert’s leave last week.
She is expected to take a position as executive vice president at Hampton University in Virginia in the spring.
Haysbert had left Hampton for the top spot at Langston in 2005 after 25 years at Hampton in several academic and administrative positions.
