When Dr. Johnson Akinleye took the helm of North Carolina Central University as its interim chancellor, life was particularly challenging at the historically Black institution.
The university was still mourning Dr. Debra Saunders-White, who died of kidney cancer in November 2016, just three years after she took the reins of the public university located in Durham, N.C.
But after Akinleye received the nod earlier this week to become the permanent chancellor of the 107-year old school, observers now wonder how he will position NCCU as a competitive player on the HBCU landscape.
“Any time an institution can move for permanent leadership/stable leadership, it is better off than interim,” Dr. Marybeth Gasman, director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania, told Diverse via email. “NCCU is a very good institution and I look forward to seeing how he leads.”
A veteran college administrator, Akinleye, who arrived at NCCU in 2014 to become provost, won’t have a steep learning curve. When it was announced that Margaret Spellings, the president of the University of North Carolina System, had selected him to be chancellor, faculty, staff and senior administrators rejoiced.
They’ve praised him for his commitment to students and faculty, and said that the university likely will experience a surge in growth under his leadership.
“The entire university community is pleased that he rose to the top, and that the recommendations of the search committee were approved by President Spellings,” Dr. Carlton Wilson, NCCU’s interim provost and vice chancellor, told Diverse in a phone interview.
