Tuskegee University
President
The Tuskegee University Board of Trustees invites nominations and applications for the position of
President. Founded by Booker T. Washington, this top rated historically black institution has a
distinguished legacy as a cultural and intellectual epicenter. This is a unique opportunity to become
only the 7th president in the 133-year history of one of the nation’s leading institutions of higher
education.
Tuskegee is an independent and state-related institution with programs that serve a student body
that is coeducational as well as racially, ethnically and religiously diverse. With a strong orientation
toward disciplines which highlight the relationship between education and work force preparation in
the sciences, professions and technical areas, Tuskegee University also emphasizes the importance of
the liberal arts as a foundation for successful careers in all areas. While the university focuses on
helping to develop leaders and innovators primarily within the African American community,
Tuskegee is open to all.
Tuskegee enrolls approximately 3,000 students and employs 900 faculty and support personnel.
Physical facilities include more than 5,000 acres of forestry and a campus with more than 100 major
buildings and structures. Total land, forestry and facilities are valued in excess of $500 million.
Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University was the first black college to be designated as a
Registered National Historic Landmark, and the only black college to be designated a National
Historic Site, a district administered by the National Park Service of the U. S. Department of
Interior.
History
Founded on July 4, 1881, Tuskegee started as a “Negro Normal School” and was the dream of
Lewis Adams, a former slave, and George Campbell, a former slave owner, who shared a
commitment to the education of blacks. Despite lacking a formal education, Adams could read and
write, was an experienced tinsmith, harness-maker, shoe-maker and Prince Hall Freemason, and was
an acknowledged leader of the African American community of Macon County.
Adams and Campbell were able to secure a $2,000 appropriation for teachers’ salaries, but nothing
for land, buildings or equipment. Lewis Adams, Thomas Dryer, and M. B. Swanson formed
Tuskegee’s first board of commissioners. George Campbell subsequently replaced Dryer as a
commissioner, and it was Campbell, through his nephew, who sent word to Hampton Institute in
Virginia looking for a teacher. They recommended the 25 year-old Booker T. Washington, a
Hampton teacher and alumnus.
Washington was principal of the school from July 4, 1881, until his death in 1915. Initial space and
building for the school was provided by Butler Chapel AME Zion Church, not far from its present
site. Not long after its founding, the campus was moved to "a 100 acre abandoned plantation" which
became the nucleus of the present campus.
Tuskegee rose to national prominence under the leadership of its founder, Dr. Washington.
Institutional independence was gained in 1892, when Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute was
granted authority to act independently of the state of Alabama. A highly skilled organizer and fundraiser, Dr. Washington was counsel to American presidents, a strong advocate of Negro business,
and instrumental in the development of educational institutions throughout the South. He
maintained a lifelong devotion to his institution and to his home - the South. Dr. Washington is
buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near the University Chapel.
At the time of Washington’s death, there were 1,500 students, a $2 million endowment, 40 trades,
(we would call them majors today), 100 fully equipped buildings, and about 200 faculty. From its
start with 30 adult students in a one room shanty, Tuskegee has grown today to approximately 3,000
students on a campus that includes some 5,000 acres and more than 70 buildings.
Points of distinction in Tuskegee’s 133-year history include:
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Originator and producer of the famous "Tuskegee Airmen," in partnership with the U.S.
Army Air Corps.
Producer of the first African-American four-star general: Daniel "Chappie" James.
The producer of the first African-American winner of the National Book Award, Ralph
Ellison for his book, Invisible Man.
Number one producer of African-American aerospace science engineers in the nation.
A leading producer in the country of African-American engineering graduates in chemical,
electrical and mechanical engineering.
The top producer of African-American Ph.D. holders in Materials Science and Engineering
in the U.S.
The only historically black college or university with a fully accredited College of Veterinary
Medicine that offers the Doctoral Degree, and produces over 75% of the African-American
veterinarians in the world.
The only historically black college or university in the nation designated as the location for
National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care.
The first nursing baccalaureate program in Alabama and one of the oldest in the United
States.
The only college or university campus in the nation to be designated a National Historic Site
by the U.S. Congress.
Produced more African-American general officers in the military than any other institution,
including the service academies.
The largest producer of African-Americans with baccalaureate degrees in Math, Science and
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Engineering in Alabama.
A center for Plant Biotechnology Research which is training U.S. Scientists and students as
well as scientists from Ghana, China, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, and Tanzania to
continue work of Dr. George Washington Carver in today's cutting edge science and
technology.
One of two centers funded by NASA to develop a technology for growing food in space
during human space missions.
The only historically black college or university, and one of only 11 universities in the world
funded and authorized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish and operate a Kellogg
Conference Center, which is the technologically sophisticated hub of Continuing Education
and Hospitality/Tourism Management Training.
The offspring of two American giants, Booker T. Washington and George Washington
Carver.
The only historically black college or university to maintain academic excellence while
supporting a football program exceeding a 611-win career record and many conference titles
including 4 consecutive SIAC Conference Football Championships.
Mission
Tuskegee's mission has always been service to people, not education for its own sake. Stressing the
need to educate the whole person, that is, the hand and the heart as well as the mind, Dr.
Washington's school was soon acclaimed, first by Alabama and then by the nation, for the
soundness and vigor of its educational programs and principles.
Tuskegee University has distinctive strengths in the sciences, architecture, business, engineering,
health, and other professions, all structured on solid foundations in the liberal arts. In addition, the
University's programs focus on nurturing the development of high-order intellectual and moral
qualities among students and stress the connection between education and the highly trained
leadership Americans need in general, especially for the work force of the 21st Century and beyond.
The University is rooted in a history of successfully educating African Americans to understand
themselves and their society against the background of their total cultural heritage and the promise
of their individual and collective future. Tuskegee is deeply committed to serving its students; to
nurturing and challenging them to grow to their fullest potential, and to preparing them to play
effective professional and leadership roles in society and to become productive citizens in the
national and world community. Tuskegee University continues to be dedicated to these broad aims.
Over the past century, various social and historical changes have transformed this institution into a
comprehensive and diverse place of learning whose fundamental purpose is to develop leadership,
knowledge, and service for a global society. Committed deeply to academic excellence, the
University admits highly talented students of character and challenges them to reach their highest
potential. The University also believes strongly in equality of opportunity and recognizes that
exquisite talent is often hidden in students whose finest development requires unusual educational,
personal, and financial reinforcement. The University actively invites a diversity of talented
students, staff, and faculty from all racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds to participate in this
educational enterprise.
SPECIAL ELEMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION
Instruction:
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We focus on education as a continuing process and lifelong endeavor for all people.
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We provide a high quality core experience in the liberal arts.
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We develop superior technical, scientific, and professional education with a career
orientation.
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We stress the relationship between education and employment, between what
students learn and the changing needs of a global workforce.
Research:
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We preserve, refine, and develop further the bodies of knowledge already discovered.
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We discover new knowledge for the continued growth of individuals and society and
for the enrichment of the University's instructional and service programs.
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We develop applications of knowledge to help resolve problems of modern society.
Service:
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We serve the global society as well as the regional and campus community and
beyond through the development of outreach programs that are compatible with the
University's educational mission, that improve understanding of community
problems, and that help develop relevant alternative solutions.
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We engage in outreach activities to assist in the development of communities as
learning societies.
The above three elements of mission, together with certain acts of the United States Congress and
the State of Alabama, define Tuskegee University as a land grant institution. Originally focused
primarily on agriculture, the University's land-grant function is currently a generic one that embraces
a wide spectrum of liberal arts, scientific, and technical and professional programs.
Tuskegee University accomplishes its central purpose of developing leadership, knowledge and
service through its undergraduate, graduate, professional, research and outreach programs. Through
these programs, students are encouraged not only to pursue careers, but to be of service to society
and to remain active lifetime learners. The University seeks to instill a robust thirst for knowledge
and a vibrant quest for wholesale patterns of personal and social ethics that have philosophical and
spiritual depth. In the process, it seeks to help each student develop an appreciation for the finer
traits of human personality, the beauty of the earth and the universe, and a personal commitment to
the improvement of the human condition.
Academics
The academic programs are organized into five colleges and two schools: (1) The College of
Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences; (2) The Andrew F. Brimmer College of Business
and Information Science; (3) The College of Engineering; (4) The College of Arts and Sciences; (5)
The College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health; (6) The Robert R. Taylor School of
Architecture and Construction Science; and (7) The School of Education. The curricula for these
colleges and schools currently offer over 50 degrees including 39 Bachelor's, 13 Master's, 2 Doctor's
of Philosophy: one in Materials Science and Engineering, and one in Integrative BioSciences, and
the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Graduate instruction leading to the Master's degree and Doctor
of Philosophy Degree is offered in three of the five colleges.
Tuskegee University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS), and is the only independent, historically black university with four
engineering programs that are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and
Technology (ABET). Tuskegee’s Chemistry program is one of only a few among Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) that is approved by the American Chemical Society.
Special features in the academic program include: The General Daniel "Chappie" James Center for
Aerospace Science and Health Education, honoring America's first black four-star general who was
a Tuskegee University graduate, and housing the nation's only Aerospace Science Engineering
program at an HBCU; Media Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, with state-of-the-art video uplink and down-link, intra-school communications, audio/visual, graphics, photography and
document production; The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, a state-of-the-art hotel and
meeting facility for educational, business and cultural events; The Tuskegee University National
Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care, a distinctive research, teaching and outreach
program that addresses issues of ethics and public policy in the treatment of people of color and
rural Americans in health care.
Other unique elements which enhance the educational and cultural environment of the University
include: The Booker T. Washington Monument, "Lifting the Veil," which honors the University's
Founder; the George Washington Carver Museum (named for the distinguished scientist who
worked at Tuskegee), which preserves the tools and handiwork of Dr. Carver; the Tuskegee
Archives, a chief center for information on the challenges, culture and history of Black Americans
since 1896; The Tuskegee Airmen's Plaza, commemorating the historic feats of America's first black
pilots, who were trained at Tuskegee University; The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
Center, and the Center for Continuing Education – a nucleus for continuing adult education.
Athletics
The Tuskegee Golden Tigers (http://www.goldentigersports.com) are a member of the NCAA
Division II and compete within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The University
has ten varsity sports teams that have earned numerous titles competing in their division.
Men's athletic teams
 Baseball
 Basketball
 Track and Field/Cross Country
 Football
 Tennis
Women's athletic teams
 Basketball
 Track and Field/Cross Country
 Softball
 Tennis
 Volleyball
Leadership Challenges and Opportunities
Tuskegee University is one of the nation’s leading universities of higher learning; a top rated
historically black institution with a distinguished record of service for more than a century. Founded
by Booker T. Washington as Tuskegee Institute, the institution has had only six presidents in 133
years.
The University is a $145 million higher education enterprise organized into five colleges and two
schools that offer 49 degrees including bachelor, master, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of
veterinary medicine. Currently, approximately 3,000 students are enrolled, and the University
employs about 900 faculty and support personnel.
In 2011, the University’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) with no remedial recommendations or provisional conditions. Enrollment is
growing modestly, student retention and academic performance continue to rise, and faculty
teaching and research productivity are on an upward trend.
There are growing challenges in resource development, financial management, and institutional
advancement. There are also urgent needs in capital infrastructure, classroom and student housing
facilities, and physical plant.
The University is in the second year of a 5-year strategic plan that was adopted enthusiastically by
the Board of Trustees. The plan is the product of a long, deliberative process conducted by faculty,
senior administrators, and members of key University constituencies. Notable progress has been
made in implementing the plan.
The Board of Trustees seeks a new president with outstanding academic credentials who will
continue progress in implementing the strategic plan. Equally important, the person must have
demonstrable skills and experience in financial planning and management, as well as fundraising and
resource development experience aimed at corporate, foundation, alumni, public, and high net
worth donors.
Desired Attributes
There are several specific qualifications that are especially relevant for the Tuskegee presidency:
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Significant and successful leadership and management experience in a higher education
institution is strongly preferred.
Candidates with outstanding executive leadership experience in a non-academic organization,
but with knowledge, familiarity, and prior experience in higher education will be considered.
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The new president must embrace Tuskegee's mission, history and legacy and be
passionate about its potential for greatness.
From its inception, Tuskegee has been an iconic product of the South; familiarity with and
experience in Southern life and culture will be important for the new president, as will an
understanding of the realities of what the great scholar W.E.B. DeBois called the “two-ness” of
racial identity in America (The Souls of Black Folk, 1906), and the importance of Tuskegee’s proud
history of providing quality education and training to black youth and adults and students from
other diverse backgrounds from communities throughout the United States and the world.
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Skills and aptitude to secure, and hopefully increase, support from the State of Alabama.
As a private, state-supported institution, Tuskegee retains membership in the United Negro
College Fund (UNCF), the fundraising collaborative of private HBCU’s founded by former
Tuskegee President Dr. Frederick D. Patterson in 1944. But state support, currently pegged at
$9.1 million, is an indispensable component of the annual revenue required for Tuskegee’s
operating budget. The successful candidate must have high potential to maintain or increase
state support of the University.
Tuskegee is also a member institution of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a private, nonprofit organization. TMCF, founded 26 years ago, provides scholarship, technical, and
development support for students, faculty and presidents/chancellors of public HBCU’s.
It will be equally important that the new president acknowledge the role of the newly organized
Tuskegee University Foundation (TUF), an independent 501-C-3 organization that plans to
pursue economic development and other initiatives in public/private partnership with the
surrounding governmental entities. The president of Tuskegee University has no leadership role
or responsibility for TUF.
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Student-centric approach to university administration.
Tuskegee exists to maximize the knowledge, acquisition, and personal development of students.
The “Tuskegee Experience” encapsulated by the quality of student life should be the driving
concern of the president. The successful candidate must have the personality, communication,
and people skills required to fulfill this obligation at a high level of effectiveness.
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A scholar-administrator.
A terminal degree is required; earned Ph.D. is preferred.
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A person who will value the importance of the town/gown relationship between the
University and the City of Tuskegee and Macon County.
That relationship is critical to the University’s success. The president must develop and maintain
the posture of a good neighbor recognizing, of course, the value of reciprocity from the
surrounding governmental entities.
Nominations, Applications and Inquiries
The Presidential Search Committee will begin their review of applications immediately and continue
work until an appointment is made. To assure full consideration, applications should be received by
March 12, 2014 and include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and five professional references
with e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. References will not be contacted without prior
authorization from the applicant. Applications should be sent electronically (MS Word or PDF
Format) to [email protected].
The search is being assisted by John W. Garland, Consultant, AGB Search and President Emeritus
Central State University, [email protected]; (937) 416-5819 and Laird Desmond, Consultant,
AGB Search, [email protected], (253) 566-6830.
Additional information may be obtained by visiting http://www.agbsearch.com under current
searches.
Tuskegee University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer