Edythe M. Abdullah Named President of Essex County College

Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, has appointed Edythe M. Abdullah its sixth president. She is the first woman president of the two-year, state-operated college. About half of the 12,000 students at the college are African Americans.

Abdullah, who takes office on April 1, has been serving as president of the downtown campus of Florida State College in Jacksonville. She has been an administrator at the college for 25 years. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the University of North Florida.

Abdullah is a graduate of Valparaiso University in Indiana and holds a law degree from the University of Florida.