Sidney Ribeau Named 16th President of Howard University

For nearly a century and a half, Howard University in Washington, D.C., has been a mecca for African-American scholars. Charles Drew, Rayford Logan, Ernest Just, Sterling Brown, and Alain Locke are just a few of the notable black scholars who have taught at the university.

Howard is one of only 48 private doctoral research institutions in the United States.

Howard University awards twice as many doctorates as its nearest competitor among historically black universities. It has trained a large percentage of the nation’s black physicians, dentists, and lawyers. Due to its proximity to the seat of government power, the scholar who leads Howard University is instantly cast as a major figure in the world of higher education.

Now the leadership of this great institution of African-American higher education is being passed to Sidney A. Ribeau. On August 1, Ribeau will succeed A. Patrick Swygert and become the 16th president of Howard University.

Dr. Ribeau has spent the last 13 years as president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Prior to coming to Bowling Green, he was vice president for academic affairs at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona.

Co-chair of the presidential search committee Colin Powell stated, Dr. Ribeau “is a charismatic executive who works effectively inside and outside the institution he heads.”

Ribeau was raised in Detroit and is a graduate of Wayne State University. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in interpersonal communications from the University of Illinois.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.