President of Johnson C. Smith University to Step Down in 2008

Dorothy Cowser Yancy, the first woman president of Johnson C. Smith University, the historically black educational institution in Charlotte, has announced that she will step down in June 2008. Yancy, who has led the university for 13 years, will not retire and will consider other opportunities, perhaps in educational consulting.

During her tenure at the university, applications tripled. The average combined score of entering students on the SAT college entrance examination rose 200 points. The university’s endowment rose from $13.8 million to $53 million. In 2000 she instituted a new policy where all incoming students were issued a laptop computer. This month Dr. Yancy is wrapping up a fundraising campaign which exceeded its $75 million goal.

A native of Alabama, Dr. Yancy is an alumna of Johnson C. Smith University. She holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in political science from Atlanta University.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.