Shaw University Chooses New Leader

Dorothy Cowser Yancy was named interim president of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Irma McClaurin, the former president, resigned last week and published reports suggested that she was forced out by the university’s board of trustees. Yancy has agreed to serve as interim president for up to two years while the university finds a permanent successor for Dr. McClaurin.

Dr. Yancy served for 14 years as president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was interim president of Shaw University from June 2009 until September 2010, when McClaurin was named president.

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 © 2011. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.