Alphas Sweep "Top College President"
Rankings
F o u r Blacks w e r e a m o n g the m o s t effective college p r e s i d e n t s in t h e U n i t e d States, a c c o r d i n g to a r e c e n t s u r v e y b y the C o u n c i l for A d v a n c e m e n t a n d S u p p o r t of E d u c a t i o n , a n d all four to t h o s e cited a r e m e m b e r s of A l p h a P h i A l p h a F r a t e r n i t y . B r o t h e r s N o l e n E l l i s o n , P r e s i d e n t of C u y a h o g a C o m m u n i t y College; H u g h Gloster, r e c e n t l y retired P r e s i d e n t of M o r e h o u s e College; N o r m a n F r a n c i s , P r e s i d e n t of Xavier University; a n d , H e n r y P o n d e r , P r e s i d e n t of Fisk University, w e r e t h e o n l y AfroA m e r i c a n e d u c a t i o n a l l e a d e r s p r a i s e d for effective m a n a g e m e n t a n d o u t s t a n d i n g l e a d e r s h i p of t h e i r institutions a n d c o m m u n i t i e s . T h e CASE s t u d y s u r v e y e d s o m e 485 chief executives, h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n offiicials, a n d s c h o l a r s w h o s t u d y the college p r e s i d e n c y . T h e 100 p r e s i d e n t s c h o s e n w e r e t h o s e w h o received the most n o m i n a t i o n s from this g r o u p . T h e s t u d y , entitled "The Effective College President," is financed b y a g r a n t from t h e E x x o n E d u c a t i o n F o u n d a t i o n . Results of the s u r v e y , a l r e a d y p u b l i s h e d in The Chronicle of Higher Education, will also b e i n c l u d e d in a b o o k . T h e following a r e c a p s u l e profiles of the four A l p h a B r o t h e r s n a m e d a m o n g A m e r i c a ' s "100 Most Effective College Presidents."
NOLEN ELLISON
NORMAN C. FRANCIS
HUGH M. GLOSTER
HENRY PONDER
Cuyahoga Community College
Xavier University
Morehouse College
Fisk University
Brother Nolen Ellison has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cuyahoga Community College District in Cleveland, Ohio since July 1, 1984. CCC is a two-year community college which offers six associate degrees under authority of the Ohio Board of Regents. It has 2,000 employees, a $90 million operating budget and enrolls 25,000 credit students on a quarter basis. The school is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. CCC has a capital plant, which has been developed since 1968, in excess of $140 million. Over $98 continued on page 18
Brother Norman Francis, President of Xavier University of Louisiana, has held that position for the past nineteen years. Prior to becoming President, he developed his managerial skills in a progressive series of increasingly more challenging administrative posts at Xavier, where he has been employed all of his professional life. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Brother Francis earned his bachelor's degree at Xavier in 1952 and a law degree from Loyola University of the South in 1955. Eleven institutions of higher education have awarded him honorary degrees. An continued on page 18
When Brother Hugh M. Gloster announced his r e t i r e m e n t from the presidency of Morehouse College, effective in June of 1987, it marked the end of an epoch of greatness for an institution accustomed to no less. Dr. Gloster is profiled in the major article in this feature, however a look at the accomplishments of the Gloster administration show what leadership can achieve with the support of trustees, administrators, faculty, students, alumni and friends. Talk of a medical school at Morehouse was, at best, viewed as a nice idea which probably would continued on page 18
The Sphinx/Winter 1987
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Brother Henry Ponder, an economist, was President of Benedict College for a decade before assuming the presidency of Fisk University in 1984, after the institution's financial woes had attracted national headlines. His successful efforts to reverse the fortunes of this bastion of higher education have, fortunately, attracted a similar spate of national publicity. Brother Ponder received his bachelor's degree from Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma; the M . S . d e g r e e from Oklahoma State University; and the Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. continued on page 18
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