Shaw University News September 9, 2010 Shaw University Names Dr. Irma McClaurin as 15th President Raleigh, NC - Attorney Willie E. Gary, Chairman of the Shaw University Board of Trustees, announced today that Dr. Irma McClaurin will be Shaw University's 15th President, effective September 9, 2010. The announcement was made during a press conference that was held at the University's Spaulding Gymnasium. Shaw University alumni, faculty, staff and students were in attendance and welcomed Dr. McClaurin to her new position with cheers and overwhelming applause as she addressed the student body and general public for the first time. In addition, a host of dignitaries and community leaders converged on Shaw's campus for the historic announcement. Greetings and well wishes were bestowed upon Dr. McClaurin from various members of the community including: Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, Interim President, Shaw University; Dr. Diane Suber, President, St. Augustine's College; Dr. James West, Mayor Pro Tem, Raleigh; Lawrence Wray, Assistant City Manager, Raleigh; John McGrath, Fire Chief, City of Raleigh; Sonia Barnes, District Representative, Congressman Bob Etheridge; Representative Earline Parmon, North Carolina Congressional Black Caucus; and Soberina Trawick, Senior Vice President and Relationship Officer, Mechanics and Farmers Bank, among others. "It is with the utmost respect and admiration that I welcome Dr. McClaurin to the Shaw University family," commented Willie Gary. "I am confident that under the leadership of Dr. McClaurin, our esteemed university will continue to be a beacon of light and opportunity for the thousands of young men and women who value education and hope to become productive citizens." "I am honored and privileged to have this opportunity to lead an institution of Shaw's caliber, with its deep history and rich tradition of education and scholarship," said McClaurin. "My goal is to reignite a vision of research, teaching, scholarship, and community engagement that prepares students to become engaged, challenging, optimistic, and socially responsible citizens in a diverse and global world. With the support and collaboration of Shaw's illustrious trustees and alumni, its hopeful student body, its committed faculty and staff, and the larger Raleigh community, I have no doubt we will be successful," continued McClaurin. Dr. McClaurin comes to Shaw University from the University of Minnesota, where she served as the Associate Vice President for System Academic Administration and founding Director of the institution's first Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center. Prior to the University of Minnesota, McClaurin served as a Program Officer for Education and Scholarship at the Ford Foundation with responsibilities for supporting the fields of Black Studies and Women's Studies and overseeing a $10.5 million budget. In addition, she served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Diplomacy Fellow working at USAID in the Office of Policy Development and Coordination as a gender specialist. Dr. McClaurin is an activist anthropologist, higher education administrator, teacher, poet and writer whose commitment to the eradication of social inequality spans over 30 years. A graduate of Grinnell College with a BA in American Studies, she holds a Masters of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing, and a Masters and PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is an accomplished scholar, author and poet and has received numerous accolades and awards for her stellar accomplishments. Shaw University was founded in 1865 and is the oldest historically black college in the south. Shaw University is a private, co-educational liberal arts University that awards degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The primary mission of Shaw University is teaching with the commitment to maintain excellence in research and ac SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.