The Philadelphia Tribune January 10, 2011 Lincoln president breathed new life into school As president of Lincoln University, Dr. Ivory Nelson can be credited with recreating the image of a historically Black college that had fallen by the wayside and strengthening it into a first rate institution of higher learning once again. Now, after 11 years as the 12th president of the 156-year old university, the oldest historically Black college in America, Nelson has announced that he will be retiring in June. “I’ve known him since he came to Lincoln eleven years ago,” said Donn Scott, executive vice president, Wachovia Bank and former member of Lincoln’s board of trustees. “I think he’s transitioned the university from a school of the 1960’s into an institution of the 21st Century. He managed significant infrastructure and capital improvements and has worked to attracted the best and brightest students to attend. Lincoln looks more like a fist class university under his leadership.” Nelson brought 40 years of experience in higher education to the position and was appointed in 1999. Previously he served seven years as president of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, and six years as chancellor of Alamo Community College District prior to that. Scott said he came to Lincoln with a clear vision. “He was successful in turning the university around. He improved the infrastructure and the quality of education for the students,” Scott said. “Even football has returned to the university with the establishment of a new marching band, so he’s done very well.” When Nelson was first appointed president of the university there were serious questions regarding the financial situation of Lincoln. The school had a $15 million dollar debt, many of the buildings had become rundown and it was recovering from a financial scandal. Nelson changed all of that. After electrical problems caused the school to send 1,500 students home for three weeks in 2000, he initiated a $325 million dollar construction boom that included renovating buildings and creating a new residence hall, a cultural center and a new science and technology facility. “You’ve got to constantly position the institution. One of the worst things you can do is be like a turtle and put your head inside and weather the storm,” Nelson said in a published report. “Even in times of fiscal austerity you should be thinking and planning ahead and investing in those things that you think will make a difference. Position yourself so that when you come out of that storm you want to be in a place to move forward.” Greg Miller, Director, International Contractor Audit for Glaxo Smith Kline said Dr. Nelson’s legacy for Lincoln University is definitely its forward thrust and focus on continuous improvement. Even in difficult economic time new opportunities can still be acquired and Dr. Nelson proved that. “He’s done a fantastic job during his tenure as president,” said Miller, who graduated from Lincoln in 1977 and sat on the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2010. “In the time that I sat on the board we saw him push for improvements in infrastructure that will keep the university thriving for many years. I’m talking about things that you don’t see like improvements in the electrical systems, plumbing and other internal aspects. You can see the new buildings, the cultural center and things like that but internally the university is in better shape than it’s ever been. Because of him more alumni are giving back to the institution. Not to disparage any previous presidents but Dr. Nelson came in with more experience on how to run a university. He was very astute in making sure that Lincoln received funding on the state level that other colleges and universities were getting but we weren’t. We also have a greater number of students participating in campus life.” Also during his tenure the school released control of the board of the Barnes Foundation paving the way to moving the multibillion-dollar art collection to Philadelphia. But perhaps Nelson’s greatest legacy for the HBCU is the overall improvements to its educational curriculum, Scott said. Under Nelson’s leadership the university has expanded in business, science, mass communications and teacher education. The university’s core curriculum was revised and enrollment has increased. Scott said there was a time when the student body of the school was mostly male, with the population standing about 90 percent male and 10 percent female. He said that has changed dramatically in recent years and one of his concerns is the future of young African-American males showing a disinterest in achieving higher education. “The student population is now about 75 percent female and only 25 percent male, that’s a sharp difference. We need to figure out how to inspire our young men to move upwards and seek a quality education,” Scott said. “This is something we have to do as a nation and I think Lincoln University has a major role to play in changing that. It’s an issue that should concern all of us.” SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org 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 Honor the ancestors, honor the children.