Tuesday, Tuskegee University announced that Dr. Lily D. McNair will become Tuskegee University’s eighth president after being unanimously selected by its Board of Trustees.
“I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve as the eighth president of Tuskegee University,” Dr. McNair said. “The historic contributions of the university’s students, faculty and alumni are well known and valued throughout the nation. I very much look forward to building on the legacy of my predecessors so that Tuskegee University will ascend to even greater heights in the years to come.”
“TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY has named their 8th president, Dr. Lily D. McNair. Dr. McNair will be Tuskegee’s first female president. Welcome, Dr. McNair! We look forward to working with you!” said Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Saks) on social media.
“When we launched our presidential search last October, our goal was to identify someone who could champion both Tuskegee’s historic legacy and her place in the future of higher education,” said John E. Page, chair of Tuskegee’s Board of Trustees. “Our Board of Trustees is confident that Dr. McNair brings to Tuskegee the precise skill set required to ensure we continue thriving as one of the nation’s leading HBCUs.”
Burt Rowe is the President of the Tuskegee National Alumni Association Inc. and a member of the search committee.
“I am honored and excited to welcome Dr. McNair to the Tuskegee family. She is a trusted and well-respected leader who understands Tuskegee’s unique heritage, culture and traditions,” Rowe said. “Deeply engaging and collaborative, she is committed to ensuring that all voices of the Tuskegee family will be heard, and I am confident that alumni will enjoy working with Dr. McNair to continue moving ‘the pride of the swift-growing South’ forward.”
Since 2011, Dr. McNair has served as the second-ranking executive of Wagner College — a private college of 2,200 students located on New York City’s Staten Island. She is a clinical psychologist who has worked at Spelman College, University of Georgia, the State University of New York at New Paltz, and Vassar College. She is a native of New Jersey.
Dr. McNair wa appointed following a six-month national presidential search.
Tuskegee University was founded in 1881. The first President of Tuskegee was Booker T. Washington, who led the institution from 1881 to 1915.
McNair will begin her duties at Tuskegee on July 1, 2018.
