Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons to step down from her role


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Dr. Ruth Simmons is a national treasure. There is no such thing as replacing her. The next PV president will be truly blessed to have come behind an awesome predecessor and sterling role model like her. That individual will also have the added benefit of being able to consult with her on critical issues involving the university.

My hope for PV, when she leaves, is that she's offered and accepts a seat on the TAMU system board.
 
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Dr. Ruth Simmons is a national treasure. There is no such thing as replacing her. The next PV president will be truly blessed to have come behind an awesome predecessor and sterling role model like her. That individual will also have the added benefit of being able to consult with her on critical issues involving the university.

My hope for PV, when she leaves, is that she's offered and accepts a seat on the TAMU system board.

Chancellor Sharp has proven to be a staunch supporter of PV more than any other. He and Ruth Simmons have a great relationship and the system would be better with her expertise.
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"Simmons said she will continue to serve in the president's position until a successor is chosen, if Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp wishes. In a statement, Sharp said he has no intention of "allowing Ruth to leave the service of Prairie View and we will work hard to keep her here at a higher capacity." Sharp said that he and Simmons are discussing ways for her to continue serving the A&M System."
 
She set a high standard, a lot of money and growth happened under her leadership. I wish her the best and hope the PVAMU can find someone to continue her outstanding work.
 

The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents name sole finalist for president at Prairie View A&M University​


BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Nov. 10, 2022) — The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents on Thursday named Tomikia P. LeGrande as the sole finalist to become the ninth President of Prairie View A&M University.

After a nationwide search, Chancellor John Sharp recommended Dr. LeGrande as sole finalist and the Board approved. Under state law, the Board of Regents name a finalist for at least 21 days before making the appointment at a subsequent meeting.

Dr. LeGrande, who is currently Vice President for Strategy, Enrollment Management and Student Success at Virginia Commonwealth University, would not assume her duties at Prairie View A&M until the end of the 2022-23 school year.

She would succeed Dr. Ruth Simmons, who will become President Emerita and will hold a faculty appointment as University Professor, a position that will allow her to remain a campus figure raising money, expanding the national profile of the university and lecturing to another generation of students.

“Dr. LeGrande will provide great leadership for the Panthers for many years to come,” said Chancellor Sharp. “Her experience and leadership in enrollment management and student success is exactly what PVAMU needs at this juncture to build on the great work Ruth Simmons has provided these past five years. I’m excited by where PVAMU is headed.”

Dr. LeGrande, who has been at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2018, has experience in Texas. She served as an administrator for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown from 2012 to 2018. She also received a doctorate in higher education administration from Texas Tech University.

Prior to her duties in Houston, Dr. LeGrande worked at North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University.

She received her bachelor’s in chemistry from Savannah State University and a master’s in chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University.

“I want to thank Chancellor Sharp and the Board of Regents for the opportunity to serve as President of Prairie View A&M University. PVAMU has a strong legacy of transforming the lives of its students and contributing to the surrounding region and state of Texas, both educationally and economically. I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, and community as we honor and build upon the university’s powerful legacy and upward trajectory.”


 
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I love Dr. Ruth! What she did for PV is nothing short but amazing. She really gave PV the overhaul it needed and made it that much more of an attractive institution. I really loved how she started a full African American studies program at a BLACK COLLEGE something TSU and most HBCUs still don't have. Also it's been noted she has collaborated and mentored the current TSU president so her wisdom has positively impacted Texas Southern as well
 
Dr. Ruth will be missed. I hope this new president can keep her momentum and not keep PV stagnant which is what I see a lot with HBCUs
 
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PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, who formerly served as president at Prairie View A&M University, is slated to speak at this year’s commencement, despite resigning from the university last month.

Simmons, who was president of PVAMU since 2017, submitted her resignation after a reported disagreement with Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp over hiring during the rest of her term as president.

 


Simmons said serving as president at Prairie View was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. She worked with majority low-income students who reminded her of herself as a young adult, and she advocated to create equity between HBCUs and the state’s better-funded Predominately White Institutions. By the time she left, she significantly boosted research spending and financial contributions at the university in Waller County.

She struggled to see the A&M system share her passion. “I don't believe that the Board of Regents of the system is at all capable of managing the affairs of Prairie View,” she said. “The simple reason for that is because they don't know Prairie View, and they have no interest in learning.

“That's why I didn't think that the system was competent to make the call about whether or not I shouldn't make appointments," Simmons continued. "They simply don't know the reality well enough. They don't care to know the reality."
 
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Simmons said serving as president at Prairie View was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. She worked with majority low-income students who reminded her of herself as a young adult, and she advocated to create equity between HBCUs and the state’s better-funded Predominately White Institutions. By the time she left, she significantly boosted research spending and financial contributions at the university in Waller County.

She struggled to see the A&M system share her passion. “I don't believe that the Board of Regents of the system is at all capable of managing the affairs of Prairie View,” she said. “The simple reason for that is because they don't know Prairie View, and they have no interest in learning.

“That's why I didn't think that the system was competent to make the call about whether or not I shouldn't make appointments," Simmons continued. "They simply don't know the reality well enough. They don't care to know the reality."
She is verbalizing aloud what a majority of us have spoken on since our individual time there along w/ the systems' historical stance regarding PVAMU.

"They" talk the public game well, stating mere words of emptiness to appease the a&m base w/ the pretense of TCB about PVAMU and its future. But the factuality of realized efforting doesn't and never moved the needle. The recent shiny new diggs? That was owed centuries of deliquency on their behalf whilst simultaneously, they were shoring up tarleton, wtxam, txam-commerce, txam-cc, and naturally their fav'd flagship w/ the redneck school in college station.

Thank you for stating the obvious w/ them, Dr Simmons. They or there empty words cannot harm you in your realm of distinguishment.
 
Dr Ruth tells the truth! I'm glad she exposed the TAMU System. They are simply not invested in PVAMU like they should be. PVAMU is an after thought. And even with their neglect, PVAMU continues to survive but it would really be thriving (like TAMU) if the board was fully invested like they should be.

Texas Southern is in the same boat. Our governor appointed board is obviously not GENUINELY invested in TSU and it's common for them to miss board meetings. Mainly due to our highly desirable location and top tier facilities, TSU should be the #1 public HBCU in the nation. No other PUBLIC HBCU is centrally located in a top 5 largest city full of so many great resources and things to do nearby. But last I checked we ranked in the #40s and that's because there's a culture of complacency and mediocrity from our highest leadership that stifles the school's reputation and recruitment efforts.
 
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