Lester C. Newman

1952—

College president, political scientist

Dr. Lester C. Newman, president of Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) in Itta Bena, Mississippi, has become nationally-known for his achievements in improving the funding and administration of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Newman turned MVSU—located in the rural, poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta—into the fastest-growing institution in the state. Between 1998, when Dr. Newman became president, and 2004, MVSU's enrollment grew from 2,200 to 4,400. Under Newman's leadership, MVSU became one of the best-respected, as well as one of the fastest-growing universities in the Southeast. Newman began calling MVSU "The Valley of Scholars" and gave his innovations the theme of "Moving from Excellence to Preeminence." Newman's major goals have been to promote MVSU as a center of academic excellence and as a catalyst for economic development in the Delta.

Raised with High Expectations

Born on February 18, 1952, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Lester C. Newman and his brother and five sisters were raised by their grandparents. The family lived in the Cooper Road Community, a close-knit, active, predominately black, and economically diverse community on the north side of Shreveport. Newman told Eric Stringfellow of Mississippi's state newspaper, the Clarion-Ledger, in September of 2004, that the Cooper Road Community was a comfortable, fun, and exciting place to grow up.

Newman's grandfather served as his role model. With only a third-grade education, he had become a successful contractor and owned his own community water business. Above all else, Newman's grandparents stressed the importance of a good education, of sharing, and of helping others. During their daily family time, the grandparents read to the children from newspapers and magazines, turning reading into an adventure.

Newman's family, teachers, and, indeed, the entire community assumed that he would earn a college degree. In high school Newman spent two weeks at Bayou Boys' State at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The experience convinced him that he wanted to become a college professor and, eventually, a college president. He planned to major in political science and Southern University had one of the best political science programs in the country. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Southern in 1973. As an undergraduate Newman was active in the civil rights and antiwar movements. He told the Clarion-Ledger : "I do believe that people from my generation need to do a better job at helping students become more civically engaged." During 1972 Newman worked as a staff assistant intern in Washington, D.C., in the office of U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

Remained in Academia

Newman loved campus life and enjoyed interacting with students. With the help of fellowships and faculty development grants he earned his Master of Arts in 1976 and his Ph.D. in political science in 1987 from Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. His Ph.D. dissertation was entitled "The Political Orientation of Black Students from All-Black Towns: The Cases of Boley, Oklahoma; Grambling, Louisiana; and Mound Bayou, Mississippi."

Newman's first academic position, in 1976, was as assistant professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Two years later he returned to Southern University as an assistant professor of political science. There, in addition to his research and teaching, Newman began to take on various administrative functions. As seminar director of "The Family as an Agent of Socialization," funded by the Louisiana Board of Regents, Newman conducted workshops throughout South Louisiana in 1980. During that summer he served as assistant director of the Robert A. Taft Seminar for Teachers, funded by the Robert A. Taft Institute for Government at the university. That same year Newman served as assistant director of the Youth Leadership Program at Southern. Between 1980 and 1981, he was coordinator and consultant for the political science component of Southern's Rural Intern Program.

In 1986 Newman became assistant to the dean of the Junior Division at Southern University. The following year he was named associate director of Institutional Self-Study, the university's first accreditation review program.

Left Alma Mater

In 1989 Newman moved to Kentucky State University in Frankfurt as an associate professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1993 he left for Shelby State Community College in Memphis, Tennessee, to become Vice President for Academic Affairs and professor of political science. Two years later he became Vice President for Academic Affairs at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, in addition to his other accomplishments, Newman was instrumental in securing the university a $750,000 "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation, the first such award to an HBCU.

At a Glance...

Born Lester C. Newman on February 18, 1952, in Shreveport, LA; son of Earlee Newman; married Gloria; children: Russell, Eddreaka. Education: Southern University, BA, cum laude, 1973; Atlanta University, MA, 1976; Atlanta University, PhD, 1987.

Career: University of South Florida, assistant professor of Afro-American Studies, 1976-78; Southern University, assistant professor, 1978-86, assistant to the dean of the Junior Division, 1986-88, associate director of Institutional Self-Study, 1987-88; Kentucky State University, associate professor, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1989-93; Shelby State Community College, professor, vice president for academic affairs, 1993-95; Johnson C. Smith University, vice president for academic affairs, 1995-98; Mississippi Valley State University, president, 1998–.

Selected memberships: National Association for Equal Opportunity, board of directors; Southern Association of Institutional Researchers; Southern Political Science Association; U.S. Department of Education, Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Advisory Board, 2003–; American Council on Education, board of directors, 2004–.

Selected awards: Governor Brereton Jones, "Kentucky Colonel" commission, 1993; Shelby State Community College, award for outstanding leadership and service, 1995; Greenwood-Leflore Retired Teacher's Association, Educator of the Year; Miller Brewing Company, Gallery of Greats, 2003; Delta Business Journal, Profiles in Leadership Award.

Addresses: Office —Mississippi Valley State University, 14000 Highway 82 West, #7272, Itta Bena, MS, 38941-1400.

Newman designed his career to ready himself for becoming a university president. He read biographies of university presidents, particularly those of HBCUs. However Newman told the Clarion-Ledger in 2004, "Being a university president is so unique that few things can truly prepare you for what you actually face on a day-to-day basis."

As soon as he took over as MVSU's fifth president in July of 1998, Newman began to reorganize academic programs and initiate innovative programs for improving the overall quality of the university. Founded in 1950 as Mississippi Vocational College for teacher and vocational training in the Delta, during the 1960s the college expanded into nursing, business administration, and the liberal arts. MVSU opened its first graduate program in 1976; however beginning in the 1980s enrollment declined. MVSU lost some degree programs and twice was threatened with closure.

Guided MVSU into the Twenty-First Century

In 1999 Newman launched a five-year, $25-million fundraising campaign—the largest in MVSU's history—with actor Morgan Freeman as chairman and national spokesman and blues legend B.B. King as honorary chair. In addition to facility improvements, the campaign's goal was to fund academic programs, faculty and departmental chairs, and student scholarships. Funds also were earmarked for helping local school districts improve their accreditation ratings and for university outreach to public school students. Newman told the Clarion-Ledger : "A good education should not be reserved only for those who can afford to pay for it or for those who live in wealthy school districts." He was quoted in the December 23, 1999, Black Issues in Higher Educ ation: "The campaign signifies a new era in MVSU's history as the university establishes new relationships and forms partnerships that will ultimately improve the entire Delta region."

At a time of budget cuts and funding crises, Newman pursued new external grants and contracts for MVSU. Between 1998 and 2004, donations increased by 400 percent and federal funding increased by more than 100 percent. In addition, the average faculty salary increased by $10,000. Already one of the largest employers in the community, MVSU embarked on major landscaping and construction projects.

Newman initiated internal reviews of academic programs and an external review by outside consultants. An outside consultant was hired to review the school's athletic program, an important factor for the community, as well as for attracting new students. Newman told Karen Bryant of the Delta Business Journal in May of 2000 that he wanted MVSU "to be considered the premier regional institution in Mississippi and, ultimately, one of the top regional institutions in the nation."

Introduced New Academic Programs

Well aware of the "digital divide" that separated blacks and whites in terms of access to technology, Newman upgraded MVSU's technological infrastructure. He instituted Mississippi's first academic program in bioinformatics, the application of computer sciences to biology, as well as an automatic identification technology program. Newman told Jack Criss of the Delta Business Journa l in July of 2003: "Because of such programs, we have entered into partnerships and negotiations with several major private companies who need this technology for their own business purposes. We can then not only benefit this campus and our students, but also impact economic development in our community."

In addition to automated information technology, Newman established an international program, a service learning program, and a master's in business administration program with evening and weekend classes. Student and faculty recruitment improved. MVSU's graduate programs increased from 50 students in 1998 to almost 400 in 2004. However teacher training remained MVSU's largest component.

In line with his long history of community service, Newman established an annual Family and Community Day at MVSU, as well as a science and technology summer academy for middle- and high-school students. MVSU freshman were required to perform 60 hours of community service.

Reached Out to the Community

By offering evening classes, Newman tried to make MVSU as convenient as possible for nontraditional students of all races, including older students, and single and working parents. The university's second off-campus site opened in 2001.

MVSU's Delta Research and Culture Institute, devoted to research on the Delta's educational and economic priorities, opened in 2001 under the direction of former Mississippi governor William Winters. Newman told the Clarion-Ledger that "improving the quality of education and attracting and retaining viable industry are two of the most difficult challenges facing the Mississippi Delta." The region's poorly performing public schools were under-funded and had difficulty attracting and retaining good teachers. Newman told the Clarion-Ledger that the Delta desperately needed industry that paid decent wages and that "oftentimes luring business and industry to an area is directly tied to the quality of the educational system."

Although administrative functions and fundraising took up the preponderance of Newman's time, he told the Clarion-Ledger that his favorite aspect of his career remained "seeing students who first come to the university with a lot of anxiety and apprehension later graduate with a level of excitement that they didn't initially think was possible.... This is what makes higher education exciting, watching people at difference levels discover and explore a whole new world of possibilities."

Throughout his career Newman has been very active in both professional and community service organizations including the Leflore County Industrial Board, the Greenwood Leflore Chamber of Commerce, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He has served as a board member of the Delta Health Alliance, the Delta Council, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi. Newman has received numerous fellowships and professional and community service citations and awards.

Maintained Research Interests

In addition to his many successful proposals to private, state, and national agencies throughout his career in higher education, Newman has delivered countless professional presentations, as well as written reports. His teaching and research interests have included American government and institutions, rural politics, urban policies and governments, public policy in the areas of housing, education, and transportation, political behavior, and African politics.

Newman and his wife Gloria had a grown son and daughter and had been married for more than 30 years when they became the legal guardians of a young son of an MVSU graduate. As of 2005 Newman's demanding career had kept him from his dream of owning his own business. He told Contemporary Black Biography in a written statement that "I'm a frustrated entrepreneur."

Newman told CBB that the most important lesson learned during his career "is that you have to always be prepared for the unexpected, and when the unexpected happens, you must handle matters appropriately. Also, you should always have a contingency plan and be ready to execute it if necessary."

Selected writings

(With others) The Freshmen Survey: Values, Attitudes, Goals, Perceptions, Southern University, 1986.

Southern University Self-Study Manual, Southern University, 1988.

"The African-American Vote and The Crisis in Voting Rights: Views From the Inside," Proceedings from the 5th Symposium on African-American Voting Rights, Norfolk State University, 1996.

Sources

Periodicals

Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), September 5, 2004, p. 2G.

Delta Business Journa l (Cleveland, MS), July 2003.

Black Issues in Higher Education, December 23, 1999, p. 41.

On-line

"Ayres Case 32 Years Later," WTOK-TV News. www.wtok.com/news/headlines/781067.html (December 30, 2004).

"Mississippi Valley State Has an Eye on the Future," Delta Business Journal Online, www.deltabusinessjournal.com/HTML/archives/5-00/valley.html (December 30, 2004).

Other

Additional information for this profile was provided by Dr. Lester C. Newman and his executive assistant/chief of staff Tonjanita L. Johnson.

—Margaret Alic