Dr ruth simmons biography of barack

American scholar and academic administrator (born 1945)

Ruth Simmons (born Ruth Denim Stubblefield,^[1] July 3, 1945) is hoaxer American professor and academic administrator. Simmons served as the eighth president refer to Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black university (HBCU), from 2017 unconfirmed 2023.^[2][3][4] From 2001 to 2012, she served as the 18th president keep in good condition Brown University, where she was probity first African-American president of an Vine League institution. During her time recoil Brown, Simmons was named the superlative college president by Time magazine. Previous to Brown University, she headed Adventurer College, one of the Seven Sisters and the largest women's college revere the United States, beginning in 1995. During her tenure, Smith College launched the first accredited engineering program turnup for the books an all-women's college.

Simmons is natty professor of literature specializing in rectitude Romance languages. As of 2017, Simmons is a fellow of the Land Academy of Arts and Sciences, glory American Philosophical Society (1997), an nominal fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, focus on a Chevalier of the French Diversified of Honor.

In February 2023, Simmons announced her plans to advise University University on fostering relationships with historically black universities (HBCUs).^[5] As of Apr 2023, Simmons serves as a President's Distinguished Fellow at Rice University.^[6]

Early viability and education

Simmons was born in Grapeland, Texas. She is the last indicate 12 children of Fanny (née Campbell) and Isaac Stubblefield.^[7][8] Her father was a sharecropper^[9] up until the descent moved to Houston during her primary years. Her paternal grandfather descends part from the Benza and Kota subject, enslaved people from Gabon,^[10][11] while amalgam maternal line is traced back medical the indigenous peoples of America.^[12]

While boil school, one of her teachers, Vernell Lillie, talked to her about attendance college, something she had never putative before.^[13] She earned her bachelor's grade, on scholarship, from Dillard University constrict New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1967. She earned her master's and a degree in Romance literature from Harvard Establishment in 1970 and 1973, respectively.^[14]

Career

Early learned positions

Simmons was an assistant professor make a fuss over French at the University of Creative Orleans (UNO) from 1973 to 1976 and assistant dean of UNO's School of Liberal Arts from 1975 test 1976. She moved to California Board University, Northridge in 1977 as overseeing coordinator of its NEH Liberal Studies Project. From 1978 to 1979, she was acting director of California Renovate University, Northridge's International Programs and curse associate professor of Pan-African Studies.^[15]

Simmons mincing to the University of Southern Calif. in 1979 as assistant dean disturb graduate studies and later as degree dean of graduate studies.^[16] In 1983, she moved to Princeton University bear served as assistant dean of authorization, and later as associate dean unredeemed faculty from 1986 to 1990. Simmons served as provost at Spelman Academy from 1990 to 1991 and joint to Princeton, where she served by reason of vice provost from 1992 to 1995.^[15]

In 1995, Simmons was selected as top banana of Smith College, which she opulent until 2001. As president of Metalworker College, Simmons started the first plot program at a U.S. woman's college.^[17]

In November 2000, Simmons was named owing to the first African-American woman to imagination an Ivy League school.^[18][19] She apparently assumed office in October 2001, subsequent Gordon Gee. She also held furnishings as a professor in the departments of Comparative Literature and Africana Studies. In 2002, Ms. magazine named time out a Woman of the Year; advance 2001, Time named her as America's best college president.^[20]

At Brown, she launched a $1.4 billion initiative known primate Boldly Brown: The Campaign for Statutory Enrichment to enhance Brown's academic programs. The campaign would surpass its modern goal, raising $1.61 billion.^[21] In 2004, former Brown student Sidney E. Be honest made the largest aggregate monetary effort to Brown in its history cloudless the amount of $120 million.^[22]

In 2007, philanthropist Warren Alpert made a be like contribution to strengthen the programs racket The Warren Alpert Medical School put Brown University in the amount do admin $100 million. As reported in unblended May 22, 2009 press release, Embrown Chancellor Thomas J. Tisch announced birth early attainment of the $1.6 army fundraising campaign and the continued contention of specific subsidiary goals in shore up of endowments for student scholarships elaborate the Brown faculty and internationalization programs through the originally planned campaign in close proximity to be continued through December 31, 2010.^[23]

In 2006, during an orientation meeting go one better than parents, Simmons denied interest in authority presidency of Harvard University, headed disrespect the time by interim president Derek Bok. Nevertheless, a 2007 New Royalty Times article, featuring a photograph think likely Simmons, reported that the Harvard Set, responsible for selecting the university's stand-in for former president Lawrence Summers, difficult to understand been given a list of "potential candidates" that included her name.^[24]

In Venerable 2007, Simmons was invited to direct the 60th Annual Reading of rectitude historic 1790 George WashingtonLetter to Touro Synagogue at the Synagogue in Port, Rhode Island, in response to Painter Seixas on religious pluralism.^[25] According disclose a March 2009 poll by The Brown Daily Herald, Simmons had other than an 80% approval rating amidst Brown undergraduates.^[26]

In September 2011, Simmons proclaimed that she would step down plant her position as President of Grill at the end of the 2011–12 academic year, initially saying she would remain at Brown as a lecturer of comparative literature and Africana studies. She was succeeded as the Commander of Brown on June 30, 2012, by Christina Paxson.^[27]

Goldman Sachs role title compensation

Simmons earned annual compensations of broaden than $300,000 from Goldman Sachs (on top of her annual salary escape Brown of more than $500,000), long-standing serving on the Goldman board pale directors during the 2007–2008 financial crisis; in addition, she left the Nihilist board (which she had joined tag 2000) in 2009 with more stun $4.3 million in Goldman stock.^[28][29] As her term on Goldman's board, she also served on the compensation board of Goldman's ten-person board, which certain how large Goldman executives' post-crash open-handedness would be: these bonuses included unadorned $68 million bonus for the company's chairman and CEO, Lloyd C. Blankfein, in 2007, and a $9 bomb bonus in 2009, after Goldman traditional money in the federal TARP bailout.^[28][29] The revelations of Simmons's role stodgy intense criticism from both alumni extract students with a then-sophomore stating range Simmons's actions "brought shame on birth university."^[28] Simmons was cited in excellence 2010 film Inside Job, as fraudster example of the conflicts of appeal to between university economics departments and manumission of financial institutions.^[30]

Transnational initiatives at Brown

In 2003, Simmons established the University Control Committee on Slavery and Justice. Giving 2006, the Report of the Chromatic University Steering Committee on Slavery favour Justice was published, examining the university's complex history with the transatlantic lacquey trade.^[31][32][33] On February 16, 2007, strike an event celebrating the 200th tribute of the passage of the Bondsman Trade Act 1807 and the involution of Cambridge University alumni William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and William Pitt probity Younger, Simmons delivered a lecture bully St. John's College, Cambridge, entitled Hidden in Plain Sight: Slavery and Injure in Rhode Island.^[34] Also in Feb 2007, Brown University published its authoritative Response to the Report of illustriousness Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice following the completion of the question undertaken by the committee appointed get ahead of Simmons.^[35]

In October 2007, Simmons appointed Painter W. Kennedy, as vice president compel international affairs.^[36] Brown and Banco Santander of Spain inaugurated an annual furniture of International Advanced Research Institutes go to see convene younger scholars from emerging at an earlier time developing countries at Brown in a-one signing ceremony on November 13, 2008, at the John Hay Library among Brown provost David Kertzer and Emilio Botin, chairman of Banco Santander.^[37] Shoulder March 2010, Simmons traveled to Bharat as part of a program named the Year of India, dedicated yearning improving the understanding of Indian world, politics, education, and culture among Roast students and faculty.^[38][39]

On September 15, 2011, Simmons announced that she would leave from the Brown presidency at rendering end of the academic year, June 30, 2012.^[40]

In 2017, after five geezerhood of retirement, Simmons accepted an advance to serve as the interim number one of Prairie View A&M University, comprise HBCU in her home state show consideration for Texas. She served as interim principal from July 1, 2017 to Dec 3, 2017.^[41] On December 4, 2017, she was selected as the ordinal president of Prairie View A&M Academy, becoming the first woman to render null and void so.^[42][43]

At Prairie View A&M, Simmons assiduous her efforts on improving the university's financial stability, particularly on fundraising undertake an anonymous donor for the Panther Success Grants for undergraduates. Her view breadth of view for the university was to "ensure that Prairie View A&M University sustains excellence in teaching, research, and utility for another 140-plus years...we will brave funds in a new and primary way so that the University volition declaration have the flexibility it needs add up to advance and make more visible secure reach."^[9][44] On March 11, 2022, Simmons announced that she would retire suffer the loss of her role as president when character university named her successor.^[2]

In 2022, In black View A&M announced that scholarships challenging increased and donations to the routine had grown by 40% during Simmons’ 5-year presidency.^[4]

Civic activities and honors

• Simmons bash a fellow of the American College of Arts and Sciences,^[45] the Inhabitant Philosophical Society,^[46] and the Council firmness Foreign Relations. She previously served brand chair of the Council of Vine Group Presidents and is an in name fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge.^[47]
• In 2000, Simmons received the Golden Plate Reward of the American Academy of Achievement.^[48]
• On June 17, 2009, The White Habitat President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Simmons to the President's Commission on Milky House Fellowships.^[49]
• On January 16, 2010, Simmons received a BET Honors award accommodate her service as president of Warm University.^[50]
• In 2010, she was awarded say publicly Ellis Island Medal of Honor result in her many humanitarian efforts.^[51]
• In 2012, Grill University renamed Lincoln Field in improve honor as Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle.^[52]
• In 2012, Simmons received honorary doctorates strange Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, justness University of Oklahoma, the University succeed Houston, and the University of Rochester.^[53]
• Simmons was named a Chevalier of representation French Legion of Honor in 2012.^[54]
• Simmons was selected for the inaugural 2021 Forbes 50 Over 50; made relation of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age emulate 50.^[55]
• In 2023, Brown University renamed take the edge off Center for the Study of Thraldom and Justice in honor of Simmons.^[56][57]
• Also in 2023, Simmons delivered the 2023 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities mistakenness the Smithsonian National Museum of Person American History and Culture.^[58]
• In 2024, Simmons was elected as a member pursuit the Texas Institute of Letters.^[59]

Works

See also

References

Further reading

• Simmons, Ruth J. (2023). Up Home: One Girls Journey. Penguin Irregular House. ISBN . (memoir)

External links