On July 1, 2012, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough began his appointment as the seventh
president of Dillard University. Previously, Dr. Kimbrough served as president
of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. Known as the Hip Hop
President, he is one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. Prior to
Philander Smith College, he served in administrative capacities at Albany State
University, Old Dominion University, Georgia State University and Emory
University. After graduating from the Benjamin E. Mays High School and Academy
of Math and Science in Atlanta as the salutatorian and student body president,
Kimbrough earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of
Georgia in 1989. He continued his education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,
completing a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Services in 1991,
and in 1996 he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from Georgia
State University.
Kimbrough has maintained active memberships in several higher education
organizations, including the National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators, Association of Fraternity Advisors, and Brothers of the Academy.
He presently serves as chair of the archives, history, and public information
committee of the United Negro College Fund, and is a past member of the board of
directors. A 1986 initiate of the Zeta Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
at the University of Georgia, Kimbrough was the Alpha Phi Alpha College Brother
of the Year for the Southern Region and served as the Southern Region assistant
vice president. Based on his strong fraternity experience, Kimbrough has forged
a national reputation as an expert on fraternities and sororities, with specific
expertise regarding historically Black, Latin and Asian groups. Dr. Kimbrough
has given over 500 presentations on fraternalism life at campuses and
conferences across the country. He is the author of the book Black Greek 101:
The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. After
five months, the book was an Essence magazine top 10 best seller, and is
currently in its tenth printing.
Kimbrough has been recognized for his research and writings on HBCUs and
African American men in college, including the creation of the Black Male
Initiative at Philander Smith College that has been a model for similar
programs. Kimbrough also has been noted for his active use of social media to
engage students in articles by The Chronicle of Higher Education, CASE Currents,
and Arkansas Life. He was cited in 2010 by Bachelorsdegree.com as one of 25
college presidents to follow on Twitter (@HipHopPrez). He is currently a member
of the board of directors for the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, as
well as the Arkansas United Methodist Foundation. He was named one of the people
who made a difference in Arkansas in 2005 by the Arkansas Times newspaper, named
by Powerplay magazine in 2006 as one of the 25 most influential African
Americans in Arkansas, and listed by Arkansas Business as one of 40 under 40 in
2006. In 2007 SYNC Weekly included him as one of central Arkansas’s most notable
residents, and Garden & Gun magazine in 2010 named him as one of five “rock
climbers,” residents who prove Little Rock has plenty to brag about. Kimbrough
was named the 1994 New Professional of the Year for the Association of
Fraternity Advisors, and the 1998 National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators Dissertation of the Year award runner-up. He was selected as a
2001 Nissan-ETS HBCU Fellow, and a 2002 participant in the Millennium Leadership
Initiative sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one
of 25 To Watch. Finally, in 2010, he made the coveted Ebony Magazine Power list
of the 100 doers and influencers in the African American community, joining the
likes of President and Mrs. Obama, Jay-Z, Richard Parsons, Tyler Perry, Debra
Lee, Michael Jordan, and Tom Joyner.
Dr. Kimbrough and his wife, Adria, have two children: Lydia Nicole and
Benjamin Barack.
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