Dorothy Cowser Yancy, Ph.D.

2011 Honoree -- First Woman President (Emerita) of Johnson C. Smith University

Dorothy Cowser Yancy’s straightforward, energetic personality is evident, whether she is testifying before Congress about the status of technology in higher education, or talking to a stranger about her commitment to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

This commitment has led Yancy to twice serve as president of two of the nation’s traditionally black independent institutions: Johnson C. Smith and Shaw universities.

Yancy’s national leadership presence was established at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., when she returned to her alma mater as president in 1994. Under her guidance, a combined $145 million was raised in two capital campaigns that exceeded fundraising goals by nearly $20 million. Also during Yancy’s tenure, Johnson C. Smith’s endowment more than tripled, from $14 million to $53 million. In 1996, the University was awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant.

Further distinctions for Yancy occurred in 2000, when Johnson C. Smith became the first HBCU "Laptop" university, issuing IBM Thinkpads to all of its students.  The designation followed a three-year period of strategic planning in technology and faculty/staff development which resulted in an integrated approach to liberal arts education.

"I felt that if our students were going to be competitive, they have to have access to technology," she said.  Yancy’s work drew national attention when she testified before Congress about the status of technology in higher education. In 2007, U.S. News & World Report ranked Johnson C. Smith in the top 10 of HBCUs.

Yancy’s presidency included the construction of a new technology center, library and a track/stadium and academic complex, and increased student applications to the university.

After retiring from Smith in 2008, Yancy didn’t have time to unpack and resettle in Atlanta because Shaw University needed her assistance. She agreed to help the Raleigh, N.C., institution recover from a financial burden that threatened its survival. She did so by restructuring its debt through a program administered by the U.S. Department of Education and by recruiting more students.

A native of Alabama, Yancy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and social science from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. in political science from Atlanta University (Georgia). She is an arbitrator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services and the American Arbitration Association, and Special Magistrate for the Florida Employee Relations Commission.

Her numerous honors include the 2001 Outstanding Educator of the Year Award, the Harold E. Delaney Exemplary Educational Leadership Award, and the Old North State Award. In 2007 she received the Horizon Award from Leadership Charlotte and the William J. Stanley Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Also in 2008, she was inducted into the Women’s History Hall of Fame by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and the Levine Museum of the South.

Yancy encourages African-American women who are interested in leadership to "seek a mentor; someone who has confidence in you and can be your champion. And you have to mentor others."