Gazette News Report
WILBERFORCE — Central State University President Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond has been named one of the Top Ten Most Influential HBCU College Presidents in 2016.
The national recognition, which acknowledges Jackson-Hammond’s transformative leadership of the university, is from HBCU Digest, a publication dedicated to covering historically black colleges and universities. The recognition caps a year of accomplishments that includes “raising more than $2 million in federal support for the university’s agricultural programs, first-year student enrollment growth exceeding 20 percent, and serving as a key voice in Congressional hearings on how to increase federal support for historically black land-grant institutions,” the news publication stated.
Jackson-Hammond is the first female president in the 130-history of the university. Last year, Jackson-Hammond was named the 2016 Female President of the Year among all historically black colleges and universities. On Jan. 25, Rep. Bill Dean (R-Xenia), and Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek) will present her with a resolution acknowledging this accomplishment on the House floor in the Ohio Statehouse.
In 2016, Central State University was ranked among the top universities in the country, according to national polls College Choice, Affordable Schools.net and GoodCall 2016 Best Schools. U.S. News and World Report ranked Central State fifth in the nation for providing the most affordable out-of-state tuition resulting from the university’s reduction in surcharge for out-of-state incoming and continuing students by more than 70 percent.
More achievements under Jackson-Hammond’s leadership include the development of a new School of Agricultural Education and Food Science, a Department of Agricultural Sciences, a degree program in sustainable agriculture and extension services to advance the university’s land-grant mission.
