INSTITUTE, W.Va. — There’s a new president at West Virginia State University.
The university’s Board of Governor’s named Dr. Anthony Jenkins as the 11th president during a news conference Tuesday at its campus in Institute.
Jenkins, formerly the senior associate vice president for student development and enrollment services at the University of Central Florida, was one of three finalists interviewed last month for the job.
“This is a dream come true,” Jenkins said. “I am a long way from the southeast side of Washington, D.C. And I’m not talking just distance; I’m talking about education, a life of twists and turn and being given great opportunities. This is the apex of my career in higher education. And I’m very excited.”
He will replace outgoing president Brian Hemphill who is leaving to become president of Radford University in Virginia. Jenkins said Hemphill had ensured a smooth transition.
“Once he got his notice of his new appointment, he could have simply left State and handed this off to the next president and said ‘good luck’,” Jenkins said. “A very quality gentleman, he is a scholar and he was committed to making sure that whoever had this role moving forward, that he would be a part of that successful transition.”
BOG Chair Ann Brothers Smith said all three finalists were quality candidates, but “one gem shined brighter than the others.”
“We were really–I won’t say disappointed–but we hated to lose Dr. Hemphill. But now we think we’ve found a perfect match in Dr. Jenkins and we’re really pleased about that,” Smith said.
Jenkins said he wasn’t concerned about transitioning from a large school like UCF to a smaller environment like WVSU.
“For me it isn’t a huge transition. Prior to my joining the University of Central Florida, which is the second-largest university in the nation, I was at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which is the second-smallest institution in the Maryland system.”
Jenkins will take on the new role July 1st.