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West Virginia State names Pride as next president, becoming first woman in role

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The West Virginia State University has named Dr. Nicole Pride as the institution’s next president.

Pride, who has been serving as the vice provost for academic strategy and operations at North Carolina A&T State University, becomes WVSU’s 12th president and the first woman to be in that role.

Dr. Nicole Pride

The board of governors voted to offer her the position unanimously in a Thursday special session meeting, shortly before the university made it official.

“I am excited to join West Virginia State University. It is an institution with such a rich history, and I look forward to working with all the members of the State family to continue to advance its land-grant mission,” said Pride.

“The opportunities for the University in the years ahead to continue to meet the economic development and prosperity needs of the state and region are immense and I am honored to be selected to lead this growth.”

Pride was one of three finalists for the position to replace former WVSU President Anthony Jenkins who is now the president at Coppin State University in Baltimore. Dr. R Charles Byers, the interim president of WVSU since May 16, did not apply for the job on a permanent basis.

She told MetroNews while it’s humbling to be the first woman to lead the university in its 129-year history, there is still work to be done in the conversation of equality and inclusion in 2020.

“Whether the first woman in a position, the first African-American somewhere or the first LGBTQ, where there are firsts in those areas. As nice as those things are and as exciting as they are, I find it equally disappointing, if you will, that we are still having conversations about firsts in 2020,” she said.

“We will keep pressing so we can have a different conversation at another time about those kinds of things.”

According to West Virginia State University, Pride began her career in the corporate and non-profit sectors, and left the industry to begin her service in higher education at North Carolina A&T State University, one of the nation’s largest HBCUs. She served as principal liaison and senior adviser to the chancellor, a member of the chancellor’s executive cabinet, and provided strategic and operational support for internal and external constituencies, and held a faculty appointment at the university.

Prior to higher education, she served in numerous capacities at IBM including marketing program manager, corporate learning division, and manager of corporate community relations and public affairs for nearly a decade.

She said while her path to this position is non-traditional, the current climate demands broader skills.

“I think it’s important to note this is a non-traditional path,” Pride told MetroNews. “One because the non-traditional, if you look at the landscape of higher education, it has changed. As a result, the needs have changed which means all of the challenges in higher ed are different.

“It’s a skill set that would not be your traditional through the faculty ranks.”

Pride also served at North Carolina A&T as chief of staff and chief communications officer, responsible for communications, marketing, branding, media and public relations, and crisis communications. Prior to joining the university, Pride served as vice president for development and communications for Child Care Services Association in Chapel Hill, N.C.

During meetings on campus this week, Pride stated she would use her communication and marketing skills to rebrand WVSU. She reiterated those plans on Thursday to MetroNews but said it was premature to speak on exact plans.

“I have a lot of data collection to do initially to see what we are doing, where we are going, what’s happening, what we have done, and then take a look at that and begin help shape the efforts we would have in that space,” she said.

West Virginia State University has plans for in-person classes this fall even with COVID-19. The Yellow Jackets will begin the semester on Monday, Aug. 10, and will conclude on Friday, Nov. 20, prior to the university’s Thanksgiving break.

She said she will take the time to review plans and ensure the safety and faculty, staff and students.

Pride is an Orange, New Jersey native and mother to grown sons, Turner Jr. and Todd, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Her official starting date at WVSU is still in the works but Pride said she plans to be here for ‘the long haul.’

“The type of work that is required if you’re looking at data-driven decisions and the kind of changes that happen, don’t happen overnight,” she said.  “Whether you are in an industry or higher ed, typically if you stay the course you can see small gains for some time.

“But the significant impact really requires us to roll up our sleeves and do some hard work. That’s what I am looking forward to partnering with the university family to rolling up our sleeves and doing that work that is required of us to meet the needs.”





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