Atlanta — September 12, 2001

Dr. Kofi Lomotey, senior vice president and provost at Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York (CUNY), today was named president of Fort Valley State University by the Board of Regents and University System of Georgia Chancellor Stephen R. Portch, effective Oct. 15, 2001.

A nationally recognized academician and author, Lomotey has been the senior vice president at Medgar Evers College since1998, and before that spent a year as the college’s vice president. He also has taught courses in the college’s Department of Education.

Prior to his arrival at Medgar Evers College, which has 5,000 students, he made history as Louisiana State University’s first African-American department chair. He headed and taught in LSU’s Department of Administrative and Foundational Services in the College of Education from 1992-1997. During his first two years as department chair, Lomotey facilitated a 500 percent increase in the number of African-American graduate students enrolled in the department, from seven students to 50. Ten of those students obtained master’s degrees, and five earned doctoral degrees. From 1995-1997, Lomotey also directed LSU’s Nubian Pre-Doctoral Academy, a summer program that encourages undergraduate African-American students to consider seeking doctoral or professional degrees.

Lomotey served as an associate professor and program coordinator for the educational administration program in the Graduate School of Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1991-1992; an assistant professor in the same graduate school from 1987-1991; an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Niagara University in New York from 1988-1992; an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Education at the University of California at Santa Cruz from 1985-1987; an adjunct instructor in the Department of Mathematics at Canada College in California from 1983-1984; an adjunct instructor in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies at Stanford University from 1978-1981; and an adjunct instructor in the Department of Black Studies at Oberlin College in Ohio from 1973-1977.

His administrative experience dates back to time spent as the principal of two private elementary schools he founded: Shule Ya Taifa in East Palo Alto, Calif., (from 1981-1987) and Shule Ya Kujitambua in Oberlin, Ohio (from 1973-1977).

He holds a Ph.D. in educational administration and policy analysis from Stanford University and two master’s degrees, one a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Cleveland State University and the other a master of arts degree in educational administration and policy analysis from Stanford. He also earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Oberlin College.

Commenting on the appointment, Portch said, “Lomotey brings great dignity, great intellectual strengths and enormous presence” to Fort Valley State. I have no doubt that the university will prosper and grow in new directions under the leadership of this superbly qualified candidate.”

He has six books to his credit - including “Sailing Against the Wind: African-Americans and Women in U.S. Education,” published in 1997 - and another one about to be published.

He is editor of the journal Urban Education, serves as national secretary/treasurer for The Council of Independent Black Institutions and is a member of the American Educational Research Association and the Advisory Panel for Readings in Equal Education.

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