Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, a native of Alabama, rejoins the Shaw University family as interim president, having served in the post for more than a year in 2009 and 2010. Her appointment in June 2009 made her the University’s first female president. Dr. Yancy previously served as the twelfth president of Johnson C. Smith University and was the first female elected to hold that post. She 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), with further study at the University of Singapore, Hampton University, Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago), Northwestern University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
During her tenure as president of Johnson C. Smith University, Dr. Yancy completed two significant capital campaigns; raising over $142 million in those campaigns alone.
She has taught in some of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world. At Georgia Tech, she was the first African American to be promoted and tenured as a full professor. Dr. Yancy was the first American to lecture at the Academy of Public Administration and Social Studies of the Small Hural in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, in 1991. She has also published over 40 articles and labor arbitration cases in academic journals. Dr. Yancy serves on the Board of Trustees of Saint Augustine’s College, Raleigh, NC and Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA. She is a member of numerous honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and she has received countless awards and recognitions.