Howard University elects a new president, a historian

They also attributed increased public and philanthropic investment. In 2020, the university announced that it had received a $40 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.

Still, students are impatient for change. In 2021, they held sit-ins and slept in tents protest against housing shortages and poor living conditions in the dorms, a concern common to many historically black universities with aging buildings. After a standoff lasting more than a month, the students reached an agreement with Howard and ended the protest.

The academic field of Dr. Vinson is in stark contrast to that of Dr. Frederick, the outgoing president, who is a Howard-trained surgeon. The search committee and university trustees turned next to a historian, with his focus outside the United States.

Dr. Vinson is a scholar of the African diaspora with a particular focus on colonial Latin America. He is the author of several books, including ‘Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico’.

Dr. Vinson, 52, spent his childhood on military bases in Italy, where his father was a sergeant in the US Air Force. Previously, he served as founder and director of the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he also taught history, and as dean of the liberal arts and sciences college at George Washington University.

Howard’s chairman of the board of trustees, Laurence C. Morse, said in a press release that Dr. Vinson had “demonstrated his commitment to increasing the diversity of experiences of people in the African diaspora – a commitment that aligns well with Howard University’s mission and vision.” Mr. Morse did not respond to an interview request.

In a statement, Case Western Reserve President Eric W. Kaler gave Dr. Vinson for leading the development of that university’s ambitious strategic plan and new general education requirements, and for increasing diversity in the recruitment of faculty and graduate students. President Kaler also said that Dr. Vinson was a strong supporter of the humanities at a time when some universities were cutting back on it.

“He is an exceptionally warm and empathetic person and will be a great leader for Howard,” he said.