Purdue News
Purdue NewsLincoln University Board of Curator President Yvonne Wilson said that Lincoln is fortunate to have recruited someone of Dr. Henson's caliber to lead the institution. "We had an outstanding field of candidates from which to choose our next president. It was no easy task determining which one of these fine individuals could best lead our institution into the next millennium,' she said. "I am comfortable and confident that we made the right choice by selecting Dr. Henson. His credentials and his track record speak for themselves."
On the announcement of Dr. Henson's appointment as president of Lincoln University, Purdue President Steven C. Beering issued the following statement: "David Henson is wonderfully qualified for this exciting opportunity. I am grateful for his time at Purdue. He has enhanced excellence throughout our vitally important student services area. We shall miss his wisdom and values, and his deep commitment to both higher education administration and student welfare."
Now Henson will have the opportunity to bring that same commitment to his duties at Lincoln University. Wilson commended the search team for recruiting such a leader in higher education administration to Lincoln's campus. "The search team was professional, discreet and got the job done in a timely manner," Wilson said.
She attributed the committee's effectiveness to the leadership of its chair, Curator Daniel Williams of St. Louis, Mo. "There were two things about which he was very serious ... that the committee be inclusive of the university family, the Jefferson City community and the alumni, and the committee maintain consistency as it reviewed the candidate's qualifications," she said. "He stressed the need for consistency from the beginning of the process until the end. Because of his commitment to that ideal, I can say that every candidate was treated the same throughout the process."
Henson was chosen from a field of 55 applicants. The seven-month search was facilitated by the search firm Academic Search out of Washington D.C.
The search team met for the first time on Oct. 29, 1996. In February, the committee screened the applications and selected 14 to move on to the reference check phase. Following the reference checks, six candidates were interviewed at a neutral site on April 5 and 6. The search team then narrowed the search to the three finalists. Henson was among the final three candidates chosen for the campus visits. The other two finalists were Dr. Edgar E. Roulhac, vice provost at John Hopkins University, and Dr. Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., dean of the School of Technology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Before serving in his present position as vice president for student services at Purdue, Henson also served as president and professor of chemistry at Alabama A&M. He holds the B.S. in biology from Florida A&M University, the M.Sc.Ed., in chemistry from Tuskegee University, and the Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Purdue Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert L. Ringel issued this
statement about Henson:
"The activities, programs and services overseen by Purdue's Office of Student Services
are an integral element of Purdue students' academic success. Under Dr. Henson's
caring stewardship, success has been assured for thousands of our students. On their
behalf, we offer out thanks and best wishes for a job well done."
Note: This news release was issued May 20 by Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
