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- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA (www.lincoln.edu) - Lincoln University President Ivory V. Nelson, Ph.D., who has achieved a national reputation for his distinguished leadership role in higher education, will be honored for his exemplary service and accomplishments during a program and reception on Wednesday, January 22, 2003, at 6 p.m., in Washington, D.C.
President Nelson, who has led Lincoln – America's first Historically Black University – since August 1999, will be recognized for his achievements during the unveiling and reception for the annual Gallery of Greats Calendar. Sponsored by the Miller Brewing Company, the event will be held at the Miller Government Affairs Office at 101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., in Washington.
For over 20, the company has produced the Gallery of Greats calendar in an effort to both acknowledge and honor individuals who have made a significant impact with the African-American community. This year, the company is partnering with the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to jointly salute educators.
"The 2003 Gallery of Greats theme, 'Turning Dreams Into Reality,' aptly reflects what you do everyday for the thousands of students who walk through your doors," Larry Waters, Miller's corporate relations manager, said in a congratulatory letter to President Nelson. "We are extremely proud to recognize your accomplishments through this very special event."
- President Nelson became the 12 president of Lincoln University on August 15, 1999. Before coming to Lincoln, he had served as the president of Central Washington University (CWU) for more than seven years. He was formally inaugurated as Lincoln's president on April 14, 2000. A trained chemist, President Nelson is listed among the world's top scientists. Under President Nelson's leadership, Lincoln University is being restored as the institution of choice for students seeking a world-class higher education. For the fall 2002-2003 academic years, Lincoln received a record 4,040 applications from students seeking admission to the University. It was the first time in the 149-year history of the University that Lincoln has received more than 4,000 student applications. The number of new student applicants represented a 26 percent increase. Currently, Lincoln enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate and graduates students.
- Lincoln has secured a comprehensive review of the University’s organizational and management structures from a leading marketing and research-consulting firm.
- The Board of Trustees adopted the University’s Statements of Vision, Mission, Philosophy, and Goals to provide an institutional framework for all of our current policies and operational procedures.
- Lincoln has completely eliminated a $1.2 million operating deficit.
- Lincoln has strengthened its senior management team by hiring new vice presidents for the University's four administrative divisions: Academic Affairs; Development and External Relations; Fiscal Affairs; and Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
- Lincoln has implemented a strategic marketing plan to reposition the University; redesigned its promotional logos and Web site; and created a new marketing slogan.
President Nelson has a record of active community and professional involvement throughout his 30-plus years in higher education. He is a member of the Oxford (Pa.) Mainstreet, Inc. Board of Directors; YMCA of the Brandywine Valley Board of Directors; Regional College and University Presidents Council; and the NCAA Division III Presidents Council.
He served on the board of directors of Key Bank of Washington and was a member of the Washington State Commission on Student Learning, by gubernatorial appointment. He also was a member of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Arts, State of Washington. President Nelson's career in higher education includes receiving the Fulbright Lectureship, teaching graduate and undergraduate chemistry, and serving as department head, assistant dean of academic affairs, and vice president for research.
President Nelson has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Kappa Delta Phi education honor society, Phi Kappa Phi, and Sigma Phi Sigma physics honor society. He has authored 11 technical publications in the field of analytical chemistry, a chapter in one book and a chapter in a monograph. He has secured extensive outside funding through grants and proposal writing. In addition, he has acquired significant funding from state legislatures to construct major academic facilities. His career in the corporate sector includes assignments as a research chemist for both Union Carbide and American Oil Company. President Nelson is profiled in a book entitled, Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century.
The Central Washington University Foundation honored President Nelson by establishing a $50,000 Ivory V. Nelson Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry, and the Board of Trustees of CWU passed a Resolution in August 1999 conferring on him the title of President Emeritus.
He graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University, in Louisiana, in 1959, with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, chemistry. He immediately entered the University of Kansas, Lawrence, where he graduated with the Doctor of Philosophy degree in analytical chemistry with high departmental honors.
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Founded in 1854 as America's first Historically Black University, Lincoln University provides the best elements of a liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of students living in a highly technological and global society.
From April 2003 through May 2004, the University will celebrate its sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, with an array of campus and external events, activities, and announcements.