Dr. George Cooper, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities passed away on Sunday.
“George spent the majority of his life ensuring that students at our nation’s HBCUs were receiving a quality education and had the necessary resources to succeed and make their communities and our country better,” President Obama said in a statement regarding Dr. Cooper’s death. “George’s passing is a great loss for my Administration, the HBCU and higher education communities and for everyone that knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Diane, family and friends during this difficult time.”
A native of Tallahassee, FL, Cooper studied at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He continued his education at Tuskegee University and received his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana.
Cooper served on the faculty at several universities including Alabama A&M University, Tuskegee University and as President of South Carolina State University.
