After more than 32 years of dedicated service to Harris-Stowe State University, the Board of Regents announced today that Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. plans to retire as president of the University.
The announcement was made at a mid-morning press conference in the Bank of America Theatre at the Emerson Performance Center on the campus of Harris-Stowe.
“Today is a historic milestone for the University,” said Thelma V. Cook, chairperson of the Board of Regents. “The impact Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. has made on this University, as well as the St. Louis community overall is simply unmatched. He has overseen the renaissance of this institution over the past 32 years. His unwavering dedication and passion for the students at Harris-Stowe, as well as his commitment to providing them with affordable, accessible higher education option is heroic. Upon his retirement, the legacy he will leave behind is without equal and is a great testament to his leadership during the past three decades.”
A search committee has already been put in place to begin the process of selecting the University’s next president. Thelma Cook, chairperson of the Board of Regents,is leading the committee, which will conduct an extensive nationwide search.
International consultant, Dr. Bernard Watson will also be working closely with the committee on the identification and interviewing of candidates. Dr. Watson was the co-author and editor of Harris-Stowe State University’s strategic plan and has been deeply involved in the University’s development over the past 20 years.
A native St. Louisan, Dr. Givens has been president of Harris-Stowe State University since 1979. Under his leadership, the University has greatly expanded its degree programs, tripled its enrollment, increased its facilities from one building to seven and changed its status from College to University. These changes include the new state-of-the-art William L. Clay, Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting Education Center and the Rev. Dr. William G. Gillespie Residence Hall and Student Center, the institution’s first on-campus housing in its long history of more than 150 years. An eighth building, a second residence hall, is currently under construction and is schedule to open in July 2011.
Additionally during Dr. Givens’ tenure, Harris-Stowe opened its Anheuser-Busch School of Business at a satellite campus in south St. Louis.
“Today is a bittersweet day for me,” Dr. Givens said. “I am so proud of what my team has been able to accomplish during my tenure at Harris-Stowe. But I know for certain, this is only the beginning of greatness for Harris-Stowe State University. As I transition into retirement, I look forward to working with the next president of the University to help them build on the foundation that has been laid. I will be handing over the keys to a true gem of an institution within the St. Louis community. And I look forward in my retirement to continuing to see the University grow and prosper, as well as being able to spend more time with my family.”
Dr. Givens was educated in the St. Louis Public Schools and earned his baccalaureate degree at Lincoln University. He received his master’s degree at the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. at Saint Louis University, and he studied higher education administration at Harvard University. He began his career in education as a teacher in the Webster Groves School District before becoming principal of the first prototype magnet school in the nation. Before leaving the district, he held the post of assistant to the superintendent of schools and became the first African-American to serve Missouri as Assistant Commissioner of Education.
At the request of the governor of Missouri, Dr. Givens became interim president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, during a financial crisis in 1987, while continuing his duties at Harris-Stowe. Such an appointment was without precedent in Missouri public higher education.
Dr. Givens has served in the past and present on local, national and international groups as a consultant, including the U.S. State Department at its American School in Lima, Peru. Additionally, he currently serves on 15 local, state and national boards and commissions, and on local and national Corporate Boards of Directors, namely, the White House’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board, Peabody Energy Inc., U.S. Bank (Regional), and Automobile Club of Missouri (AAA).
Dr. Givens is affiliated with numerous national and local professional and social organizations and has received more than 125 national, state and local awards and recognitions, including honorary doctorates from Saint Louis University, Lincoln University and Washington University.
