Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum to retire in June 2015

Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum. PHOTO/File

Beverly Daniel Tatum the president of the all-female historically Black Spelman College has announced that she will retire next year.

Her retirement, announced in conjunction with the close of a record-setting US$157.8 million, fundraising campaign, is effective June 30.

Tatum has been president of Spelman College for 12 years. During her term, she launched the fundraising campaign to increase scholarship support for students, provide additional investment in faculty and academic programs, and complete capital improvement projects at the HBCU.

In addition to being a leader in higher education, Tatum is also a recognized expert on race relations and an author. She was one of 4 college presidents in the United States to receive the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award in 2013. She was the first award recipient from an HBCU.

Prior to becoming the president of Spelman College, she taught and served as dean at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

Her retirement announcement comes 3 months after a similar announcement by Clark Atlanta University President Carlton Brown. In April, Clark Atlanta’s president, Dr. Carlton E. Brown announced that he would be retiring in June next year.