Contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
In May, President Lily D. McNair appointed seasoned higher education administrator Dr. Shirley A. Friar as ۿ۴ýUniversity’s new chief of staff. Friar will provide vital leadership to high-level initiatives, programs and activities in and on behalf of the Office of the President, as well as in support of the university’s overarching mission and institutional identity.
“I am confident that Dr. Friar will provide the leadership necessary to assist ۿ۴ýUniversity achieve its goal of remaining a highly ranked HBCU known for its ‘excellence in every way,” said President Lily D. McNair. “I look forward to working with her as we address priorities and initiatives that will further ۿ۴ýacademically and operationally.”
Friar’s higher education career includes executive, administrative and teaching appointments at Jarvis Christian College, Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, the University of Maryland at College Park, and Lane College, where she served its president in a similar capacity for more than eight years. In her work on Tuskegee’s behalf, and as a member of the President’s Cabinet, she will utilize her vast professional and consulting experience in strategic initiatives and planning, institutional accreditation, academic affairs, policy-making, university and athletics compliance, admissions and financial aid, fundraising and grantsmanship.
Most recently, Friar served as senior advisor for Excelencia in Education, a higher education research and policy-oriented organization based in Washington, D.C. In this role, she formed partnerships with various higher education associations and foundations to support student success initiatives at minority-serving colleges and universities.
Prior to earning her doctoral degree in accounting with minor fields in information systems, statistics, and decision sciences from the University of Texas at Austin, she earned an MBA at the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in commerce from the University of Santa Clara. She has taught, presented and published research on a variety of topics relating to business and accounting, including the role of race and gender in student achievement and gender inequities in higher education.
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