Jamel Santa Cruze Bell to Lead Eureka College in Illinois

The board of trustees of Eureka College in Illinois has named Jamel Santa Cruze Bell as interim president of the educational institution, effective July 1, 2016. The college hopes to begin a search for a permanent president in 2017 with the goal that a new president is installed in 2018.

Eureka College enrolls about 650 students, all undergraduates. Women make up 56 percent of the student body. When she take office next July, Dr. Bell will become the first woman and the first African American to lead the college in its 161-year history.

Dr. Bell joined the staff at the college in 2014 and currently serves as vice president for strategic and diversity initiatives. She previously held positions at Boston College and Saint Louis University.

Dr. Bell is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph and holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Kansas.