The board of regents of the Texas A&M University System has named Tomikia P. LeGrande as the sole finalist for president of Prairie View A&M University, Under Texas law, the appointment cannot be made official until after a 21-day waiting period. If approved, Dr. LeGrande would take office next summer, replacing Ruth Simmons who is stepping down as president at the end of the current academic year but will continue to teach at the university.
Prairie View A&M University enrolls more than 8,400 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 68 percent of the undergraduate student body.
“PVAMU has a strong legacy of transforming the lives of its students and contributing to the surrounding region and state of Texas, both educationally and economically,” Dr. LeGrande said. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, and community as we honor and build upon the university’s powerful legacy and upward trajectory.”
Since 2018, Dr. LeGrande has served as vice provost for strategic enrollment management at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Earlier, she was vice president for strategic enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown. Prior to her duties in Houston, Dr. LeGrande worked at North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University.
Dr. LeGrande is a graduate of Savannah State University in Georgia, where she majored in chemistry. She holds a master’s degree in chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and a doctorate in higher education administration from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.