Two Women Presidents Announce They Are Stepping Down

Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, has announced that she plans to retire but is willing to continue serving in the role until her successor is named. Dr. Simmons came out of retirement in 2017 to lead the historically Black university.

“I remain 100 percent committed to this amazing institution that has, throughout the decades since its founding, kept the dream of equality, justice and opportunity alive for so many,” President Simmons said. “I am proud of that legacy. It is one that I honor, and it is one that I will always continue to serve.”

Dr. Simmons served as the eighteenth president of Brown University, the Ivy League educational institution in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2001 to 2012. Before becoming president of Brown University, Dr. Simmons was president of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Earlier, she was vice provost at Princeton University in New Jersey and provost at Spelman College in Atlanta.

Dr. Simmons is a native of Houston and is a product of the city’s public school system. She is a graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans and holds a Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures from Harvard University.

Bethany Bullock, president of Northeast State Community College in Blountville, Tennessee, has resigned from her position. She will take some time with her family and return to the college this fall as a professor of business.

“Being president has been such a rewarding gift. I want to thank the Chancellor, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and the faculty and staff for selecting me as president in January of 2019 to move the college forward during a season of recovery and renewal,” Dr. Bullock said. “Little did we know that a global pandemic was around the corner, and the college would again be allowed to demonstrate its grit, growth, and grace during these past three years, as well.”

Dr. Bullock holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.