4 HBCU Women Presidents You Need to Know Right Now 👑

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We're closing out March — and we're not letting Women's History Month go out quietly. This edition is dedicated to the women leading HBCUs right now, making history on the court, and keeping the community moving forward. One last celebration before we turn the page. Let's end the month on a high note. 💛

🔥 HBCU Women in Charge — 4 Presidents Running Things Right Now

Listen. Women's History Month isn't just about honoring the past — it's about recognizing who's showing up and showing out RIGHT NOW.

These four women aren't just holding titles. They're turning around institutions, securing bags, building pipelines, and expanding what's possible at HBCUs across the country. Put some respect on their names. 👑

Dr. Karrie G. Dixon — Chancellor, North Carolina Central University

Let that sink in — she's the first woman ever to lead two UNC System institutions.

Before arriving at NCCU in 2024, Dr. Dixon walked into Elizabeth City State facing a 60% enrollment decline and an accreditation warning. In six months, she reversed it. By the time she left, enrollment was up nearly 70%, she'd raised $25 million in private donations, and secured almost $300 million in state and federal funding for facilities and academic programs.

Now she's at NCCU — and the Eagles have posted the highest enrollment growth in the entire UNC System two years running.

The receipts don't lie. 🦅

Dr. Tomikia P. LeGrande — President, Prairie View A&M University

A two-time HBCU grad who came back to lead one. That's the story.

Dr. LeGrande — Savannah State undergrad, NC A&T master's — took the reins at PVAMU in 2023 and got straight to work. In 2024, she launched Journey to Eminence: 2035, a bold decade-long blueprint for student success, research, and community impact. In 2025, the SWAC gave her the Game ChangeHER Award for transformative leadership. And this week? Three Panthers are on the field at the NFL HBCU Showcase.

The program is rising — and she's the one driving it. 🐾

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis — President & CEO, Benedict College

First woman to lead Benedict College. First of many moves.

Since taking over in 2017, Dr. Artis has cut the college's debt by nearly $56 million, lowered tuition by 26%, launched Benedict's Women's Business Center, and landed a $7.9 million federal contract with the Office of Naval Research for the first graduate engineering program of its kind at a South Carolina HBCU.

And just last week? She signed a renewed five-year scholarship agreement with the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Ministry of Education — opening a jointly funded pathway for Bahamian students to study business, engineering, cybersecurity, public health, and more at Benedict starting 2026–27.

The board extended her contract through 2031. And we love to see it. 💪

Dr. Teresa Hardee — Interim President, Bennett College

Interim title. Permanent results.

Dr. Hardee stepped into the role at Bennett College in June 2025 — one of only two HBCUs in the country dedicated exclusively to women — on the eve of its 100th year as a women's college. In less than a year: enrollment up 17%, applications up 25%, first-time freshwomen up 63%, transfer students up 124%.

She also took home the Change Agent Award at the UNCF UNITE 2025 Conference. As Bennett prepares for its centennial, Dr. Hardee is making sure the Belles step into that next century stronger than ever. 👑

Women built HBCUs. Women are running them. And women are making history inside them every single week.

That's not a coincidence — that's the culture. 🔥

➡️ See where these HBCUs rank in 2026

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🏀 She Made NAIA History — and She's Just a Sophomore

So Kayla Lee at Fisk University just made NAIA history — and she's a sophomore.

In a single week, Lee became the first women's basketball player ever to win both Offensive AND Defensive Player of the Week honors since the awards were split. Not one. Both. At the same time.

That kind of two-way dominance is rare at any level. The fact that she's doing it as a sophomore at an HBCU on a national stage?

This is why HBCU culture hits different. 🏀

Women's History Month isn't just about who came before. It's about who's writing the record books right now.

➡️ Read about Kayla's historic week

The HBCU Awarefest Just Made History in Atlanta 🎤

Robert F. Smith's Student Freedom Initiative shut down State Farm Arena on March 26 — Jill Scott, John Legend, GloRilla, and more on stage for a cause. The goal: raise $100 million over five years and give HBCU students a real alternative to Parent PLUS loans across 72 campuses.

➡️ Read the full report

Three HBCUs in March Madness — First Time Since 1994 🏀

Tennessee State, Howard, and Prairie View A&M all earned NCAA Tournament bids this year. Howard picked up the program's first-ever tournament win — and the Howard vs. Michigan matchup drew 4.52 million viewers, helping power a record-setting opening day for the entire tournament.

➡️ Read more

JSU's Tramell Tillman Is Headed to the Marvel Universe 🎬

Emmy-winning Jackson State grad Tramell Tillman — you know him from Apple TV+'s Severance — just landed a role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, dropping in theaters July 31, 2026.

➡️ Read more

FICO Is Training the Next Generation of HBCU Data Scientists 🤖

FICO just expanded its Educational Analytics Challenge into its third year — and Dillard University is the newest HBCU to join the program. Eight HBCUs are now part of it, including Bowie State, Delaware State, Morehouse, Alabama A&M, NCCU, and Fayetteville State. Students get hands-on AI model building, weekly mentorship from FICO data scientists, financial support, and a direct pipeline to internship opportunities.

➡️ Read more

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📸 Straight from the Yard

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Women built HBCUs. Women are leading them. And women are still making history inside them every single week.

That's not a moment — that's a movement.

Keep showing love to your HBCU. 💛🖤

— HBCU Lifestyle

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