Howard University Hires Historian Ben Vinson III To Serve As School’s New President

Howard University has selected Ben Vinson III, a historian of Latin American studies, to serve as its new president.

According to The Hilltop News, Howard University’s newspaper, Vinson has been chosen as the university’s 18th president and will replace Wayne A.I. Frederick, who announced his plans to retire last year on Sept. 1, 2023.

“My message is that I’m passionate about education. It is one of the most important values that I have,” Vinson said during an interview with The Hilltop.

“I promise to work my hardest to be sure that I, to my very best with the Howard University community elevate that institution to the best of my ability. That is my heartfelt pledge to this community.”

The news of Howard’s new president was announced on May 2 and comes after the 156-year-old HBCU received $122 million for research funding and the hiring of elite writers Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coaste in 2021.

“Dr. Vinson is the right leader to usher Howard into its next era,” said Leslie Hale, vice chair of the university’s board of trustees, according to The New York Times.

“As a historian, he reveres the Howard legacy and brings a bold perspective of where Howard University should sit within the upper echelon of academic institutions.”

As a historian, Vinson’s publications include Africans to Spanish Americans and Black Mexico: Race and Society From Colonial to Modern Times, which examines the intersection of Latin America and the African diaspora.

Vinson obtained his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University. He has worked in higher education for 25 years, and this will be Vinson’s first time connected to an HBCU.

“I believe in paying it forward,” Vinson told The Hilltop News. “That’s how I’ve lived my life, and I’m excited to get a chance now to apply all the things that I’ve learned to be on the other side – rather than creating consortiums and networks with HBCUs – to actually be at an HBCU.”