Valerie Kinloch inaugurated as 15th president of Johnson C. Smith University

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Valerie Kinloch, a 1996 graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, was inaugurated Friday as the school’s 15th president — the second woman to hold the job in the school’s 157-year history.

Kinloch, 50, grew up in Charleston, S.C., and previously held administrative roles at The Ohio State University and Columbia University, among others.

In her inaugural address, she announced two new initiatives for the historically Black university, which was founded two years after the Civil War to educate men who had formerly been enslaved: Kinloch said the school would implement a strategy to increase student retention and begin a two-year partnership with the California-based Chabot College.

Kinloch also announced that Senator Raphael G. Warnock of Georgia will be this year’s commencement speaker.

“Today we celebrate both the university’s remarkable legacy and its boundless future under Dr. Kinloch’s leadership,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyes said during the ceremony, which was held at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Kinloch said her administration also would focus on increasing endowments and scholarships, supporting economic development in Charlotte’s West End, enhancing academic offerings, and increasing JCSU’s global footprint, especially in Caribbean and African nations.

Kinloch said the university would focus on addressing health disparities among students and maintaining a welcoming, secure safe campus and strong athletics program.

“I know that I am ready,” she said, “and I ask that you join me in either remaining ready or becoming ready to participate in this new era of excellence.”