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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. RONNIE HOPKINS, THE TENTH PRESIDENT OF VOORHEES COLLEGE, FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CAREER IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR NEARLY THREE DECADES AND TO WISH HIM LASTING ACADEMIC SUCCESS AT VOORHEES COLLEGE.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to learn that the Board of Trustees of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, officially appointed Dr. Ronnie Hopkins as the college's tenth president on July 9, 2021; and
Whereas, Dr. Hopkins earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1986 from North Carolina Central University and a master's degree in 1991 and a doctorate in 1994, both in English from Michigan State University, finished postdoctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995, and received an honorary doctorate in 2016 from Saint Monica University in Buea, Cameroon; and
Whereas, he served as chair and professor of English for the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Claflin University and vice president for student affairs at Allen University; and
Whereas, formerly, Dr. Hopkins served as the founding dean of the Freshman Institute and a professor of English; chair and professor of English in the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Mass Communication; dean of the School of Continuing Education, Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning; and founding dean of the School of Honors at Benedict College; and
Whereas, prior to serving as Voorhees' interim president, he was a tenured professor of English there and was appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs and accreditation liaison; and
Whereas, author of over forty million dollars in grant awards for higher education, Dr. Hopkins serves as an on-site evaluator on the Reaffirmation Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and he is a member in the Class of 2020 Executive Leadership Academy sponsored by the American Academic Leadership Institute to prepare college administrators to become successful presidents and chancellors; and
Whereas, Dr. Hopkins is founder and CEO of Possible Worlds Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides full-service career strategic directions and opportunities in education and employment for disenfranchised citizens impacted by homelessness, incarceration, and HIV/AIDS; and
Whereas, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first African American, inter-collegiate Greek-letter fraternity, he specializes in critical issues in teaching English, reading and composition theory, and African American language and literacy. He authored Educating Black Males: Critical issues in schooling, community and power, as well as scholarly journal articles, and he co-published Leadership Challenges at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: The benefits of collaboration; and
Whereas, Dr. Hopkins, a Fulbright-Hays and Mellon international scholar, has provided academic research and presentations in Africa, South America, the Republic of China, Mexico, and Jamaica, and he is founder and senior artistic director for NGOMA African Cultural Performance Troupe, founded in 1994 at Norfolk State University which has continued to the present; and
Whereas, a faithful member of the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road in Columbia, Dr. Hopkins has served on the board directors of the University of South Carolina's McKissick Museum, the Joseph H. Neal Wellness Center, the Midlands Community Development Corporation, the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates as an international ambassador, and the South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation and on its Commission; and as chairman of the board of Boys House Foster Care Program in Columbia; and
Whereas, his walk of faith is summarized in Joshua 24:15: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, the tenth president of Voorhees College, for his outstanding career in higher education for nearly three decades and wish him lasting academic success at Voorhees College.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Ronnie Hopkins.
This web page was last updated on April 7, 2022 at 11:36 AM