GREENSBORO -- After three years as president of Bennett College, Dr. Rosalind Fuse-Hall is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Now the institution is putting out the call for a new leader who can pick up the progress she started.
"Under Dr. Fuse-Hall's leadership, we also grew in a number of arenas. From USA News and World Report, we're number two with alumnae giving," said Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Bennett College interim president.
The Board of Trustees named Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins for an interim president while they search for a replacement.
"The first thing we have to keep in mind is it's about the institution, and it's about the young people who have the opportunity or get the opportunity to come and get a higher education and prepare them for jobs," said Dr. Gladys Robinson, a Bennett College Board of Trustees member.
They say Dawkins has the experience to keep the college on track.
"She came with tremendous experience from Cheyney State, from Johnson C. Smith where she has been in roles of academic achievement, but she's been in roles of making decisions about higher education," said Robinson.
This fall's enrollment is about 600 students, 100 to 200 fewer than average. Dawkins plans to focus on increasing enrollment. And she thinks some of the college's new offerings will help.
"We approved a new policy on prior learning where we are approving prior work experience as credit for courses. We changed the way we're delivering courses during the academic year. We've added two terms of a first term; they're two eight week terms," said Worthy Dawkins.
She also wants to explore adding new courses with the potential to attract more students and keep them here.
"We're probably going to focus a lot on programs according to the workforce need of North Carolina, Guilford County. Focusing on health sciences, technology programs, as well as forensic science programs as well," said Worthy Dawkins.
The Board of Trustees expects to name a president by next July.