Dr. John K. Waddell

President of Denmark Technical College (SC)

Past President (at the time of interview), Paul Quinn College

Educational Background:

Florida State University, Ed. D., 1992
Higher Education Administration

University of South Carolina, M.S.
Student Personnel Administration

University of South Carolina, B.A.
Secondary Education (Social Studies)

##

By Doris Gilliam, Sept. 2007

According to an article in the September 2001 issue of Ebony Magazine, “Few jobs are as difficult and as demanding and as essential as the job of the Black college president who is, among other things, an administrator, teacher, public relations agent, fundraiser, motivator, parental surrogate, civil rights leader and confessor.” Dr. John K. Waddell, President of Paul Quinn College and FSU alumnus of the Higher Education Administration program tackles his complex role as President with vigor. In a recent interview with Dr. Waddell, he shared his experiences as a college president and the contributions that the Florida State community made to his success.

Dr. Waddell doesn’t recall making a conscious decision to become a college president. Instead he vividly recalls a pair of life-changing events that ultimately led to the presidency. The first occurred while pursuing a Law degree at the University of South Carolina. A brief, but fortuitous meeting at the Student Union with then USC Dean of Students, Jerry Brewer, encouraged him to change his professional plans from Law School to Graduate School. Subsequently, he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Student Personnel from the University of South Carolina. The second event occurred in a meeting with Dr. John Sutusky, an FSU alum who was serving as Vice Chancellor of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Recognizing Dr. Waddell’s leadership potential, Dr. Sutusky initiated a dialogue with members of the FSU Higher Ed program and twenty four hours later, Dr. Waddell would become a doctoral student at Florida State. In 1992, Dr. Waddell earned his Ed.D. degree in Higher Education Administration. As Dr. Waddell modestly states in the interview, “It all worked out.”

In July of 2006 Dr. Waddell became the thirty third president of Paul Quinn College, a Historically Black AME church college in Dallas, Texas. In explaining his decision to accept the challenge of leading Paul Quinn, he points to Paul Quinn’s rich history, its dedicated students and its vision to “raise the bar” of academic standards. According to President Waddell, “Paul Quinn is located in an urban area of tremendous corporate opportunities and is positioning itself for continued growth.” He previously served as President of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina (1998-2001) and Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia (2001-2006).

Dr. Waddell’s leadership style has been described as dynamic, creative and even visionary. In a role that is simultaneously idolized and maligned, Dr. Waddell has accomplished the task of leading institutions through academic, financial and political challenges. He describes himself as a change agent who has made a career of serving small, financially-challenged institutions. President Waddell believes one of his strengths is in bringing energy and a new perspective to each institution that he leads. His more notable accomplishments include leading Allen University through SACS re-accreditation and stabilization of financial operations at Saint Paul’s College. As a multimillion dollar fundraiser he consistently embraces partnerships that improve the quality of student life. Dr. Waddell revels in the opportunity to address policy issues specific to the Historically Black College membership through his membership on the White House Board for Historically Black Colleges.

According to Dr. Waddell, the job of president is complex “... but ninety-nine percent of it consists of sharing the institution’s story and of making new friends for the college.” States Waddell, “…a great amount of what a president does is resource acquisition. In the larger institutions it is called fundraising. For smaller colleges, resource acquisition may not simply refer to the acquisition of cash, it may involve securing grants, contracts and scholarship opportunities (for students).” Dr. Waddell adds that it is the president’s role to make new friends for the college, work with the Board of Trustees, and create and execute the institution’s vision. On the academic side, it is the president’s job to work with the Academic Vice President and Provost to ensure that academic criteria are met. He perceives a president’s role as that of ensuring that external and internal constituents understand the institution’s agenda, with the result of creating a better institutional environment. Commenting on the rewards and challenges of serving as an administrator of a Historically

Black College, he pointed to the fact that he enjoys the people, the dialogue and the opportunity to influence the lives of today’s youth. Dr. Waddell’s greatest challenge is one shared by many college and university presidents, that of being able to share the story of a financially-challenged institution with corporations and business leaders.

Dr. Waddell fondly remembers Dr. Hardee as a professor who loved FSU students. Her high expectations motivated students to excel. He remembers what he described as “unique” interactions with Dr. Hardee in which she offered him practical advice on how to approach the graduate experience. In creating the Life Net, President Waddell believes that Dr. Hardee was instrumental in assisting students become “…well-rounded, thinking people who serve others.” Dr. Waddell affirmed the comments of many FSU Higher Ed alums in stating that Dr. Hardee was “…a wonderful person who was very special.”

President Waddell offers the following words of advice to future students in Higher Ed. “Take a broad perspective of Higher Education. Find the area that you love and that you have the most interest in. Align yourself with an array of experiences, such as in a policy agency or as faculty so that your purpose in Higher Education becomes clear.”

A president’s day is filled with innumerable rewards and challenges, but this FSU alum always takes time to remember FSU and its Higher Education Administration program as “the most wonderful place in the world.”


				Dr. John K. Waddell President of Denmark Technical College (SC) Past President (at the time of interview), Paul Quinn College Educational Background: Florida State University, Ed. D., 1992 Higher Education Administration University of South Carolina, M.S. Student Personnel Administration University of South Carolina, B.A. Secondary Education (Social Studies) ## By Doris Gilliam, Sept. 2007 According to an article in the September 2001 issue of Ebony Magazine, “Few jobs are as difficult and as demanding and as essential as the job of the Black college president who is, among other things, an administrator, teacher, public relations agent, fundraiser, motivator, parental surrogate, civil rights leader and confessor.” Dr. John K. Waddell, President of Paul Quinn College and FSU alumnus of the Higher Education Administration program tackles his complex role as President with vigor. In a recent interview with Dr. Waddell, he shared his experiences as a college president and the contributions that the Florida State community made to his success. Dr. Waddell doesn’t recall making a conscious decision to become a college president. Instead he vividly recalls a pair of life-changing events that ultimately led to the presidency. The first occurred while pursuing a Law degree at the University of South Carolina. A brief, but fortuitous meeting at the Student Union with then USC Dean of Students, Jerry Brewer, encouraged him to change his professional plans from Law School to Graduate School. Subsequently, he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Student Personnel from the University of South Carolina. The second event occurred in a meeting with Dr. John Sutusky, an FSU alum who was serving as Vice Chancellor of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Recognizing Dr. Waddell’s leadership potential, Dr. Sutusky initiated a dialogue with members of the FSU Higher Ed program and twenty four hours later, Dr. Waddell would become a doctoral student at Florida State. In 1992, Dr. Waddell earned his Ed.D. degree in Higher Education Administration. As Dr. Waddell modestly states in the interview, “It all worked out.” In July of 2006 Dr. Waddell became the thirty third president of Paul Quinn College, a Historically Black AME church college in Dallas, Texas. In explaining his decision to accept the challenge of leading Paul Quinn, he points to Paul Quinn’s rich history, its dedicated students and its vision to “raise the bar” of academic standards. According to President Waddell, “Paul Quinn is located in an urban area of tremendous corporate opportunities and is positioning itself for continued growth.” He previously served as President of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina (1998-2001) and Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia (2001-2006). Dr. Waddell’s leadership style has been described as dynamic, creative and even visionary. In a role that is simultaneously idolized and maligned, Dr. Waddell has accomplished the task of leading institutions through academic, financial and political challenges. He describes himself as a change agent who has made a career of serving small, financially-challenged institutions. President Waddell believes one of his strengths is in bringing energy and a new perspective to each institution that he leads. His more notable accomplishments include leading Allen University through SACS re-accreditation and stabilization of financial operations at Saint Paul’s College. As a multimillion dollar fundraiser he consistently embraces partnerships that improve the quality of student life. Dr. Waddell revels in the opportunity to address policy issues specific to the Historically Black College membership through his membership on the White House Board for Historically Black Colleges. According to Dr. Waddell, the job of president is complex “... but ninety-nine percent of it consists of sharing the institution’s story and of making new friends for the college.” States Waddell, “…a great amount of what a president does is resource acquisition. In the larger institutions it is called fundraising. For smaller colleges, resource acquisition may not simply refer to the acquisition of cash, it may involve securing grants, contracts and scholarship opportunities (for students).” Dr. Waddell adds that it is the president’s role to make new friends for the college, work with the Board of Trustees, and create and execute the institution’s vision. On the academic side, it is the president’s job to work with the Academic Vice President and Provost to ensure that academic criteria are met. He perceives a president’s role as that of ensuring that external and internal constituents understand the institution’s agenda, with the result of creating a better institutional environment. Commenting on the rewards and challenges of serving as an administrator of a Historically Black College, he pointed to the fact that he enjoys the people, the dialogue and the opportunity to influence the lives of today’s youth. Dr. Waddell’s greatest challenge is one shared by many college and university presidents, that of being able to share the story of a financially-challenged institution with corporations and business leaders. Dr. Waddell fondly remembers Dr. Hardee as a professor who loved FSU students. Her high expectations motivated students to excel. He remembers what he described as “unique” interactions with Dr. Hardee in which she offered him practical advice on how to approach the graduate experience. In creating the Life Net, President Waddell believes that Dr. Hardee was instrumental in assisting students become “…well-rounded, thinking people who serve others.” Dr. Waddell affirmed the comments of many FSU Higher Ed alums in stating that Dr. Hardee was “…a wonderful person who was very special.” President Waddell offers the following words of advice to future students in Higher Ed. “Take a broad perspective of Higher Education. Find the area that you love and that you have the most interest in. Align yourself with an array of experiences, such as in a policy agency or as faculty so that your purpose in Higher Education becomes clear.” A president’s day is filled with innumerable rewards and challenges, but this FSU alum always takes time to remember FSU and its Higher Education Administration program as “the most wonderful place in the world.”