Former Texas Southern President Appointed to Post

OBSERVER STAFF REPORT

Leonard Spearman

For the first time since its creation in 1980, the White House Initiative on Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) has an executive director who is a former president of an HBCU.

Leonard Spearman, former president of Texas Southern University and a former ambassador to two African countries, is the new executive director of the initiative.

"President Bush appointed Ambassador Spearman because he is uniquely qualified to lead the initiative and be an effective advocate for historically Black colleges and universities," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige.

"His knowledge of the challenges that HBCUs face and his broad range of experience in government and education make him valuable member of our team," Secretary Paige added.

On February 12, President Bush signed Executive Order 13256 establishing the presidentially appointed board of advisers as well as White House Initiative on HBCUs, located in the education department's office of the secretary.

The initiative provides staff and support for the HBCU board of advisers and assists the secretary as the liaison between the executive branch and the HBCUs.

The initiative also works with some 30 federal agencies to increase the ability of HBCUs to successfully compete for federal grants, contracts or federally sponsored programs.

Spearman served as president of Texas Southern University in Houston from 1980 to 1988, where he led initiatives to accredit the schools of law and pharmacy, to accredit its MBA degree program and to expand university resources and facilities.

He also served on then-Governor Bill Clements' blue ribbon task force for the desegregation of Texas colleges and universities.

In 1988, President Reagan appointed Spearman as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, where he serve until 1991 when he was appointed the ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Among his many accomplishments was establishing American schools in Rwanda and Lesotho.

A former Tallahassee high school science teacher and associate professor at Florida A&M University, Spearman served as professor and dean of the lower division of Southern University-Baton Rouge, which he established to help entering students transition to a collegiate environment.