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Cleveland Sellers named eighth president of Voorhees College
[Voorhees College] The Voorhees College Board of Trustees name Dr. Cleveland Sellers the eighth president of Voorhees College, a historically black Episcopal College in Denmark, South Carolina."Today, we celebrate this new era because it is a new chapter," said Dr. Marshall B. Bass, board chair. "After a nationwide search of which more than 50 qualified people who applied and after a very significant and exhaustive analysis of the documentation, as well as interviews, chats, talks, and recommendations, we are here today to present to you the president of Voorhees College, Dr. Cleveland Sellers."
For the past 15 years, Sellers has served as director of the African American studies program at the University of South Carolina. He is a 1962 graduate of Voorhees High School who went on to complete his undergraduate studies at Howard University, earn a master's degree in education from Harvard University and an Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
A civil-rights activist, Seller said as an alumnus of Voorhees he takes pride in knowing the institution helped him in "building character."
"Now, it is time for me to give back. With humility, I accept the opportunity to meet all the challenges," he said.
Sellers also stated that he is looking forward to leading Voorhees to a brighter future and continuing its mission of providing a quality education.
"Leading a historically black college is a political challenge, and indeed, leading Voorhees, a Christian institution, will have its challenges," he said. "But with genuine support of you, the students, faculty, staff, the alumni, along with partnerships with our Episcopal church, our local religious communities, the Denmark and Bamberg communities, and of course outreach with other institutions of higher learning, we will conquer all challenges at Voorhees."
Sellers will assume his new position with the start of the 2008-2009 academic year.
Voorhees College is a private, coeducational institution affiliated with the Episcopal Church. From its founding in 1897, it has evolved into a leading four-year liberal arts college fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.