Pesident of UNCF to Retire Next Year
Bill Gray to Retire from UNCF
After a 12-year career with the minority higher education assistance organization, the former congressman will focus on his church roots
By Alexis McCombs
William H. Gray, former congressman and the first African American chairman of the House Budget Committee, has announced his resignation as president and CEO of the UNCF (United Negro College Fund, Inc.). Effective March 31, 2004, Gray's 12 year-old leadership torch will be passed to an unknown replacement."I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with a dedicated group of college presidents, corporate board members, and staff to provide resources and educational opportunity for hundreds of thousands of students,� Gray says. �It is now time to retire, spend more time with my family, and conclude my parish ministry."
Under Gray's reign, not one penny was wasted on furthering the education of African American students, raising $1.54 billion (more than half of the $2.2 billion raised in UNCF history). Currently, 65,000 students are being supported by the UNCF at over 950 colleges and universities -- something that students and faculty will not soon forget.
"I think I speak for everyone in the higher education community when I say that Bill Gray's enthusiasm and dedication to guaranteeing educational opportunities for every deserving student were two of the keys to his success," Dr. Dorothy Yancy, president of Johnson C. Smith University, boasts in a statement.
Tanikka Dennison can certainly relate. Because of "Gray's leadership, I was able to take advantage of a college education," she says. The St. Augustine College business major was named a Coca-Cola Scholar in 2002. After completing her internship as a Coca-Cola corporate intern, she received a $20,000 scholarship through Coca-Cola and the UNCF over the course of two years. In addition to Coca-Cola, The UNCF's Corporate Scholars Program, established by Gray, also works with UPS, Sprint, CVS, Ford, and Bank One.
Gray also reduced administration costs by relocating the organization's headquarters from New York to northern Virginia, and implemented a $280 million campaign used to assist member institutions in building endorsements and upgrading campus facilities.
These efforts are noted by Dr. Adib Shakir, a member of the Transition Management Team for Morris Brown College, charged with overseeing the school's strategic and financial recovery plan. The school recently lost its accreditation (see Morris Brown College Loses Appeal) for mishandling student financial aid and over the past 10 years has received over $24 million from the UNCF. Shakir describes Gray as "a change agent" that made the UNCF "much more efficient" and "centrally positioned on a platform of recognition and financial support."
Gray believes "Black colleges will continue to grow and thrive" as we've already seen African American college enrollment increase from 500,000 in 1970 to 2 million today. He also says that the UNCF will continue to assist black schools (which produce over 50% of all African Americans doctors and engineers); a trend UNCF has been following for the past 60 years.
As he prepares to move on, switching gears from education to religion at Brite Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia where his father and grandfather were pastors, Gray proclaims: [working with the UNCF] "has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life."
