Ruth Ray Jackson has recently been appointed as the seventeenth president of Langston University, which is a historically Black university located in Oklahoma.
She has been serving as an interim president for the last year. Langston University has over 1,800 undergraduate and 130 graduate students, with African Americans making up 79% of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Jackson has been associated with Langston University for the past decade. She first joined the university in 2014 as a professor and later became the dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences.
Four years later, she transitioned from faculty to administrative leadership, becoming associate vice president for student success in 2018. She was promoted to vice president of academic affairs one year later and held the position until she was appointed interim president.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community for their support throughout my tenure as interim president and now upon my appointment. I also extend my thanks to the presidential search committee for their significant contributions to the search process, and to the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents for placing their confidence in my vision to lead Langston University.”
Before her tenure with Langston University, Dr. Jackson spent 11 years with Louisiana State University Shreveport. During this time, she served as an associate professor of education, director of the master of education program, and chair of the education department. She served as a public school teacher and administrator in Louisiana before transitioning her career to higher education.
“I am honored to lead Langston University into its next chapter,” said Dr. Jackson. “I love this university and believe in its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Our mission must be focused on empowering students, celebrating student success, and contributing to the betterment of Oklahoma and beyond. Together, we will build upon Langston’s legacy and create a future where excellence knows no bounds.”
Dr. Jackson is a graduate of historically Black Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education and English and her master’s degree in educational leadership and administration. She earned a Ph.D. in education and human resource management at Colorado State University.
