James Arthur Hefner (June 20, 1941 – August 27, 2015) was president of

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

from 1991 to 2005.James A. Hefner (1991-2005)
/ref> Before serving as the president of Tennessee State University he served as president of

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. Earlier positions include provost of

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

, and professor of economics at

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

Early life

Born in

Brevard, North Carolina Brevard is a city in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Transylvania County. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and has become ...

, Hefner was the son of Cordie Killian and

Negro league The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Art Hefner. Although the Hefners were too poor to own books, James was soon recognized as exceptionally intelligent by his elementary school principal, and subsequently invited to visit her home and read her encyclopedias, an opportunity Hefner availed himself of every day after school for nearly eight years. Graduating as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

of his elementary class and

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...

of his high School, he matriculated to

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, where he was a class mate of

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

. Here, too, Hefner was singled out as an exceptionally able student, by Dr. Janieta Tate, Professor of Economics, who invited him to come to her house frequently to discuss economics. Graduating with a B.S. in Economics in 1961, Hefner earned a master's degree in economics two years later from

Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Founde ...

, where he later taught for several years. In the meantime, beginning in October 1963, Hefner served at least briefly on the faculty of

Benedict College Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts ...

. In 1971, he earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

. Hefner viewed his own role as carrying on the tradition of his teachers, encouraging young African-AmericansJames A. Hefner HBCU Piano Competition
/ref> to achieve their full potential.

Clark Atlanta University

The Review of Black Political Economy
/ref>

Jackson State University

Dr. James A. Hefner became the seventh president of Jackson State University on May 1, 1984, serving until April 1, 1991. Upon assuming the Presidency, he launched a five-year $10 million capital campaign generating $11.2 million a year ahead of schedule. This administration was characterized by enhancement of the scholarship program; establishment of a Community Development Corporation with the assistance of the Ford Foundation to improve the blighted area around the campus; organization of a Staff Senate; establishment of the Center for Professional Development and the Center of Technology Transfer, and expansion of programs through the Division of Continuing Education and the Universities Center.

Tennessee State University

During Hefner's 14-year tenure as president of Tennessee State University,Reveling in retirement
/ref> he oversaw the implementation of a $112 million capital improvement plan, secured as part of the Geier agreement that attempted to end race-based disparity in higher education spending in Tennessee. Several new buildings were built, including a campus center, an administration building, and a performing arts center. Enrollment reached an all-time high of 9,100 students.

Later life

After Hefner's retirement, he joined the Du Bois Institute as a Harvard Fellow.Harvard Fellow
Hefner was a member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity. He died of

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

on August 27, 2015 at the age of 74. He was survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Edwina Marvaline Long, and their three sons.SNS (November 1, 1963)
"Miss Edwina Long to Wed James Arthur Hefner, III"
''Alabama Tribune''. p. 3. Retrieved January 23, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hefner, James A. African-American academics Presidents of Jackson State University 2015 deaths Benedict College faculty Tennessee State University presidents Morehouse College faculty North Carolina A&T State University alumni University of Colorado alumni 1941 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people