Mable Parker McLean (1922 – January 27, 2012) was an American academic administrator who served two terms as president of

Barber–Scotia College Barber–Scotia College is a private unaccredited historically black college in Concord, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Scotia Seminary Barber–Scotia began as a female seminary in 1867. Scotia ...

from 1974 to 1988 and 1994 to 1996.

Life

McLean was born in 1922 and was raised near

Southern Pines Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census. History Southern Pines was founded as a winter health resort for Northeastern U ...

Moore County, North Carolina Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727. Its county seat is Carthage and its largest municipality is the Village of Pinehurst. It is a border county between the Pi ...

. Her mother died when she was nine years old and she was raised with her younger sister by aunts and her grandmothers. She moved from

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

in 1939. McLean completed her first two years of undergraduate studies at

, graduating in 1941. She finished a bachelor's degree in education from

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...

. McLean worked as an elementary school teacher. She served as an instructor at Bowie State University. She completed a master's degree in education at Howard University. She completed post-graduate studies at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. From 1947 to 1963, she was an instructor at Johnson C. Smith University. She was a professor and head of the elementary education department at Barber–Scotia College from 1963 to 1973. From 1973 to 1974, she was a college dean. In 1974, McLean became its ninth president, succeeding John Gresham. She was the first female president. At the time, she was the nation's only Black woman college president. She was succeeded by Tyrone Burkette in 1988. In 1986, she became the first female elected chair of the council of presidents of the

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Black College Hall of Fame. From 1994 to 1996, she returned to Barber–Scotia College as its president, succeeding Asa T. Spaulding Jr.. She served as its interim president in 2006.

Personal life

McLean married Earl McLean, her high school sweetheart in 1955. They had a son. Earl died in 1981. McLean died on January 27, 2012, from heart failure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Mable Parker 1922 births 2012 deaths People from Carthage, North Carolina Barber–Scotia College alumni Barber–Scotia College faculty Johnson C. Smith University alumni Johnson C. Smith University faculty Bowie State University faculty 20th-century American women academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American academics African-American women academic administrators American women academic administrators African-American academic administrators Heads of historically black universities and colleges in the United States Women heads of universities and colleges