Makola M. Abdullah is the 14th President of

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...

(VSU). Prior to his appointment as president of Virginia State University, Abdullah served as provost and senior vice president at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. (2013-2016), provost and vice president for academic affairs at

Florida Memorial University Florida Memorial University is a private historically black university in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is a member of the United Negro College Fund and historically related to Baptists although it claims a focus on broader Christianity. History ...

in Miami Gardens, Fla. (2011-2013), and dean and director of 1890 land grant programs at

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

in Tallahassee, Fla (2008-2011).

Early life and education

Abdullah is a Chicago native, graduating from

Lake Forest Academy Lake Forest Academy (also known as LFA) is a co-educational college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12. The school is located on the North Shore in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States, about 30 miles north o ...

in 1986 where he also served as a school trustee. He earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University in civil engineering and his doctorate and master's degrees in civil engineering from

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 ...

. He is the youngest African American to receive a Ph.D. in engineering.

Career

Abdullah served as Dean and Director of 1890 Land Grant Programs in the FAMU College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture from 2008 to 2011. Prior to this appointment, Abdullah served as Associate Vice President for Research. From 2011 to 2013, Abdullah served as Florida Memorial's chief academic officer, overseeing all academic, research, and institutional effectiveness programs while also leading the strategic planning and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation efforts. Abdullah began his leadership as provost and senior vice president at Bethune-Cookman in July 2013. Over a three-year tenure, he over saw the establishment of the College of Undergraduate Studies to centralize all academic support units on campus. In July 2017, Abdullah was named the 'Male President of the Year' during the annual HBCU Awards. The following year, the institution earned the honor for 'HBCU of the Year.' Over the past five years, state appropriations to the university have increased by more than 30%, and research expenditures and fundraising have increased by 20%. Virginia State ranked as the No. 19 historically Black college or university on the 2019 U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings and created a new initiative to provide free tuition for an estimated 300 Pell eligible, first-time freshmen from area high schools.

Personal

Abdullah is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity He and his wife, Ahkinyala Cobb-Abdullah have two children. In March 2021, Abdullah gained national attention for a viral video in which he faked out a fellow student in basketball. A follow-up video showed Abdullah defeating the same student in a three-point shooting contest in the VSU gym a few weeks later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Makola Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Howard University alumni 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics Northwestern University alumni Florida A&M University faculty 21st-century African-American people Virginia State University faculty Bethune–Cookman University people Lake Forest Academy alumni African-American academic administrators Heads of universities and colleges in the United States