INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Dr. Brian O. Hemphill was inaugurated as the 10th president of West Virginia State University (WVSU) on Saturday, Sept. 21, during an investiture ceremony in the P. Ahmed Williams Auditorium of Ferrell Hall.
The investiture ceremony featured remarks from state political and higher education leaders including: Kay Goodwin, cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts; Dr. Paul Hill, chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission; and Tom Susman, chair of the WVSU Board of Governors. The ceremony will also feature representatives of other higher education institutions in West Virginia.
Hemphill has served as president of WVSU since July 1, 2012. He came to WVSU following an eight-year tenure as vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management and associate professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU).
Prior to joining NIU, he served as an associate vice chancellor and dean of students at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and associate dean of students at University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
Hemphill served as a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Augustine’s College in North Carolina. He currently serves on the Charleston Area Alliance Board of Directors, the Thomas Health System Board of Trustees and as a member of the West Virginia Roundtable.
Hemphill earned a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from St. Augustine’s College.
Hemphill is married to Dr. Marisela Rosas Hemphill and has four children: Jada, 18, Jordan, 14, and twins Cruz and Catalina born in October 2012.