 "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. Ever.”
Although commonly known as “The Postman’s Creed,” the words above accurately describe the dedication of Marvalene Hughes, who was named Dillard University’s eighth, and first female, president just a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina caused more than $400 million in damage to the campus.
But not even the devastation of Katrina could prevent her from returning to Dillard!
Dr. Hughes came back. And more importantly, she came back strong, leading the university from the brink of extinction to a revived, restored, and rejuvenated campus.
Under Dr. Hughes’ leadership, Dillard has cut ribbons on a new state-of-the-art, 130,000 square foot LEED-certified Professional Schools and Sciences Building, as well as the first Student Union in Dillard’s 141-year history. The Student Union will include a Community Health and Wellness Center, recreational facility, and ballrooms that will be open to the public. This building will house the first community health center in this area since Katrina, making it a vital component in the rebuilding of the Gentilly neighborhood.
Prior to coming to Dillard, Dr. Hughes served as president of the University of California at Stanislaus, where she oversaw more than $70 million in infrastructural campus improvements, and was credited with increasing enrollment by 40 percent and achieving many national rankings for the first time in the institution’s history.
An international leader, Dr. Hughes delivered the keynote address at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China to the International Conference for Women University Presidents, of which she is a member.
Dr. Hughes received her undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University and her Ph.D. from Florida State University.
President Hughes' Bio
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