Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR is the eighth president of Dillard University. Having built a robust resume in higher education administration and instruction, President Ford has earned a stellar reputation as a hands-on, transformative leader. Prior to taking the helm at Dillard, she served as the dean of the School of Communications at Elon University, the second to serve in that position in the university’s history. There, she led more than 80 faculty and 1,500 students with six undergraduate major programs of study and one graduate program.
Under President Ford’s leadership at Elon, the School of Communications experienced an enrollment increase of approximately 15% between 2018 and 2021. She also hired more than 10 full-time faculty and more than 10 part-time instructors. President Ford led a reorganization of the academic departments to provide students with more access to administrators, improved faculty and student mentoring, and strengthened academic curriculum and industry partnerships. President Ford also created an industry advisory task force to assist communications faculty to develop curriculum and begin securing funding for a new health communications program focused on creating internships, service learning, undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities.
