President's Office
President’s Welcome
Welcome to the GREAT Bethune-Cookman University. This is a truly special institution with a rich spirit and legacy left us by our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, the world-renowned educator and champion for civil and human rights.
Carrying on her work is my life’s work – and the work of Bethune-Cookman University: teaching our students to be lifelong learners and leaders; addressing social issues through civic engagement; and creating an effective learning environment for students from diverse backgrounds.
This year, our dedicated faculty and staff are working to inspire our 3,633 students to fulfill their God-given potential. These students are academically accomplished, multi-talented and engaged in their communities.
In the four years since I became president of this great institution, we have achieved University status and enjoyed record-breaking enrollment. Our stewardship covenant ensures that B-CU stands on strong financial footing, with balanced budgets, strong financial ratings and an endowment that has nearly doubled since 2004.
Our students are academically accomplished, multi-talented and spiritually engaged. Through the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, our students embrace their faith while they attend B-CU. Many of this year’s graduates are pursuing advanced degrees, and all of our graduating nursing students had secured jobs by the time of commencement. Nine student musicians were tapped for the Florida Music Education Association 2008 Intercollegiate Band and one was selected for the first-ever Fox Music Experience Internship in Los Angeles.
Everyday, our faculty and staff inspire students to fulfill their God-given potential. Many are involved in professional development programs that bring innovation and a global perspective to our campus. Others are receiving accolades for research – such as Dr. Michael Reiter whose work in environmental science led to B-CU being selected for a prestigious federally funded research program.
On campus, we are committed to creating an effective learning environment. This year, we opened the new L. Gale Lemerand School of Nursing Building which includes state-of-the-art technology-equipped classrooms and skills labs and expanded capacity for increased enrollment.
Finally, interwoven in everything at B-CU is a commitment to leadership development and civic engagement. Through programs like the Black Male Think Tank and the President’s Beachside Chats, students learn to play an active role in their education. They look outward with efforts like the Black Male Explorers Program which provides support to young black males in the community and the Odessa Chambliss Wellness Center, our nurse-managed community health clinic
We are committed to sustaining her legacy of faith, scholarship and service – and reinvigorating it for a new generation of students.
Trudie Kibbe Reed, Ed.D.
President
Bethune-Cookman University
