Dr. Lamar J. White, vice president for student affairs, will assume the role on December 28, 2020, and will lead all areas in student services to include enrollment services, financial aid, residence life, student activities, student conduct, student health services and Upward Bound. He replaces Ms. Avis Howell-Gathers, who retired as Denmark Technical College’s vice president for student services on December 1, 2020.
Dr. White’s career in higher education spans over a decade with experiences ranging from providing counseling, crisis intervention in urban cities, evaluation/research and higher education administration. Dr. White has amassed experiences from Youth Family Services of Atlanta Georgia, Atlanta Public Schools, Miles College School of Education, Howard’s Trio-Program/Student Support Services, Howard University Capstone Educational Research Institute, Howard University Department of Residence Life as Interim Dean and at Morehouse College as Assistant Dean of Residence Education and Associate Dean of Housing. Dr. White has supervised staff ranging in size from ten to twenty-five.
Dr. White joins us from Clark Atlanta University where he served as the director for the Office of Residence Life and Student Development, where he focused on the holistic development of the students through the promotion of an integrated living/learning experience by optimizing student opportunities to promote self-discovery, personal and professional growth and knowledge obtainment through active student engagement. Dr. White’s publications include “Communal and Individual Learning Contexts as They Relate to Mathematics Achievement Under Simulated Classroom Conditions” in the Journal of Black Psychology as well as “Investigating the Impacts of Interpersonal Teaching Styles and Cultural Learning Context on Student-Engagement, Student Mattering, and Academic Performance Among African American College Students”.
“The hire comes at a pivotal time in Denmark Technical College’s history as we have recently launched a new strategic plan and are excited about the wealth of experience, innovation, and theory-based practices that Dr. White will bring to our students, faculty and student service professionals,” noted Dr. Willie L. Todd, president.
A native of Compton, CA, Dr. White received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Arts in community counseling and education, both from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. He also received his Doctor of Philosophy in developmental psychology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. In July 2020, Dr. White received a post crisis leadership certification from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, positioning himself and his team to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities during these unique times.
