F.C. Richardson

F.C. Richardson (born 1937) served as a president of Buffalo State College, a higher education institution that is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, from July 1, 1989, to January 1, 1996; and, following that, as chancellor of Indiana University Southeast from 1996 to 2002. Richardson was the first college president of African American heritage at Buffalo State.

Background Richardson grew up in Tennessee. He earned his baccalaureate degree from Rust College; and that communication between faculty was lacking, while he "often did well in his public role." and "unilateral" at the college, however that prejudice and racism toward him, particularly by factions such as faculty at the college, could have played a role in the issue.

The issue about race at the college was made public when Dorcas Colvin, an associate vice president for human resources, and an African American woman, communicated with then-SUNY interim chancellor Joseph C. Burke and other government leaders, including then-governor Mario Cuomo by letter, using the "N" word regarding statements by faculty relating to Richardson and the college. Colvin stated she did not desire to be a part of an institution in which the "N" word was used about the president and the college.

Chancellorship of Indiana University Southeast On July 1, 1996, Richardson took the position of chancellor at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana. Technology improvements to the campus under Richardson's leadership included increasing "the capacity of the existing connection by 30 times to...a DS3 circuit, capable of transferring 45 Mbs of data, nearly 1,000 times the speed of a household modem."

As Chancellor emeritus As Chancellor Emeritus of the university, Richardson has remained involved in its activities. During the 2006–2007 academic year, a presentation titled, "Citizens Making a Difference in America," sponsored by the university's Common Experience Program, featured Richardson, among other leaders, as an event speaker to increase dialogue about diversity. In 2007, he gave a talk about his experiences with growing up in a segregated, rural community in Tennessee.

Community involvement Richardson is a board member of many organizations. Some of these organizations include The Negro Educational Review, Inc.; the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana; the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce; and the Louisville Ballet, Fund for the Arts.

Additional board memberships of Richardson include the Louisville Area Workforce Development Council; Kentuckiana Metroversity, Inc.; Greater Louisville, Inc.; Project E; the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; and Health Enterprises Network.