Henry Nehemiah Tisdale

Henry Nehemiah Tisdale (born 1944) is an American retired academic administrator, educator, and mathematician. He served as the 8th president of Claflin University, a historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina from 1994 to 2019. During his tenure, Tisdale oversaw significant academic and infrastructural growth at the institution.

Biography Early life and education Henry Nehemiah Tisdale was born on January 13, 1944, in Kingstree, South Carolina.

He received his elementary education at St. Paul Elementary and Junior High School (1st grade) and Cane Branch School. He then attended Tomlinson High School before transferring to St. Mark Elementary and High School, where he graduated as Valedictorian in 1961.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Claflin University in 1965, graduating magna cum laude. He continued his education at Temple University, where he received a Master of Education (Ed.M.) degree in 1967. He was the first African American to receive a doctorate in mathematics from Dartmouth.

Personal life He was married to Alice née Carson, who died in July 2020. In 1996, Alice Carson Tisdale was honored by the Claflin University Board of Trustees by being the namesake of the university's honors college.

In 1994, Tisdale was elected as the 8th president of Claflin University, where he worked from June 1994 to June 2019. During his time as president he constructed many campus buildings including the Living and Learning Center, the Legacy Plaza, the Music Center, a new student residential hall, and a new university chapel.

In 2019, Tisdale received Columbia World Affairs Council's Global Vision Award, which is given "to a leader whose contributions have made a significant impact on projecting South Carolina globally."