Sebetha Lee Jenkins

Sebetha Lee Jenkins (born 1939) is the 10th President of Jarvis Christian University, and the first woman to hold that role. Jenkins previously worked at the University of Akron and Mississippi State University, specializing in minority affairs, educational administration, and community college education.

Early life and education

Sebetha Lee was born in 1939 in the town of Learned, Mississippi, to Eunice Nelson Lee and Thomas Lee. Eunice was an elementary school principal for 42 years, as well as a community activist, church pianist, seamstress, and counselor. Sebetha was named after her grandmother and great-aunt, and the name Sebetha is a combination of their names: Seretha and Elbetha.

Mississippi was heavily segregated while Jenkins grew up, and she later wrote that she "lived in a segregated world" and "one way to escape the treatment of inequality meant preparation and for me preparation meant getting an education; a good education." She was inspired to become a school administrator by her mother, who was a principal, and stated that when she was a child she would play school and act out the person in charge. Jenkins grew up middle-class and was encouraged to read, ask questions, and pursue educational opportunities. She was also the first Black administrator at the university.

College president Jenkins was appointed President of Jarvis Christian College on January 1, 1991. She was the 10th president, and first woman to hold the position. Jarvis is a historically black college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In 2001, the New Crisis counted Jenkins among only 27 Black women who were presidents of the U.S.'s 2,320 four-year colleges. Jenkins served as president for 17 years, retiring December 31, 2008.

When Jenkins joined the college in 1991, Jarvis was facing a budget crisis. The college was adjusting to the loss of its campus oil wells and their revenues, which had dwindled after oil prices crashed in the 1980s. By 1996, the college received about $250,000 of its $12 million annual budget from oil and gas revenue, which was a large drop from oil's $2 million annual revenue in the 1970s. Jenkins had to immediately lay off 40 of the college's 170 employees, and described this period as "a tough time." By 1993, the college had balanced its budget, and was planning to start its first capital fundraising campaign, for $10 million over the next five years.

Jenkins also started to pivot on how the college advertised itself: highlighting, rather than downplaying, the campus's remote setting. The college is located in Hawkins, Texas, which had a population of 1,300 in 1996 and only a few shops, with the nearest mall 20 miles away. Jenkins was concerned that students were surprised by this remoteness upon their arrival, with some leaving after a few weeks. She emphasized that they should first understand the campus environment: coming for the nature, the space to spread out, and the academics, and being prepared for the remoteness. Jenkins oversaw large increases in student enrollment. By 1996, the freshman class size jumped from 150 to 326 students, raising the college's total size to 530 students. In 2007, the USDA's Rural Development Program presented the college with $13.69 million to aid in renovations and build another new dormitory, which would fit 300 students and include learning spaces.

During these years, students felt she had a busy schedule and was often away from campus. Some wished she was more involved, but others appreciated her time spent promoting the college, because it had attracted more money and students and resulted in significant improvements. The board first met with Clinton in 1995, where they talked about increasing funding for HBCUs via Title III and a 1993 executive order, and changing financial aid practices so more students could attend college. After the meeting, Jenkins stated that she felt optimistic about federal funding levels, as long as Clinton stayed willing to maintain his funding commitments. The subtext here was that Republicans were motivated to cut this funding at the time, and the previous Bush administration, as well as the current Republican-led Congress, had signaled at changes to HBCU funding.

In 2002, Jenkins was named the inaugural chair of the United Negro College Fund Presidents Council, for a two-year term. Her first meeting of the Council was hosted in Jacksonville, Florida, in October 2002.

During this time, Jenkins also provided consulting services for other organizations, focusing on topics related to education, equal opportunities and rights, due process, and youth issues. She named some of these services as: "No Failure Needs to be Final", "Achieving Against the Odds", "Black Achievements", "Being Proud", "Blacks Helping Blacks", "How Do You Spell Success?", "Recruitment and Retention of Minority Students", "The Retention of the Black Student" and "Meeting the Educational Needs of Minorities: Towards the Year 2000". That year, she was also inducted into the Black Women of Texas Hall of Fame.

In 2001, Jenkins delivered Eureka College's commencement address, and was given an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Jenkins had later relationships with Clyde Leggette Sr., another college administrator, and Charles Booker.