Cynthia Warrick is the seventh president of

Stillman College Stillman College is a Private college, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...

, a liberal arts college in the West Tuscaloosa area of

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. Before starting a career in higher education, she practiced as a licensed pharmacist. Warrick has two children, Alan Warrick II, a member of the San Antonio City Council, and Whitney Blair (Warrick) Craig, a federal and state lobbyist.

Education and certifications

Warrick holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Pharmacy in 1975 from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, Washington, D.C. and is a Registered Pharmacist in Texas and Indiana. She received a Master of Science (MS) in Public Policy in 1994 from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, Fairfax, Virginia, in 1999.

Academic career

Warrick was Assistant Professor in the Division of Management, Policy and Community Health at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

School of Public Health, Center for Health, Promotion and Prevention Research in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, and then Associate Professor and Director of Environmental and Occupational Health at

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. ...

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

, After that, she served at

Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Ma ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

as Tenured Full Professor of Pharmacy, Dean and Chief Research Officer. . Warrick was then appointed a Senior Fellow at the

School of Pharmacy, Center for Minority Health Services Research. She has also been elected county-wide to the board of trustees of the

Alamo Colleges The Alamo Colleges District (previously the Alamo Community College District, or ACCD, and The Alamo Colleges) is a network of five community colleges in San Antonio and Universal City, Texas, and serving the Greater San Antonio metropolitan are ...

with a budget of $200 million, where she served as Vice-Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and has helped pass an $85 million capital improvement bond.

Higher Education Leadership

She was selected in 2012 as Interim President for

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. It is the only public, historically black land-grant research university in South Carolina, is a member o ...

, a

historically black university Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as ''The Burg'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2020 United Stat ...

. In 2014/15, she was appointed Interim President of

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

Grambling, Louisiana Grambling is a city in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,239 in 2020. The city is home to Grambling State University and is part of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area. Grambling was designated a "city" in ...

, where she brought stability to an institution that was in crisis. However, her management style generated controversy, leading to her decision not to seek the permanent presidency at Grambling. According to Quincy Hodges of ''The Times-Picayune'', she "was able to streamline administrative operations; implemented aggressive student recruitment strategies and establish relationships with local, state, regional and national legislative and governmental representatives to support program and funding initiatives... raising more than $470,000 in donations." These achievements, notwithstanding, the University's Faculty Senate criticized her for "belittling faculty and staff;" for "failing to answer important and urgent questions;" and for taking "significant actions without consulting faculty members." In response, University of Louisiana System President Sandra Woodley issued a statement saying that "These are challenging times for Grambling and all of higher education," and added that " Warrick's leadership has been instrumental in putting the university on a path to success by making the tough decisions needed to affect positive change." Warrick began her tenure as the Interim President of

in January 2017. Prior to being named to this position, she was a Senior Fellow at the

Thurgood Marshall College Fund The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is a non-profit organization that supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 55 member-schools that include public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), medical school ...

and also served as president of the Society for Diversity in the Biomedical Sciences, based in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warrick, Cynthia Living people 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics African-American women academic administrators American women academic administrators African-American academic administrators Heads of historically black universities and colleges in the United States 21st-century American pharmacists Elizabeth City State University faculty Stillman College faculty Grambling State University George Mason University alumni Georgia Tech alumni Howard University alumni Florida A&M University faculty University of Texas at Austin faculty South Carolina State University faculty Women heads of universities and colleges Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American women academics African-American pharmacists Pharmacists from Alabama