King Virgil Cheek, J.D. is a lifelong educator who has served as President of
Shaw University
Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...
from 1969 to 1971, and also served as the 7th President of
Morgan State University from 1971 to 1974.
He was an active participant in the
Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, including participating in the
March on Washington in 1963. He is the author of numerous books including ''The Quadrasoul'', novels that explore the four dimensions of the
human spirit.
Early life and career
He was born on May 26, 1937 in
Weldon, North Carolina, his father was a
Baptist minister and his mother was an
insurance broker.
Cheek graduated from
James B. Dudley High School
James Benson Dudley High School is located in the southeastern quadrant of Guilford County in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. Dudley High School was founded in 1929 as the first black high school in Guilford County, in a school system s ...
in
Greensboro, North Carolina, and continued his education at
Bates College in
Lewiston, Maine where he majored in Economics. He received his B.A. in 1959, and later continued his collegiate studies at the
University of Chicago where he earned a M.A. degree in 1967. Afterwards, he earned a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
(J.D.) from the
University of Chicago Law School in 1969.
In 1969, Cheek was appointed the President of Shaw University where he served in that post until 1971. Previously, he had served as Shaw's Dean and Vice President. In 1971, Cheek was appointed as the 7th President of Morgan State University in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, where he served until 1974.
In 1978, Cheek made a career change and dedicate more time to leadership development, and created the ''Center for Leadership and Career Development'' in
Washington, D.C. He has also worked as a professor of Social Science and as Dean of Graduate Studies at the
New York Institute of Technology
The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheek, King, V
1937 births
Bates College alumni
Living people
Presidents of Morgan State University
People from Weldon, North Carolina
Shaw University
University of Chicago alumni
University of Chicago Law School alumni