New Orleans, LA - The Dillard University Board of Trustees today unanimously elected Dr. Marvalene Hughes of Modesto, California as the Institution's ninth and first woman President-elect. Hughes succeeds interim President Dr. Bettye Parker Smith. She officially begins her presidency July 1, 2005.

Following an intensive search, the Board selected Hughes from a diverse pool of candidates to serve as the President of the comprehensive liberal arts college in New Orleans, LA.

"Dr. Hughes is highly qualified and has a wealth of experience in higher education. The Board felt that she was the best candidate to move Dillard to the next level of academic excellence," said Charles A. Ferguson, chairman of the Dillard University Board of Trustees.

Hughes currently serves as President of California State University's Stanislaus campus where she served as the first woman and first President of color, a position she has held since 1994. During her extensive career in higher education, Hughes has served in a number of high-level leadership positions at major research universities.

"After eleven years as President of California State University, Stanislaus and as a public servant to the people and the State of California, I have decided to take on a new and exciting leadership challenge. CSU Stanislaus is in excellent condition, and it has been my pleasure to serve. I now take on a very special challenge - one of personal passion and extreme importance - the Presidency of Dillard University, one of America's outstanding private liberal arts universities.

"I was solely attracted to this position because I owe much of my early training and inspiration to the instruction and close mentoring I received at an Historically Black University. I am extremely proud of my heritage and the legacy of excellence with which I was imbued during those years.

"It is now my opportunity to give back in the very best way that I know how, by joining with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, administration and the alumni of Dillard University to positively transform the lives and dreams of Dillard's students, so they, too, can achieve their ambitions," added Hughes. "As an Historically Black University, Dillard is a national treasure, and I anticipate moving the University fast-forward during the first decade of the 21st century."

Exhibiting strong leadership and integrity, combined with her passion and commitment to providing educational opportunities to America's young scholars, Hughes has served as vice president for Student Affairs/Vice Provost and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus, and system-wide administrator for all four University of Minnesota campuses. Hughes was vice president and professor at the University of Toledo, associate vice president for student affairs at Arizona State and a senior-level administrator at San Diego State University.

Underscoring her dedication to building global educational opportunities, she initiated international partnerships with the Arab American University in Jenin (Palestinian Territory), Ethiopian-African American University (Addis Ababa), Hanseo University in South Korea, Evora University in Portugal, the University of the Azores and Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Hughes has published and conducted research in the areas of education, managing organizations, human behavior and diversity. She has made hundreds of presentations globally including throughout the United States, Austria, South Africa, Russia, Lithuania, China, Bermuda, Jordan, the Emirates and Ethiopia. She has been the recipient of several professional and community service awards from both national and international groups.

Her educational background includes earning a Ph.D. in Counseling and Administration from Florida State University, and Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Tuskegee University. She has pursued post-doctoral study at Harvard, New York University and Columbia University.

Established in 1869, Dillard University is a liberal arts, four-year, co-educational, historically black institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the National League of Nursing, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

The University is a charter member of the United Negro College Fund, and has been cited as a top-tier Southern comprehensive liberal arts institution by U. S. News and World Report and other publications.