Henry N. Tisdale, PhD

“In a little more than a decade, this high energy president has led Claflin University to the “Top Tier” and “Top Ten” national ranking among comprehensive baccalaureate granting institutions in the South.”

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, a Kingstree, South Carolina native and 1965 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Claflin University, needed only a few years after being named his Alma Mater’s eighth president in 1994 to realize his vision. Claflin University, poised to become a premier liberal arts institution in the nation, has earned a “Top Tier” and “Best Value” ranking among comprehensive baccalaureate granting institutions in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 Guidebook to America’s Best Colleges and Universities. For three consecutive years (2005-2007), Claflin ranked higher than all Comprehensive Colleges in South Carolina and was cited for its impressive graduation and retention rates.

He prefers to be known as a reserved and dedicated servant leader. But as a high energy president, Dr. Tisdale has accomplished in a short while what many university presidents fail to achieve in decades—a national ranking in academics and a record of accomplishment in higher education that is reflected in the university’s impressive statistics. The transformation of the campus also includes a revitalization of the physical plant with award-winning new and renovated buildings and entrances.

Dr. Tisdale began his career in higher education after receiving the Ph.D. and M.A. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College, a M.Ed. in Mathematics from Temple University, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Claflin. Prior to assuming the presidency at Claflin, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Delaware State University. He is active in a number of community and civic organizations, including serving as a member of the board of Directors, Orangeburg-Calhoun Community Foundation, President of the University Senate of the United Methodist Church, member of the United Negro College Fund, Council of Independent Colleges, National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church, Claflin University International Alumni Association, Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Orangeburg Rotary Club, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and Trinity United Methodist Church.

He and his wife Alice Carson Tisdale are the parents of two children, Danica Camille and Brandon Keith.