Ruth Simmons: First Black President of an Ivy League Institution
Ruth Simmons was the 18th president of Brown University, the first black president of an Ivy League institution.
In 2001, Ruth Simmons made history when she became the first African-American president of an Ivy League university, as well as Brown University’s first female president.
Prior to this appointment, she served as the first African-American female president of a major college or university when she took the reins at Smith College in 1995.
After completing her early education, she attended Dillard University on a scholarship and spent her junior year at Wellesley College.
In 2001, she became the first African-American president of an Ivy League university, Brown University, a position she held until 2012 when she stepped down.
