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2022 SESSION
22107463DWHEREAS, Dr. Marie V. McDemmond was the first African American woman to lead a four-year public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth and the first woman president of Norfolk State University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in Louisiana, a master’s degree from the University of New Orleans, and a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and
WHEREAS, before coming to Norfolk State University, Dr. McDemmond served as vice president for budget and finance at Atlanta University, associate vice chancellor for administration at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and assistant vice president for finance at Emory University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond became president of Norfolk State University in 1997 and supported numerous initiatives to help students achieve success in and out of the classroom; she increased the university’s endowment by 65 percent and mentored countless other women who went on to become leaders in higher education; and
WHEREAS, as president of Norfolk State University, Dr. McDemmond led the most successful annual fund campaign in university history, raising $1.4 million to support scholarships in all academic majors, as well as to support the Research and Innovations to Support Empowerment (RISE) Center; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure, Dr. McDemmond was instrumental in bringing advanced technology to the university in the form of the university website and Internet information access and exchange, as well as acquiring 25 acres of land and facilities, including the former Norfolk Community Hospital and the land for the RISE Center; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond held key leadership positions in major education associations throughout her career; she has served on numerous professional and civic organizations as a member and board member, including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the United Way of Greater Hampton Roads, and the Urban League of Hampton Roads; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond has been honored with numerous awards for her outstanding accomplishments, including the Pioneer Award by the Outstanding Professional Women of Hampton Roads for 2000 and the Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Association of Educational Office Professionals, and was appointed Virginia’s Civilian Aide to the United States Secretary of the Army and chosen by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond was committed to the pursuit of excellence in education for all of the citizens of the Commonwealth and was a devoted and superb leader for Norfolk State University for eight years until her retirement in 2005; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McDemmond’s legacy lives on in the many students she inspired, and Norfolk State University’s Marie McDemmond Center for Applied Research was named in her honor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Dr. Marie V. McDemmond hereby be commended for her trailblazing achievements in higher education; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. Marie V. McDemmond as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for her achievements on behalf of students in the Commonwealth.