HBCU Campaign Fund (HCF) Founder, President, and CEO Demetrius Johnson, Jr. has announced the ninth honoree of the eighth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025. Voorhees University’s 10th President, Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, will join esteemed honorees Dr. Charles McClelland (Southwestern Athletic Conference), Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins (Bennett College/Clark Atlanta University), Dr. Cynthia Anthony (Lawson State Community College), Olivier Charles (Bishop State Community College), Dr. Glenda Glover (Tennessee State University), Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith (Harris-Stowe State University), Ericke S. Cage (West Virginia State University), Dr. Daniel K. Wims (Alabama A&M University), and one other recipients from the eighth class. Dr. Hopkins selection recognizes his exceptional leadership at Voorhees University and his unwavering commitment to the field of higher education.

“It is such a delight and pleasure to name Dr. Ronnie Hopkins as the next honoree to join the esteemed eighth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025. Dr. Hopkins’s wealth of experience follows in the footsteps of founder Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, whose legacy I admire immensely. Under Dr. Hopkins’s leadership and that of his leadership team, Voorhees University has made monumental strides and accelerated its progress to new heights. I commend the transformative work that is happening at VU and look forward to witnessing even greater academic excellence in the future.”

– Demetrius Johnson, Jr., Founder, President and CEO, HCF

The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders Award & Class is a national recognition created by the HBCU Campaign Fund that identifies ten chancellors and presidents, and as of 2024, sports-affiliated individuals serving in the role at an HBCU, MSI, or affiliated with who exemplify a prominent and influential role in leadership and model the characteristics of following responsibilities in the progression of an institution or entity forward.

Dr. Hopkins assumed the presidency of Voorhees University in 2021, following a successful tenure as the interim president. During Dr. Hopkins’ leadership, the institution underwent a significant transformation, changing its name from Voorhees College to Voorhees University to commemorate its 125th anniversary. Moreover, Voorhees University and Midlands Technical College (MTC) collaborated on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that facilitated the seamless transfer of MTC Associate Degree graduates to VU’s Bachelor of Science degree in child development. This partnership also led to the establishment of an Education Center on VU’s campus. Dr. Hopkins’ leadership was instrumental in the launch of a new website, the installation of the statue of Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, the founder of Voorhees, and the approval of the inaugural Doctoral program, the Doctor of Education in Leadership, by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

In January 2024, Voorhees University was a recipient of a $1.96 million grant through the Department of Education’s Rural Postsecondary Economic Development Grant Program, which helps students in rural communities transition from high school to college and transfers from two-year to four-year institutions.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Hopkins served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Accreditation Liaison and a tenured Professor of English at Voorhees College. Formerly, her served as the Founding Dean of the Freshman Institute and Professor of English, Chair and Professor of English in the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Mass Communication, Dean of the School of Continuing Education, Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning, and Founding Dean of the School of Honors at Benedict College. Additionally, Dr. Hopkins served as Chair and Professor of English for the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Claflin University, and Vice President for Student Affairs at Allen University.

Dr. Hopkins received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English in 1994 and a Master of Arts degree in English in 1991 from Michigan State University. He completed postdoctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1995). His foundation in English studies from North Carolina Central University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with Secondary Teaching certification in 1986. Additionally, he has been conferred the Doctor of Humane Letters (LLD) Honoris Causa from Saint Monica University in Buea, Cameroon, Central West Africa in May 2016.

The honorees will be fully announced as The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025 and Eighth Class in early 2025.

About the HBCU Campaign Fund
The HBCU Campaign Fund (HCF) was founded in 2012 and is one of the nation’s minority educational organizations. HCF remains a strong advocate for students and higher education. The mission of HCF is to support the significance and raise funds for scholarships, programs, and for private and public HBCUs and MSIs. For more information, visit www.hbcucampaignfund.org.

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