Johnson C. Smith president announces retirement in ‘bittersweet moment’ at the HBCU
Clarence Armbrister, president of Johnson C. Smith University, announced in a message to students Tuesday he will retire in June from the west Charlotte institution.
Armbrister became the 14th president of the historically Black university on Jan. 1, 2018. He said in his message that the JCSU Board of Trustees will launch a search for his successor, and that he’ll stay on as senior adviser until early 2024 to help the new president.
“It is a bittersweet moment for me and my family because we love this university and the unparalleled opportunities HBCUs like ours provide for thousands of students across the country each year,” he wrote in his message.”
Armbrister’s contract expires at the end of the school year. The 66-year-old says he’s decided to pursue personal interests and spend time with his family.
Steven Boyd, chair of the university’s board of trustees, thanked Armbrister for his leadership and “unwavering love” for JCSU in a message posted on the school’s website. Boyd said that when Armbrister walked in the room five years ago, he was the clear and unanimous pick to be the 14th president of the school.
Boyd said Armbrister will be remembered for the “unprecedented public-private partnerships” he established through the Charlotte mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative. The initiative resulted in the single largest gift the university had ever received — $80 million.
The money and five-year commitment supports JCSU’s strategic business plan that has positioned the university to elevate its standing in the Charlotte community and “to one of the most influential and consequential HBCU’s in the nation,” Boyd said.
JCSU was founded in 1867, enrolls about 1,093 students and has 90, full-time faculty members. It offers 22 degree programs and a master’s degree program in social work.
About Clarence Armbrister
Armbrister began his career as a lawyer in the public finance department of Saul, Ewing Remick & Saul, leaving as a partner in 1994 to serve as Philadelphia city treasurer, where he managed the city’s funds, investments and debt, and chief of staff to the mayor.
His resume also includes working as managing director of the Philadelphia School District, which at the time was the fourth-largest school district in the country, an investment banker, senior vice president at Temple University, chief of staff and senior vice president at Johns Hopkins University and president and CEO of Girard College, a Philadelphia boarding school.
A Miami native, Armbrister received bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Denise, have five children and four grandchildren
“I’d like to express my gratitude for your support as I begin my sixth year as president, and for the passion and talent each of you contributes to making JCSU such a special place,” he wrote. “It has truly been a privilege and an honor to serve the JCSU family.”
JCSU’s future
JCSU has garnered attention in the past few years as part of Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyle’s Racial Equity Initiative.
The more than $80 million raised is expected to go toward academic programs, student and teacher retention, and internship programs. Last fall, the university announced a new partnership with Atrium Health and Howard University for its students as part of this effort.
The school already has made some strides towards its goal.
Last year, it climbed to the No. 26 spot among the nation’s top 107 HBCU’s, according to U.S. News and World Report 2022-23 rankings. In 2021, the university tied with several colleges at No. 30.
JCSU is also one of eight HBCU’s to partner with Local Initiative Support Corporation for its new National HBCU Development, which places students in paid internships.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 2:14 PM.
