As president, Vinson will be tasked with inspiring, innovating, and strategically leading the Howard community, including its world-class faculty, incomparable staff, medical institutions, athletics, law, museums, and both undergraduate and graduate students. The University has long held a commitment to the education of traditionally disadvantaged persons in American society and throughout the world with a goal to eliminate inequities related to race or color, or social, economic, and political circumstances. As the nation's top comprehensive predominantly Black university, Vinson will now lead one of the major engines of change in American society.  

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Ben Vinson III as the 18th President of Howard University,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University. “His vast experience and proven track record in academic leadership make him the ideal candidate to lead our esteemed institution into the future. I am confident that Howard will continue to thrive under his guidance as a premier center for higher learning and innovation.”  

Most recently, Vinson served as the provost and executive vice president at Case Western Reserve University where he was responsible for all facets of academic and university research. While at Case, Vinson led the university’s “Think Big” strategic planning initiative, which garnered national attention for its innovative and inclusive planning process. He also oversaw the increase of underrepresented minority students in the first-year class (from 17% in 2018 to 25% in 2022). 

He previously served on the faculties of Barnard College and Penn State University before joining Johns Hopkins University as a professor of history and founding director of its Center for Africana Studies. At Johns Hopkins, he went on to serve as a vice dean for centers, interdisciplinary studies, and graduate education before becoming dean of George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. 

Vinson is an accomplished historian of Latin America, and the recipient of the 2019 Howard F. Cline Book Prize in Mexican History for his book, “Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico.” 

He is board chairman of the National Humanities Center and a board member  of the National Humanities Alliance and of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Additionally, Vinson has served on the Association of American Universities’ (AAU) Advisory Board for Racial Equity in Higher Education and was a member of the AAU subcommittee on faculty advancement and tenure. He was a member of the Academy of Arts and Science’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, and currently chairs its subcommittee on higher education. He was elected vice president of the research division of the American Historical Association (AHA) in 2020 and is the immediate past president of the Conference on Latin American History (CLAH). 

Vinson earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College with a double major in history and classical studies, summa cum laude, where he also serves on the advisory board for the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. He earned a doctorate in Latin American history, with distinction, from Columbia University. He has been awarded fellowships from the Fulbright Commission; National Humanities Center; Social Science Research Council; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and the Ford, Rockefeller, and Mellon foundations.   

Under new leadership, Howard University will maintain its long-held commitment to providing an educational experience of exceptional quality and to producing distinguished global leaders.  

Please submit media inquiries related to Howard University’s 18th President here. 

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Media Contact: Frank Tramble, Vice President & Chief Communications Officer for Howard University Frank.tramble@howard.edu 

About Howard University   

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.