Dr. David Hall
Dr. David Hall began his tenure as the fifth president of the University of the Virgin Islands on August 1, 2009. He has been awarded a Distinguished Professorship of Spirituality and Professionalism at UVI.
In his Fall 2009 Convocation address, Dr. Hall introduced the “Pathways to Greatness,” seven management values that serve as the primary paradigm guiding the University community toward a shared dream of becoming a great university.
“My charge, as I see it, is to give this community the license to dream again, to believe in each other again, and to reach for the stars of greatness,” he said.
Dr. Hall has demonstrated his commitment to partnering with educators throughout the territory to ensure that all students in the U.S. Virgin Islands receive the best education “that our hands, hearts and minds can deliver.”
Within the University, this commitment has resulted in the formation of a Task Force on Improving Education Quality in the USVI, which focuses, in part, on the critical assessment of the delivery of teacher preparation programs by UVI. This commitment has been translated into action beyond the University through ongoing dialogue with key leaders within the Virgin Islands Department of Education, which resulted in the establishment of the P-16 Collaborative. The P-16 Collaborative also includes the V.I. Board of Education.
On Nov. 4, 2009, Dr. Hall convened a meeting of the male initiative that has come to be known as “Brothers With a Cause.” This organization, made up of male students on the University’s St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses, has a goal of increasing the recruitment, retention and graduation rates of young men within the territory while promoting the mental, physical, social and spiritual enhancement of male UVI students and the community that they represent.
“Young boys in this community who may not see college as within their reach or their dreams must be inspired by the bright and conscientious male students at UVI who are on a mission to redefine what it means to be a man,” Dr. Hall said in his presidential inaugural address. “We must stand with them every step of the way.”
Dr. Hall is also committed to inclusion and transparency, which he views as hallmarks of strong leadership. As such, he has worked to implement a new, open and transparent University budgeting process that upholds the tenets of shared governance, has convened presidential advisory committees on both campuses, and has supported a model of institutional effectiveness and assessment that is bringing increased coordination and structure to University processes.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Dr. Hall holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University, where he was named an “all American” for his athletic and scholarly accomplishments. After graduating from Kansas State, he played professional basketball in Italy. He holds both a doctorate of juridical science and an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School and received his juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, where he also earned a master’s degree in human relations.
In 1993, when he was appointed dean of the Northeastern University School of Law, he made history by being the first African-American to hold the position.
Having taught law for more than 20 years in the law schools of the University of Mississippi, the University of Oklahoma and Northeastern, Dr. Hall has enjoyed a distinguished career as an educational administrator and preeminent scholar in the field of law. In May 2010, in recognition of his significant contributions to the legal field, Dr. Hall was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.
His publications include works on civil rights, the U.S. Constitution and race, legal education, and social justice. He has authored a book on the intersection of law and spirituality, entitled "The Spiritual Revitalization of the Legal Profession: A Search for Sacred Rivers," and lectures nationally on topics of social justice, leadership, diversity and spiritual values in professional life.
He is married to Marilyn Braithwaite-Hall, and is the father of three children: Rahsaan, Sakile and Kiamsha.
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