MARY SCHMIDT CAMPBELL

B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Honorary Degrees: DFA., DHL., Ph.D. 10th President, Spelman College

Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell is the 10th president of Spelman College, a leading liberal arts college for women of African descent located in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to arriving in Atlanta, Dr. Campbell was a major force in the cultural life of New York City. Her career in New York began at the Studio Museum in Harlem where she served for 10 years. Her role there began at a time when the city was on the verge of bankruptcy and Harlem was in steep decline. However, under her leadership, the museum was transformed from a rented loft to the country’s first accredited Black Fine Arts Museum.

New York’s late Mayor Edward I. Koch invited Dr. Campbell to serve as the city’s cultural affairs commissioner in 1987. In this role, she led the Department of Cultural Affairs which oversees the operations and capital development of the city’s major cultural institutions. As a commissioner, she gained a reputation as an indefatigable advocate for large and small arts organizations throughout all five boroughs.

Dr. Campbell returned to the private sector to become dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the fall of 1991. As dean, Dr. Campbell diversified both the student body and the faculty fourfold, and she incubated several new arts and technology divisions within the school and the university. Among the new academic programs she developed the NYU Game Center, The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, The Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program, and a joint MBA/ MFA Graduate Film and Business program.

Additionally, she doubled the size of the school’s Interactive Telecommunication Program and founded and chaired Tisch's Department of Art and Public Policy, which examined the intersection of art, politics and public policy as it impacts individual artists and the institutions that support them in a democratic culture.

In September 2009, former President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Campbell as the vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a non-partisan advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural matters.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and currently sits on the boards of The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the High Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Trust as well as on the Advisory Boards of the Bonner Foundation and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She also holds numerous honorary degrees, including one from her alma mater, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Dr. Campbell is a contributor to several publications including Artistic Citizenship: Artistry, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Praxis; New York Reimagined: Artists, Art Organizations, and the Rebirth of a City (Oxford University Press, 2016); Four Generations: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art, Foreword (Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2016); co-editor of Artistic Citizenship: A Public Voice for the Arts, (Routledge, 2006); co-author of Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1987); and Memory and Metaphor: The Art of Romare Bearden, 1940-1987 (Oxford University Press & The Studio Museum in Harlem, 1991).

Dr. Campbell received her B.A. in English literature from Swarthmore College. She earned her master’s in art history as well as her Ph.D. in humanities from Syracuse University. She holds honorary degrees from several colleges including her alma mater, Swarthmore. Having recently completed a book, "An American Odyssey:

The Life and Work of Romare Bearden," she is the recipient of the 2018 Hooks National Book Award and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Campbell served as a member of the Alfred P. Sloan Board from 2008-2020, and was elected to the Unity Technologies Board in September 2020. She also serves on the boards of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Spelman College

Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, we became Spelman College in 1924. Now a global leader in the education of women of African descent, Spelman is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and we are proud members of the Atlanta University Center Consortium.

Today our student body comprises more than 2,100 students from 43 states and 10 foreign countries. Spelman empowers women to engage the many cultures of the world and inspires a commitment to positive social change through service. We are dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development of our students.

Spelman is proud of its 76 percent graduation rate (average over six years), one of the best in the nation, but our support doesn’t stop once you step on stage to take your diploma. Our global alumnae network is strong, providing connections and helping hands to graduates as they begin on their path of global engagement.

Rankings and Awards

Recognition from numerous entities shows that Spelman continues to be on the ascent as an academic institution focused on the success of its students. As the highest-ranked institution from which Black women science and engineering doctorate recipients earn bachelor’s degrees, according to the National Science Foundation, Spelman is a strong training ground for women who go on to careers in which they lead and excel. Spelman College Remains No. 1 HBCU, Ranked in Top 10 for Social Mobility and Innovation by U.S. News & World Report.

Admissions

A Spelman student will come to campus with diverse aspirations, goals, and interests. Throughout her time here, she will follow an academic, social, and cultural path uniquely hers – rooted in a tradition of excellence where she is mentored and supported by an extraordinary team of faculty, staff, alumnae, and her Spelman sisters.

She will travel abroad – whether it’s to participate in a service project for two weeks in Ghana or spend an entire semester in Japan. She will have an opportunity to experience the professional world she aspires to join through research or an internship opportunity. She will develop a leadership style that will distinguish her in graduate or professional school, corporate board rooms, or community service. Admission to Spelman College is highly competitive. In addition to academic credentials, we consider leadership experiences, extracurricular involvement, community service, employment, personal interests, and abilities.

We are Here to Help

Selecting a college is one of the most important decisions a student and her family will make. The admissions team at Spelman wants to make this process as easy and anxiety-free as possible. There are various online resources available to help you at different stages of the process, but sometimes you may prefer to speak with someone directly. Contact Spelman College Admissions by calling 404-2705193 or 800-982-2411 or send an email to admiss@spelman.edu.