Ruth Simmons

Born to sharecroppers in Grapeland on July 3, 1944, Ruth Simmons won a scholarship to Dillard University in New Orleans where she earned a BA in Romance languages. Time spent at Wellesley College her junior year led her to pursue a career as a professor. She attended Harvard University for her MA and PhD, and taught at the University of New Orleans before going to the University of Southern California as Assistant Dean of Graduate Students.

In 1983 Dr Simmons became a professor of Romance languages at Princeton and later served as Vice Provost. She was named President of Smith College in 1995, the first African American woman to lead a major college or university. While there she introduced the first engineering programs at any women's college.

Dr. Simmons became President of Brown University in 2001. She has introduced many global initiatives to network with institutions around the world, address world-wide concerns, and prepare all students to live in a trans-national world. She also created the Committee on Slavery and Justice which issued a public report on Brown University's role in slavery and the international slave trade.

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