Courtesy: Saint Augustine’s Facebook post. Please visit their website for more information:
Updated: October 19, 2020
Saint Augustine’s University has confirmed President Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail died of COVID-19.
The president of Saint Augustine’s University, who just became the historically Black college’s leader this summer, has died of coronavirus complications, the university said.
Irving Pressley McPhail was named the university’s 12th leader after a national search, with officials highlighting his experience in higher education, urban public school administration and work in the non-profit sector. He also was known for his efforts highlighting contributions made by minorities in the STEM field.
He joined the school July 15.
“In the short time he was the university’s chief executive officer, he made a memorable and positive impact in moving the University in the direction of being a ‘Learning Centered’ campus,” the statement said.
The school confirmed Friday that he died of complications of the coronavirus.
A letter went out via university email on Oct. 12 under the letterhead of the St. Augustine’s Board of Trustees that said McPhail was “recovering from COVID-19. He is receiving expert care and treatment at a local hospital.
“It is important to note that he did not contract the virus in the SAU community. We continue to take all precautions to ensure that our SAU community remains safe,” the letter said.
“President McPhail has been a strong proponent of face coverings and social distancing. He has regularly communicated with the campus community about SAU’s COVID-19 protocols and expectations, through both formal and informal channels.”
In August, McPhail told The News & Observer that the coronavirus pandemic is showing that HBCUs are more important than ever. He spoke with The N&O as students were returning to school.
While wealthier students at other universities may be able to afford to take a year off, he said, “My kids want to come back to school.”
He had big goals as the new president. He said he hoped St. Aug’s would hit a milestone enrollment of 1,000 students. He had hopes of launching an institute on the study of racial disparities to be based at the university, which was founded in 1867 and later launched North Carolina’s first nursing school for African American students.
And he said the pandemic and the recent emphasis on racial and social justice issues in America would be incorporated into coursework.
At the end of each workday, McPhail told The N&O, he drove around campus to see whether students were wearing masks and keeping a safe distance from one another. If they were not, he said, he rolled down the window of his car and gently reminded them.
McPhail said he believed science-based guidance would lead the country, and his students, out of the pandemic. But he said he hadn’t forgotten that St. Aug’s was founded by a pastor and a bishop of the Episcopal church.
“I’m happy that St. Augustine’s was founded on religious traditions and prayer,” McPhail told The N&O, “because I’m praying every day.”
Events to honor McPhail have not been announced. Dr. Maria A. Lumpkin, the school’s vice president and chief of staff, will serve as interim president, effective immediately.
A LENGTHY CAREER IN EDUCATION
McPhail, a New York City native, also was founder and chief strategy officer at the McPhail Group LLC.
He was a professor of practice at the Dr. John E. Roueche Community College Leadership Center at Kansas State University. His work focused on connecting “practice, policy, and research in language, literacy, and culture; postsecondary student success; underrepresented minorities in STEM education and careers; and community college leadership,” according to SAU.
Before coming to SAU, McPhail was the sixth president and CEO at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., which was awarded the 2012 Claire Felbinger Award for Diversity from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology under his leadership.
McPhail also served as founding chancellor at the Community College of Baltimore County, president at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and president at Lemoyne-Owen College. He also previously served as provost at Pace University, vice president and dean of academic affairs at Delaware State University and chief operating officer at the Baltimore City Public Schools.
In addition to administrative roles, McPhail was a tenured professor at Delaware State University, Lemoyne-Owen College and Pace University.
McPhail earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, a master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a doctorate in reading/language arts at the University of Pennsylvania as a National Fellowships Fund Fellow. He was also awarded two honorary doctoral degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
He was married to Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail and had two children and several grandchildren.
He replaced Everett Ward, who retired in March 2019. Two interim presidents filled the position until McPhail was hired.
The school was founded in 1867 by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.
Courtesy: Saint Augustine University/Newsobserver.com
The president of a historically Black college in Raleigh has died three months after starting his tenure, the school said. Saint Augustine’s University announced Irving Pressley McPhail’s death Thursday night in a post on their Facebook page. A cause of death was not released. “In the short time he was the university’s chief executive officer, he made a memorable and positive impact in moving the University in the direction of being a ‘Learning Centered’ campus,” the post said. Members of the community marched silently by the President’s residence to lay flowers on the porch, according to another post on the school’s page. McPhail started his role with the university on July 15. Maria A. Lumpkin, the school’s vice president, will serve as interim president, the school said.