142-year old prestigious Champlain College, Burlington, Vermont, USA has appointed Nigerian-American Professor, Benjamin Ola. Akande as its President.
Akande, an economist, scholar and educator will resume at Champlain on July 1, 2020, and will serve as the ninth president of the historic, prestigious and highly recommended institution, where over 80 courses are taught at bachelor’s and master’s level.
Speaking on the choice of Akande as the new President, Neale Lunderville, a Trustee and Chair of the Presidential Search Committee remarked: “I want to offer my sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to each of our Committee members. Their extraordinary efforts over the past many months produced a strong result. Dr. Akande will be an exceptional president for our exceptional college.”
Professor Benjamin Ola. Akande is a change agent, financial expert, coach and dedicated mentor, who was named among St. Louis’ most influential personalities, and he is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies.
He obtained a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and at the Saïd School of Business, Oxford University.
He was Dean of George Herbert Walker School of Business at Webster University and was quite notable as the President of Westminster College, Missouri. Before the new appointment, Prof. Akande served (and still serving) as Assistant Vice Chancellor at Washington University, St. Louis. As the Dean at George H. Walker Business School, he was central to attracting a phenomenal naming gift worth $10 million – the largest of such in the history of the Institution.
Born in 1962, Akande left Nigeria for the United States at age 17 to study for his first degree at Wayland Baptist University. He earned a master’s degree in economics and public administration at Oklahoma University before proceeding to obtain a PhD at the same University.
Akande comes from a recorded ancestry of scholars. His father, the Reverend S.T. Ola. Akande, PhD, is a renowned Christian patriot, theologian, theological scholar and impeccable church administrator, who served distinctively as the Secretary of the notably historic Nigerian Baptist Convention.
As a proof of the high standard-setting character of Professor Akande’s parents, his own sisters are notable standard-bearers in scholarship and community service. His wife, a pharmacist, is also a leading light of uncommon community and professional service.