Dr. Ronnie Hopkins is an educator, scholar, and higher education leader whose career reflects a
commitment to student success, institutional transformation, and service. Appointed on July 9,
2021, as the 10th President and Chief Executive Officer of Voorhees University in Denmark, South
Carolina, he leads an Episcopal historically Black university founded in 1897 by Elizabeth Evelyn
Wright—the first HBCU founded by an African American woman. In recognition of his leadership
and contributions to higher education, Dr. Hopkins was named University President of the Year
2026 by Education Insider Magazine. He was also recognized by the HBCU Campaign Fund as
one of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2025.

Under President Hopkins’s leadership, and through the collaborative efforts of his Executive
Cabinet and the University community, Voorhees has achieved significant milestones that
expand its educational reach and strengthen its future. These accomplishments include the
historic transition from Voorhees College to Voorhees University and the addition of graduate
programs, including the Master of Education in Teaching and Learning, Master of Business
Administration, and Doctor of Education in Higher Education. His administration also secured an
anonymous donor’s gift of 118 acres near campus, creating opportunities for long-term
institutional development and community engagement.

A defining achievement of his presidency is the establishment of the Voorhees University Charter
Institute of Learning following approval by the South Carolina Department of Education. Through
this initiative, Voorhees became the only HBCU in the nation authorized to serve as a charter
school authorizer, extending its educational mission into K–12 education. As Chair of the Institute,
Dr. Hopkins champions educational access, accountability, and pathways that connect school
readiness, college achievement, and lifelong opportunity.

Throughout his career, Dr. Hopkins has authored proposals resulting in more than $80 million in
grant and donor awards to advance educational priorities. His leadership brings together
academic innovation, strategic planning, philanthropic engagement, and responsible
stewardship, guided by a vision of advancing Voorhees to “The Next Level of Excellence.”
Central to that vision is a commitment to preparing graduates who unite intellect and faith, serve
their communities, and lead with integrity in an evolving global society.

Before assuming the presidency, Dr. Hopkins served Voorhees as Interim President; Provost and
Vice President for Academic Affairs; Accreditation Liaison; Executive Vice President for Academic
and Student Affairs; and tenured Professor of English. His earlier leadership at Benedict College
included service as Founding Dean of the Freshman Institute, Founding Dean of the School of
Honors, Dean of the School of Continuing Education, Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning,
and Chair of the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Mass Communication. He also
served as Chair and Professor of English in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at
Claflin University and as Vice President for Student Affairs at Allen University.

An accomplished teacher and scholar, Dr. Hopkins has taught English language arts at the middle
school, high school, community college, and university levels. His academic specializations
include critical issues in the teaching of English, reading and composition theory, and African
American language and literacy. Across these settings, he has worked to expand opportunities
for underrepresented students and strengthen the connection between education, leadership,
and community advancement.

Dr. Hopkins earned his Doctor of Philosophy in English in 1994 and Master of Arts in English in
1991 from Michigan State University. He completed postdoctoral studies at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English, with secondary
teaching certification, from North Carolina Central University in 1986. In May 2016, Saint Monica
University in Buea, Cameroon, conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree.

His publications include Educating Black Males: Critical Issues in Schooling, Community and
Power (State University of New York Press, 1997), along with scholarly articles addressing
education and institutional leadership. He coauthored “Leadership Challenges at Historically
Black Colleges and Universities: The Benefits of Collaboration” and contributed “God Grant Me
the Serenity: HBCU Academic Administrators as Agents of Change” to Untold Stories of Black
Leadership in Higher Education, published by Cambridge Scholars in 2023.

A Fulbright-Hays and Mellon international scholar, Dr. Hopkins has participated in research and
scholarly presentations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Australia. These
experiences inform his commitment to global engagement, cross-cultural understanding, and
preparing students for leadership beyond national boundaries.

Dr. Hopkins serves as International President of the Association of Episcopal Colleges within the
Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion. His community and professional service
includes board roles with the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates,
Midlands Community Development Corporation, Boys House Foster Care Program, and South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council. 

He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and a
member of its Alpha Psi Lambda Chapter, South Carolina’s oldest alumni chapter.
A native of historic Bath, North Carolina, Dr. Hopkins is the eleventh of twelve children of the late
Charlie Augusta Hopkins and the late Missionary Mollie Lee Windley Hopkins. He is a member of
Bible Way Church of Atlas Road in Columbia, South Carolina. His leadership and daily walk of
faith remain anchored in Joshua 24:15: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”