NC Central University names next chancellor. She’s a familiar face in NC higher ed.

DURHAM

A familiar face to the UNC System and its historically Black universities will be the next leader of North Carolina Central University.

Karrie Dixon will move from the chancellorship at Elizabeth City State University, a position she has held since 2018, to become NC Central’s 13th chancellor.

The UNC System Board of Governors approved Dixon for the role Thursday, upon system President Peter Hans’ nomination. The search process to find the university’s next leader began in late January, after Chancellor Johnson Akinleye announced earlier that month he would retire by the end of the academic year.

A first-generation college student and a native of Winston-Salem, Dixon holds her undergraduate and doctoral degrees from NC State University, and a master’s degree from UNC Greensboro. She has worked in the UNC System for 23 years, including working as an administrator in the UNC System office before becoming the chancellor of Elizabeth City State.

ECSU has grown and flourished under her leadership, with enrollment increasing by nearly 70%.

“Karrie Dixon has been a widely admired leader in our university System for more than two decades,” Hans said in a news release Thursday. “She’s known for building great teams and taking on big challenges with honesty and optimism. I’m excited for NC Central and grateful to Chancellor Dixon for her commitment to this state.”

Dixon said in the release that becoming chancellor at NC Central is a “dream come true.”

“NCCU embodies grit, innovation, leadership, purpose and legacy, and I am committed to building on our rich traditions and ensuring that our students, faculty, staff and alumni have the tools and opportunities necessary to succeed,” Dixon said. “I can’t wait to engage with all the possibilities that Durham has to offer.”

Though NC Central’s enrollment has dropped slightly in recent years, Dixon will take the helm at a time of increased interest in the Durham university. In February, the university had received almost 30% more applications from prospective students compared to the previous year, an increase the school’s undergraduate admissions director attributed primarily to “extremely intentional” recruitment efforts in a March interview with The N&O. The university generally enrolls around 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The chancellor search drew more than 50 candidates, a UNC System news release said.

Two other universities in the 17-campus UNC System have chancellor searches underway: NC A&T University and UNC-Chapel Hill. A search for a new chancellor at Appalachian State University “will be launched in the near future,” per an April announcement following the departure of former Chancellor Sheri Everts.

This story was originally published June 6, 2024, 10:51 AM.