From dishwasher to Vice Chancellor: US University appoints Nigerian as its Vice Chancellor

Dr. Victor Ukpolo

THE Board of Supervisors of the Southern University System has announced the appointment of Dr. Victor Ukpolo as the seventh Vice-Chancellor for Southern University, New Orleans, USA. Until his recent appointment, the 53-year-old Ph.D. Ukpolo served the Southern University System as Vice President for academic and student affairs for three years. Other posts include Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles; Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Academic Research for the Tennessee Board of Regents; and various administrative posts at Austin Peay State University.
He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Austin Peay State University, in Tennessee, USA and after serving approximately 10 years and attaining the level of Professorship, he was promoted to serve the central administration of the university as Executive Assistant to the President, which became his first administrative assignment.
Ukpolo, a graduate of the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., received both a Master of Arts and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees from The American University. An economist, he is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Committee on Economic and Workforce Development, the Business Council of New Orleans & the River Region, and a board member of the Algiers (New Orleans) Economic Development Foundation.
“I came to America as a young adult after high school at United Christian Secondary Commercial School at Apapa, blessed with all the tools (both from home and from school) to succeed if given the opportunity. America provided that opportunity for me to fulfill my dream. In order to make ends meet upon my arrival, I picked several odd jobs dish-washer in a Chinese restaurant in Washington DC, a security guard in an office building in downtown Washington DC, and then a taxi driver. While doing all these odd jobs, I never lost focus on my ultimate goal. So, you might say that I moved from a dish-washer to being a Chancellor of a university, which I believe is a testament to having the right kind of values -hardwork, dedication, honesty, discipline and just doing the right thing at all times,” said Ukpolo.

Submitted – M.Adeniyi  Courtesy – Online Nigeria
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