Dr. James Colston
Date of Presidency:  1942-1946

Education
B.S., Morehouse College
M.A., Atlanta University
PhD., Columbia University

Programs Established

Four year B.A. program in Education

Accomplishments as President

During Colston’s administration, President Colston was able to include the University as a charter member of the United Negro College Fund – the nation’s largest, oldest, and most successful minority higher education assistance organization. Dr. Colston began and led the University’s accreditation campaign to be accredited by the State of Florida Department of Education and the regional accrediting agency – the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accepted the University as a full member of the agency during Dr. Richard V. Moore’s presidency – Colston’s successor.

Background History

Before becoming president at Bethune-Cookman, Colston served as president of the Orange Belt District Teachers Association of Florida and the Macon District Teachers Association in Georgia. He was vice president of Florida’s Teacher Association, program director for the High School Division of Georgia Teachers and Educational Association, and served on the Curriculum Committee for Florida High Schools. He was chairman of the Planning Committee for Georgia Principals amongst other things.

Following the Presidency

He served in various capacities at Hampton Institute in Hampton, VA, New York University, and North Carolina A&T State University. He immediately served as president of Savannah State College after he left Bethune-Cookman. In 1951 he became president of Knoxville College in Tennessee where he served for 15 years. In 1966 he was elected president of Bronx Community College, “becoming the first black person to serve as president of a predominantly white college in New York.”