Brenda A. Allen, Ph.D
President, Office of the President
As Lincoln University’s 14th president, Brenda A. Allen has been aggressively implementing a strategic plan designed to ensure Lincoln’s place among great liberal arts institutions. The plan builds upon the University’s strong legacy of using the liberal arts as the vehicle for producing world leaders who are globally engaged and committed to social justice. The current investments prioritize enhancing academic quality and improving operational effectiveness with projects such as revising the curriculum, increasing support for faculty teaching and scholarship, expanding co-curricular opportunities, and restructuring the administration.
Additionally, Dr. Allen has made progress on extensive renovations, upgrades, and additions to the 422-acre, 56-building campus. The facilities improvements include both restoration of the campus’ historic architecture and renewing and increasing campus housing to accommodate anticipated enrollment increases and enhance the living-learning experience.
Knowing the value of the School for Adult and Continuing Education located in downtown Philadelphia, Dr. Allen has redoubled the University’s effort to expand the programs offered. The primary focus has been on instituting a vibrant continuing education unit designed to offer adults to earn credentials and advance their careers. Toward this end, Lincoln recently launched an online summer course program offering individuals a range of General Education courses most often needed to complete degree programs. The upcoming launch of the soft-skills badges program will help individuals develop, hone, and demonstrate competency across a range of skills deemed necessary for success in today’s marketplace.
Before becoming president of the University, Dr. Allen served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston Salem State University (WSSU). Dr. Allen departed WSSU with a legacy of achievement. Her many accomplishments included leading the revision of the curriculum, overseeing the establishment of WSSU’s first two doctoral programs, expanding undergraduate research funding, restructuring academic support to strengthen advising, strengthening standards for tenure and promotion, and helping raise more than $10 million for capital projects, scholarships, and other student support.
Previously, Dr. Allen served as associate provost and director of institutional diversity at Brown University. There she was credited with helping to raise nearly $15 million to support diversity goals, co-authoring a successful $3.3 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, and leading efforts that culminated in 36% and 45% increases in the number of women and minority faculty members, respectively.
Before joining Brown University, Dr. Allen held several academic and administrative positions at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Promoted through the ranks at Smith to full professor, Dr. Allen served as the chair of the African American Studies Department, the assistant to the president, director of institutional diversity, and special assistant to the provost.
Prior to her tenure at Smith College, Dr. Allen spent three years at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Her positions there included postdoctoral associate in the Department of Psychology and lecturer in the Departments of Psychology and African American Studies.
Dr. Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lincoln University, a master’s degree in experimental psychology, and a doctorate in developmental psychology, both from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
