Michal E. Ayewoh, Ph.D., returned this year to Lincoln University to become the institution’s chief research & sponsored programs officer. Ayewoh, who was Lincoln’s assistant vice president for sponsored programs & sponsored research in 2013-14, is responsible for supporting and expanding research, scholarship, and creative activities, including sponsored programs, contracts, grants, and fellowship opportunities, for faculty, administrators, students, and the overall University.
“Lincoln University is privileged to have fantastic faculty,” said Ayewoh. “As the first degree-granting historically black college and university (HBCU) and an outstanding liberal arts institution, our faculty excel at teaching. My goal is to help create, nourish, and sustain a culture that also enables them to enhance their roles as researchers and practitioners in their fields of expertise.”
Ayewoh returned to Lincoln after University President Brenda A. Allen was informed of his interest. “I learned of Dr. Ayewoh’s interest in returning to Lincoln during a conversation about an interim strategy for our Sponsored Programs Office. I encouraged him to apply for the position and as expected he rose to the top of the pool. We are fortunate to have recaptured Dr. Ayewoh,” she said. “He is a leader in assisting faculty with securing sponsored programs grants and appropriately using the funds based on funders’ regulations.”
During his career, Ayewoh has also: been a researcher; secured more than $20 million in research grants and contracts; reviewed federal funding proposals; developed local, statewide, national and international trainings/workshops on sponsored programs; and served as national board member of the Capstone Institute, Howard University (to engage faculty members from minority serving institutions), and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).
Prior to rejoining Lincoln University, the U.S. Department of State Fulbright Specialist most recently served as the executive director of sponsored programs & sponsored research at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh. His previous positions, include associate vice president of sponsored research & faculty development at West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania; executive director of STEM initiatives and assistant dean of the School of Education & Allied Human Services at Hofstra University, Long Island, New York; director of multicultural student affairs at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania; and adjunct professor at Keuka College, Keuka, New York.
Ayewoh holds a bachelor’s of science degree in animal science with a minor in chemistry from Tennessee State University. He holds three degrees from the Pennsylvania State University: a master’s of science in poultry science & technology with a minor in statistics, a master’s of education, and a doctor of philosophy in agricultural and extension education.
Allen also praised the ongoing contributions of Marion Bernard-Amos, who served as the interim director of the Office of Sponsored Programs from 2015 to 2017 and again last year for a 6 month period: “During a period of transition, Bernard-Amos’ knowledge and leadership have been invaluable—not only to faculty affairs but also to the entire institution.”
Bernard-Amos is currently the University’s assistant provost for faculty affairs. Since joining the Lincoln University community in August 2011, she has served in multiple capacities, including as assistant director of sponsored programs, director of the Coatesville location, and director of Title III programs.
--Terrance J. Young, M.Div.
