Brian O. Hemphill

Brian O. Hemphill joined West Virginia State University in July 2012 as the University’s 10th president. His emphasis since arriving on campus is threefold: to establish a commitment to excellence, to create a culture of accountability and to be student-centered in every process at State.

President Hemphill has a strong background in student advocacy, advancing diversity and equity and establishing a solid commitment to shared governance on campus. He has contributed to numerous journal articles and professional presentations in the areas of leadership, crisis management, ethics, and diversity. Most recently, Dr. Hemphill was the editor of the monograph, Enough is Enough: A Student Affairs Perspective on Preparedness and Response to a Campus Shooting. He has fulfilled various leadership roles within the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), which named him a Pillar of the Profession in 2009.

President Hemphill came to WVSU following an eight-year tenure as Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management and Associate Professor, at Northern Illinois University. Prior to joining NIU, he served as an associate vice chancellor and dean of students at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, associate dean of students at University of North Carolina-Wilmington, assistant dean of students at Cornell College, and coordinator of minority recruitment and retention at Iowa State University.

President Hemphill earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Iowa, a Master of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University of Science and Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from St. Augustine’s College.