Robert L. Albright, the 11th president of Johnson C. Smith University and architect of a new era of academics and community outreach, died in McDonough, Georgia on Sept. 18 at age 76.

JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY

Robert Albright, who advanced academic rigor and community outreach at Johnson C. Smith University, died Sept. 18.

Albright, who led JCSU from 1983-1994, introduced a new era of academic rigor designed to challenge students as well as raise the school’s profile beyond its west Charlotte campus. Among the initiatives was to demand doctorate degrees among faculty, increasing the rate of professors with such degrees from 33% when he arrived to 75% when he left.

“During his tenure at JCSU, he exposed all to networking, research, goal setting, study, travel abroad and many other life-changing opportunities,” Jodi Turner, JCSU’s placement director from 1985-1995, posted online. “He may be gone but not forgotten as graduates, friends and family will remember what he did and stood for.”

Albright toughened academic standards by requiring students to write a senior thesis and pass a competency test in order to graduate. In 1990, the Robert L. Albright Honors College Center was built to recruit scholars with a commitment to academics and community service.

“JCSU experienced explosive growth during Dr. Albright’s administration,” JCSU President Clarence Armbrister said in a statement. “He was intentional about building the university’s brand as Charlotte’s HBCU and cultivated relationships with the city’s business and civic leaders that continue to pay dividends to JCSU today.”

Albright stressed improved relationships between JCSU and the larger westside community as well as with corporations at Charlotte’s urban core.

The school offered non-credit continuing education courses as the forerunner to the modern-day Metropolitan College – often for free – to help of west side residents develop new work skills.

He was also an advocate of revitalization efforts in neighborhoods around the campus.

“Dr. Albright was respected for the work he did to elevate academic standards at the university,” said Shirley Hughes, chair of JCSU’s board of trustees. “He was ahead of his time with his vision for revitalizing Charlotte’s west side and his determination to make JCSU a driving force in improving the quality of life for west side residents. I’m proud that the Board of Trustees and the presidents who followed him have worked hard to make his vision for the west side a reality.”

Under Albrigtht, a Philadelphia native, JCSU launched a $50 million fundraising campaign that secured over $34 million in the first 20 months.

In addition to the Honors College Center, the Faculty House (1991) and Edward E. Crutchfield Center for Integrated Studies (1993) were built during his tenure.

After leaving JCSU, Albright was executive vice president of Princeton, New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service from 1993-95.

“The JCSU family is immensely grateful for Dr. Albright’s contributions to advancing the university,” Armbrister said, “and proud of his accomplishments during his presidential tenure. I am honored to stand on his shoulders.”

Albright, a Philadelphia native, earned his bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, master’s from Tufts University and doctorate from Kent State University.
A private memorial service was held on Sept. 23 in McDonough, Georgia before burial in Philadelphia.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Winnifred E. and William H. Bannister Scholarship Endowment at JCSU.

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