Background
Dr. Renick has more than 33 years of experience as a faculty member and administrator at numerous institutions of higher education. From June 2006 to July 2008 Renick served as Senior Vice President for Programs and Research at the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, DC. Prior to his appointment at ACE, he served for seven years as the ninth Chancellor and Professor of Political Science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). Before his leadership at NC A&T, he was Chancellor and Professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for six and one-half years.
Dr. Renick is a recognized leader in the area of university/business/industry relations. He received his B.A. from Central State University (Ohio) in 1970, where he was inducted into the Donald K. Anthony Achievement Hall of Fame. He earned an M.S.W. from Kansas University in 1972, and a Ph.D. degree in Government/Public Administration from Florida State University in 1980.
While at NC A&T, Dr. Renick engaged the university in a unique strategic visioning process that built on its comparative advantages as the number one producer of black engineers and technologists in the world, a first-rate business school, and a rich civil rights legacy. Under his leadership, the institution announced a major capital campaign, and embarked on several major capital projects funded from $161 million in bonds. These projects, and the $60 million capital expansion funded by the A&T Foundation, changed the face of the campus. New programs, including two Ph.D. programs, were added and the university was designated as a doctoral high research-intensive institution for the first time. In addition, as a collector and strong advocate of the arts, Dr. Renick initiated several significant campus public art projects.
He serves or has served on numerous national boards and foundations including the Presidential Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, the National Council for Science and the Environment, the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, and the National Science Foundation‘s Human Resources Division Advisory Board. While Chancellor of North Carolina A&T, he served locally on the board of the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, the Greensboro Merchants Association, and the Board of Directors of the Greater Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Renick’s achievements have brought him numerous awards including the American Association for Higher Education Black Caucus’ Exemplary Award for the Public Service, the University of Michigan President’s Medallion, Who’s Who in Black America, Faculty of the Year, and the Greater Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Medal.
He and his wife Peggy have one child, Karinda, a graduate of her father’s alma mater.