Makola Abdullah facts for kids

Makola M. Abdullah is an important leader in education. He is currently the 14th president of Virginia State University (VSU). Before becoming president of VSU, he held other big jobs at different universities. He was a senior leader at Bethune-Cookman University from 2013 to 2016. He also worked at Florida Memorial University and Florida A&M University.

Early Life and Education

Makola Abdullah grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He went to Lake Forest Academy and finished there in 1986. Later, he even helped lead the school as a trustee.

He studied civil engineering at Howard University. Civil engineering is about designing and building things like roads and bridges. He then earned his master's and doctorate degrees from Northwestern University. He was the youngest African American to get a PhD in engineering.

Career Highlights

From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Abdullah was a dean and director at the FAMU College of Engineering. This college focuses on science, technology, and agriculture. Before that, he helped with research as an associate vice president.

From 2011 to 2013, Dr. Abdullah was the main academic officer at Florida Memorial University. He was in charge of all school programs and helped with planning for the future.

In 2013, he became a senior leader at Bethune-Cookman University. During his three years there, he helped create a new college. This college brought together all the academic support for students.

In July 2017, Dr. Abdullah was named the 'Male President of the Year' at the HBCU Awards. HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The next year, Virginia State University won 'HBCU of the Year.' This shows how much the university has improved under his leadership.

Over the last five years, Virginia State University has received more money from the state. Their research projects and fundraising have also grown a lot. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Virginia State as a top historically Black college. The university also started a program to offer free tuition to some new students.

Personal Life

Dr. Abdullah is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is married to Ahkinyala Cobb-Abdullah, and they have two children.

In 2021, Dr. Abdullah became famous online for a fun video. In the video, he played basketball and tricked another student with a cool move. A few weeks later, another video showed him winning a three-point shooting contest against the same student!