Ronald Mason Jr. facts for kids

Ronald Francis Mason Jr. was born on January 15, 1953. He is an American lawyer and a leader who helps run universities. He was the ninth president of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He started this job in July 2015.

This was Mr. Mason's third time leading a university. Before UDC, he was the chief executive at the Southern University System in Louisiana from 2010 to 2015. He also led Jackson State University from 2000 to 2010. Before becoming a university president, Mr. Mason worked at Tulane University for 17 years. There, he held important jobs like general counsel (which means he was the main lawyer) and vice president.

Early Life and Education

Ronald Mason Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California. He was the oldest of six children. His family has lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, for many generations, and he grew up there.

He went to Columbia College at Columbia University. He earned his first degree there in 1974. Then, he got his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1977.

Career Highlights

After finishing law school, Mr. Mason went back to Louisiana. He started working as a lawyer for the Southern Cooperative Development Fund (SCDF). This group helped organize and fund cooperatives in 17 southern states. In 1980, he joined the SCDF Board of Directors.

Leading at Tulane University

In 1982, Mr. Mason became the first in-house lawyer for Tulane University. He was also the first African American to hold a senior leadership role at Tulane. He eventually became the senior vice president, in charge of the university's business and legal matters. He helped make big changes at Tulane. A local newspaper said he brought a "corporate model" to how the university was run.

Mr. Mason helped bring the Amistad Research Center to Tulane University. This center has one of the largest collections of writings and art about the experiences of African Americans and other minority groups. He also worked on a project to study racism in higher education.

From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Mason helped improve the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). This was a big project where Tulane University helped manage public housing. He also started a program where Tulane students and teachers worked with people living in public housing.

In 1998, he helped create the Tulane-Xavier National Center for the Urban Community (NCUC). This center worked with low-income people in New Orleans.

Leading Universities

In 2000, Mr. Mason became the president of Jackson State University. In 2010, President Barack Obama asked him to join a special board that advises on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

From 2010 to 2015, he was the president of the Southern University and A&M College System. This is the only HBCU system in the United States. He helped the system through tough financial times and reorganized how it was run.

While at Southern University, Mr. Mason started a program called the 'Five-Fifths Agenda for America'. This program focused on helping young Black men succeed. It created special centers to help students, aiming to break cycles of violence and keep young men out of prison.

In July 2015, Mr. Mason became the ninth president of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He is the longest-serving president in the school's history. He worked to make UDC stronger as the only public university in Washington, D.C., and the only urban land-grant university. Under his leadership, UDC improved its technology and worked to connect more with D.C. Public Schools. In 2021, the university received a large gift of $2.3 million to support its plans. Mr. Mason announced that he would step down as president on June 30, 2023.

Mr. Mason also serves on the boards of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs. He is also the vice-chair of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Awards and Recognition

Mr. Mason has received several awards for his work:

• 1999: Tulane/Xavier/Loyola Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2000: City of New Orleans Medal of Honor
• 2008: Columbia University John Jay Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement
• 2008: TMCF Educator of the Year
• 2009: Benjamin E. Mays Educator of the Year
• 2013: Southern Christian Leadership Conference Award for Educational Leadership