| Summary: | University president Henry Ponder was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma on March 28, 1928. After hearing a speech by Mary McLeod Bethune in high school, Ponder was inspired to become a university president. He received his B.S. degree in agriculture in 1951 from Langston University, obtained a M.A. degree from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Ponder held positions at Virginia State College and Fort Valley State College. After working as vice president of Alabama A&M University, he became president of Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina in 1973. In 1984, Ponder was chosen president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. While at Fisk, he was selected as one of the 100 Most Effective College Presidents in the United States. In early 2002, Ponder became President of Talladega College in Alabama. During his presidency, Ponder helped retain the 136-year-old institution's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
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