President Rembert Stokes of Wilberforce: 1956 to 1976

President Rembert Stokes of Wilberforce, 1956 to 1976 provides an excellent, rich and very interesting history of the presidency of the 14th President of Wilberforce University. It provides a good study on presidential leadership effectiveness in a higher education setting. Students were trained to fulfill their potential in all areas of life, intellectually, morally, culturally, socially, politically and vocationally. Dr. Stokes was selected for the presidency to succeed President Hill, who died suddenly of a massive heart attack, because of his sound academic background, religious preparation in the Theological Seminary, unique personal characteristics, leadership experience as very capable A.M.E, in the churches he pastored and his accomplishments as the Dean of Payne Theological Seminary. His work as the Dean of Payne Theological Seminary over a five year period made people believe that he was qualified to be the President of the University. He brought the Seminary to a point of excellence. It was given accreditation status during his tenure as the Dean. He was an outstanding and distinguished educator. He was innovative, creative and could foresee long in to the future. He was a superior visionary, an outstanding student development person and a gifted fund raiser. He believed in the philosophy that God has given us more sky than we can ever fly and He has given us more water than we can ever sail and He has given us more love than we can ever give. His ambition was to work, in faith, for the stability of the University and the encouragement of the students who attended the University to embrace a dynamic Christian World View. He used godly ways and he was blessed. There are three major controlling factors that donors evaluate when making grants to institutions of higher education. There are probabilities, potentialities, and prudence. These are considered a three-way test along with the donor's motivation and objectives. The probabilities deal with the justification for continued survival in the future while potentialities involve the quality of service to the community. Prudence is the wisdom in the action.