VUU names Perkins as acting president

A former Richmond city schools official was named acting president of Virginia Union University yesterday.

Claude G. Perkins replaces Virginia Union President Belinda Anderson, who had said she would step down June 30.

"We felt that we needed to protect the continuity of the university," said Frank Royal, chairman of the Virginia Union board of trus tees.

He said that waiting until June would have been too long to ensure a smooth transition and planning for the next school year.

Anderson could not be reached for comment, but Lucille Brown, a member of the VUU board, described the transition as "very amicable." "She had other plans," Brown said of Anderson. "It worked out that it was the ideal thing for both parties."

Perkins recently retired from Albany State University, a historically black university in Albany, Ga., where he served as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school.

Brown had worked with Perkins when she was superintendent of Richmond Public Schools. He was deputy superintendent and assistant superintendent for special student services under Brown from 1992 to 1996.

Brown said she had seen "the breadth of the knowledge Dr. Perkins had" when she worked with him earlier. Perkins was assistant superintendent for secondary schools in Richmond from 1983 to 1985 before leaving to become superintendent of schools in Kansas City, Mo.

When Brown became superintendent, she asked him to return to Richmond. At that time he was a professor of education and director of the Center for Educational Leadership at Clarion University in Pennsylvania.

Perkins was introduced on the Lombardy Street campus yesterday afternoon. The meeting, initially just for faculty and staff, was moved to a larger room when more than 100 students showed up and asked to be included.

Royal said he "could not have been more proud of the student body" for speaking out at the meeting. He said students would be included on the search committee for the new president.

Royal and Brown said it would be premature to discuss whether Perkins would be considered by the committee.

"That has not been discussed at this point," Brown said.

Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or .