Grinnell College Names Openly Gay, Black Male President

An amazing good news story out of the blue just in time for Black History Month: the first openly gay, Black male college president! Grinnell College announced today that it has selected Raynard S. Kington, M.D., M.B.A., Ph.D. as the 13th president of the 146-year-old liberal arts college based in rural Iowa. Dr. Kington had been serving as the deputy director of the National Institutes of Health since 2003 and served as Acting Director of the federal agency for a year, until Dr. Francis Collins was confirmed by the United States Senate in August 2009.

From the official college press release:

Dr. Kington was unanimously elected by the trustees after an extensive nationwide search by a 14-member Presidential Search Committee, including representatives from the trustees, faculty, administration, student body and alumni. The committee considered a diverse pool of more than 200 candidates with remarkable talents and accomplishments from large and small public and private institutions as well as multiple academic disciplines. The trustees noted Dr. Kington’s exceptional record of achievement at NIH and at the RAND Corporation, including his leadership, policy direction and coordination of NIH biomedical research and research training programs at NIH’s 27 institutes and centers, and his community-based leadership and research in Los Angeles, Calif.

[...]

Dr. Kington’s personal example underscores his commitment to educational excellence. At the age of 16, he entered a combined undergraduate-medical school program at the University of Michigan that allowed him to earn his B.S. when he was 19 and his M.D. when he was just 21 years old. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago and was appointed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, he completed his M.B.A. and Ph.D. with a concentration in health policy and economics at The Wharton School.

“I am absolutely delighted to join the Grinnell community and excited about the tremendous possibilities awaiting this distinguished college,” said Dr. Kington. “My entire career to date has been a reflection of the three core values of Grinnell: the pursuit of academic excellence, the advancement of a diverse community and the promotion of social justice. For those fortunate enough to attend a top-tier liberal arts college, particularly one with Grinnell’s wonderful heritage, the experience can be transformative. It opens the pathway to a life where students become citizens who make a difference in the world and improve society for the benefit of us all. I can think of no more gratifying opportunity than to lead Grinnell College as it strives to build on this tradition, and I am eager to get started.”

[...]

Dr. Kington; his partner, Peter T. Daniolos M.D., a child psychiatrist at Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University; and their two young children plan to move to Grinnell during the summer and occupy the president’s home at the college.

Interestingly, nowhere in the press release does it mention Dr. Kington's race or sexual orientation. I also find it interesting as to whether Grinnell was able to recruit such an academic star to rural Iowa because it is one of the few states where Dr. Kington and his partner can be married and be fully guaranteed that their family will be treated equally under state law?

Openly gay (or lesbian) college presidents are not that unusual any more. Way back in 2007, I blogged about the 11 known at the time. I suspect the number is appreciably higher now. The real breakthrough here is 1) It's Iowa! and 2) Kington is Black and gay (and a parent and possibly a Republican).