UA President Witt Names Samory Pruitt as Vice President for Community Relations

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama President Robert E. Witt today announced the appointment of Dr. Samory Pruitt as vice president for community relations at UA, pending Board of Trustees’ approval.

Witt said the newly created vice presidency will provide leadership both within the campus community and externally.

“A university exists and functions in two different and equally important communities: the campus community which is composed of the university’s students, faculty and staff, and the external community which is comprised of the constituencies that make up the local, state, national and global environment of the university,” Witt said. “This new position will bridge all those communities.”

Pruitt has served as assistant to the president for community and corporate relations at UA since 2000. In that capacity, he has been involved in a wide variety of areas including economic affairs, corporate affairs and both external and internal community relations.

“Dr. Pruitt brings considerable experience and knowledge of the University and its constituencies to this position. I’m confident he will serve the University well as vice president,” Witt said.

As vice president for community relations, Pruitt will be responsible for enhancing the quality of life within the campus community by fostering a welcoming and supporting environment based on inclusiveness, diversity, equal opportunity, mutual respect and open communication, Witt said.

“He will work closely with the vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for student affairs to enhance activities related to cultural and global studies, student support services dealing with the cultural and global aspects of recruitment, retention and counseling, and programming related to cultural and global affairs.

“In the external community, he will be responsible for developing and managing the University’s public outreach programs, including economic development, social programs and the educational liaison relationships of the University,” Witt said.

Witt thanked the members of the University’s Multicultural Center Task Force for “their efforts and insightful analysis that played an important role in defining the new vice presidency.” The task force, appointed in January to review the support needs of minority and international students and the institution’s overall efforts to promote diversity, will continue to play an important role in defining the University’s approach to addressing multicultural center needs, Witt said.

As assistant to the president, Pruitt led the University’s outreach efforts in the Black Belt. He was appointed to the board of Initiative 7 by U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) and represented the state of Alabama on the board of directors of the Black Belt Initiative, an effort including seven Southeastern states. He also served as Black Belt liaison for UA with the governor’s office and worked closely with state legislators on UA initiatives in the Black Belt.

Pruitt has also served as director of the UA President’s Community Advisory Council, a group of Tuscaloosa community leaders that seeks to facilitate dialog between UA and the surrounding community on a wide variety of issues. He also represents UA on the Tuscaloosa Consortium for Higher Education, an organization formed in 1990 to facilitate joint initiatives between Shelton State Community College, Stillman College and UA.

In 2003, Pruitt chaired the planning committee for “Opening Doors,” UA’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first successful enrollment of African-American students at the University. He has also chaired the annual Martin Luther King Concert and Lecture Series for several years and has been involved with numerous campus programs and events.

Pruitt is a three-time UA graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1984, a master’s degree in public administration in 1998 and a doctorate in higher education administration in 2003. He joined the UA staff in the Facilities area in 1986 and held positions of increasing responsibility in that area until 1999 when he was named director of corporate and foundation relations in the Office of Advancement.