If Johnson C. Smith University's outgoing president, Dr. Dorothy Yancy, were mayor of Charlotte, light rail and a lot of other dumb mess in this city would make more sense.
For the last 14 years, Yancy has been running the only university in Uptown Charlotte so well that some people forgot the place was there. During Yancy's reign, JCSU has excelled. As a historically black college, none of the financial problems that forced the closing of Barber-Scotia and Morris Brown have plagued Smith.
Luckily, there haven't been any violent acts at the school to damage its reputation. The students at Smith are well behaved and smart.
Yancy is going to be missed. But what shouldn't be missed is the fact that she was a first. The first woman to lead this school. Yancy told The Charlotte Observer (one of the outlets that forgot JCSU was here until they won the CIAA basketball tournament this year) that she came to Smith to build a school.
That's what she did. And Yancy gave her all to Smith. I know because I was a student there and watched her walk across campus every day. A proud woman, Yancy loved her students and her Alma Mater. Here's hoping that when she retires she will finally relax!
And speaking of the CIAA basketball tournament (a huge money maker for the city of Charlotte and its transit system) Yancy had the vision to try and get the event here when the Hornets were still in vogue - before George Shinn got caught up in his head games (pun intended).
It's funny because she came in to school planning to be there for a short time. I mean she was the interim president for about four years. Now, she leaves a legacy that will be hard to top. And can you believe that even as she was packing her office to leave, Yancy was still hard at work. She's a true leader. Charlotte could learn a lot from this lady!