DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina Central University Chancellor Dr. Debra Saunders-White, 59, died Saturday after a battle with kidney cancer.
Saunders-White assumed the position of chancellor on June 1, 2013, and made university history on Feb. 8, 2013, when she became the first permanent female chancellor.
She made it her mission to carry out “Eagle Excellence” on campus and in the community.
"Her loss is nearly immeasurable to our community, but her influence on higher education and her genuine love and dedication for NCCU, most especially the students, are clearly evident by her impact in Durham, across North Carolina and throughout our nation. Chancellor Saunders-White was a powerhouse of energy and wit; she spent her life passionately executing on her visionary and transformative strategy of using education to create opportunity," Dr. Johnson O. Akinleye, acting chancellor, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, said.
Saunders-White previously worked at the U.S. Department of Education, Hampton University, the University of North Carolina Wilmington and in cooperate marketing at IBM.
Saunders-White took a medical leave of absence on Aug. 8, 2016. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2015.
She is survived by two children, Elizabeth Paige and Cecil III, her mother, Irene Saunders, and her brothers, Roger, Ralph and Kyle Saunders, and their families, a number of other family members and a host of friends.
Details of a vigil, memorial service and celebration of life are forthcoming.
UNC President Margaret Spellings gave the following statement:
"The UNC system lost a great leader today. With the death of Deb Saunders-White, we also lost a valued colleague and friend. Deb loved NCCU with all her being and treated each of its students as her very own. She called them her light and her inspiration as she waged her battle with cancer. As a first-generation college graduate, she understood the rare opportunities that higher education can provide, as well as the challenges so many young people face in accessing and affording college. Deb will be remembered for her positive outlook on life, her unwavering faith and determination, and her commitment to Eagle Excellence. Our hearts go out to her family and the entire NCCU community."
Cox Media Group
