Virginia State University confirmed yesterday that it has
selected Abdullah as its new leader. Abdullah is currently the provost and
chief academic officer at Bethune-Cookman University.
“I believe Dr. Abdullah is an individual of unique character
and ability,” said VSU Board Rector and Presidential Search Committee Chairman
Harry Black. “His dedication to student growth and moving Virginia State
University forward will quickly become apparent to everyone associated with the
University. I look forward to introducing him and his family to the Trojan
family.”
Abdullah spent 15 years at FAMU and raised more than $27 million in grant dollars during that time. The agencies that sponsored his research projects included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
As a FAMU faculty member, Abdullah also held a number of
administrative leadership positions, including: associate vice-president for
research (2005-2007), director of land grant programs (2008-2011), and dean of the
College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture (2008-2011). He
additionally chaired FAMU’s Tenure and Promotion Committee and SACS Federal
Mandates Committee.
Abdullah began teaching at FAMU in 1996 as an assistant
professor of engineering technology. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and taught civil engineering. He became a
tenured associate professor in 2002 and a full professor in 2007.
He left FAMU in 2011 to serve as the provost of Florida Memorial
University in Miami, serving under former FAMU Pharmacy Dean Henry Lewis, III.
Bethune-Cookman University hired him to serve as its provost in 2013.
Abdullah earned his B.S. in civil engineering from Howard
University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Northwestern
University.