DR. ALLEN SESSOMS is president of the University of the District of Columbia. Formerly, he served as president of Delaware State University. He earned a bachelor’s from Union College, a master’s from the University of Washington and a doctorate from Yale University.

JACQUES FUQUA JR. is director of the International Affairs Center at Indiana State University. Most recently, he served as director of international engagement, communications and protocol at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Fuqua earned a bachelor’s from Central State University and a master’s from Indiana University.

DR. COURTNEY LYDER is professor and dean of the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Nursing. Most recently, Lyder served as an endowed professor of nursing at the University of Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s from Beloit College in Wisconsin and a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate from Rush University in Chicago.

JUSTIN MCHORSE is director of the American Indian Program at New Mexico State University. Most recently, he served as assistant director of diversity programs in engineering at Cornell University. McHorse earned a bachelor’s from Dartmouth College and a master’s from Purdue University.

DR. NIRANJAN PATI is dean of the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University (N.J.). Formerly, Pati served as dean of the business school at Indiana University. He earned a bachelor’s from Ranchi University, Ranchi India, a master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, and a master’s and doctorate from Northwestern University.

DR. SHIRLEY RAMIREZ has been named to the newly created post of vice president for institutional planning and community engagement at Middlebury College (Pa.), effective January 2009. Ramirez earned a bachelor’s from Vanderbilt University, and a master’s and doctorate from Duke University.