Pioneer university leader to address Rust College graduates

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - A pathbreaking university president will address graduates at Rust College Saturday.

The Holly Springs school expects 113 students to receive diplomas.

Ruth Simmons, currently president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas will address graduates. Simmons was the first African American person to lead an Ivy League school, serving as Brown University’s president from 2001 to 2012.

Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University in New Orleans and master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard. She was a professor and administrator at a number of universities, serving as president of Smith College from 1999 to 2001.

Rust is a historically black college chartered by the United Methodist Church.