(Wilberforce, Ohio): Central State University learned Wednesday, March 12, 2008 that Dr. A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, passed away at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after battling cancer. She was 56.
"Toy had become a friend, colleague, and confidant to me. She was endeared by the entire University family. During her far too short tenure, Toy established new academic programs and put Central State University on a path to growth with quality and excellence," said John W. Garland, president of Central State University. "She will be deeply, deeply missed."
Dr. A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert brought years of leadership experience and achievement in higher education to her position as chief academic officer at Central State University. She believed strongly in Central State University's mission and vision and contributed in implementing the University's strategic plan and Speed to Scale goals.
Dr. Caldwell-Colbert strengthened Central State University's academic programs, oversaw the hiring of almost 20 new faculty members, implemented two new degree programs, and the development this year of a third one. She supported program accreditation efforts and participated extensively in efforts to strengthen the academic culture on campus. She advocated strengthening the Honors Program and was instrumental in bringing a scholar-in-residence for the Honors Program to Central State University this semester. Also, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert led efforts to strengthen student academic support services, instituting a policy that students admitted conditionally be required to participate in the Summer Bridge program in order to better prepare them for college-level course work.
She was also a strong and capable advocate for the University, representing Central State University with the Ohio Board of Regents, the Inter-University Council, and the Southwestern Ohio Consortium for Higher Education.
Dr. Caldwell-Colbert was an independent consultant and licensed clinical psychologist. Prior to her appointment at Central State University, she held a faculty appointment as Professor of Psychiatry at Howard University and served as Consultant to the President and Vice Chair for Psychological Services and Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine at Howard University. From 2003-2004, she also served as Senior Research Associate with the Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity at the American Council on Education where she assisted the Center in fostering its mission of identifying and developing strategies and programs to assist institutions in designing, expanding and evaluating their efforts to foster greater participation and achievement of minorities on their campuses. Also, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert served as Howard University's Provost and Chief Academic Officer from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2003.
Dr. Caldwell-Colbert's 27-year career in higher education includes administrative, research, faculty, and clinical appointments. She has held major administrative and faculty positions at the University of Illinois, the University of Kansas, and Indiana State University. A board-certified clinical psychologist, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert earned the bachelor's degree magna cum laude in psychology and secondary education from Spelman College, and the master's and doctorate degrees in psychology and clinical psychology / public administration, respectively, from the University of Georgia.
From 1994-2001, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert served as associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Illinois (UI). Her responsibilities at UI included oversight for Office of Academic Policy Analysis; system-wide curriculum development and program review; merger and developmental planning for the university's Springfield campus; implementation of the president's award program and affirmative action initiatives; coordination of institutional results reporting and performance measures; processing of personnel classifications, promotions, tenure and sabbatical leaves; faculty roles and productivity initiatives; and facilitation of strategic planning and telecommunications/ distance learning initiatives. Dr. Caldwell-Colbert was a professor of psychology on the graduate faculty and an affiliate faculty member in the Afro-American Studies Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She also served as professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Among her many professional service activities with the American Psychological Association, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert served as Past-President of APA Division 45 the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues. Dr. Caldwell-Colbert's major research interests were ethnicity and diagnosis of mood disorders, multicultural competency training for mental health professionals and educators, cross-cultural research in depression, and issues of colorism in interpersonal relationships. She has published more than 22 journal articles and book chapters related to these topics. She has served on the American Council on Education Council of Fellows, and is an American Psychological Association Fellow of Division 45, 1996; Division 12, 1998; Division 2, 1999, Division 52, 2001, and Division 35, 2004. During the 2004 APA convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Caldwell-Colbert was awarded the Stanley Sue Award of Achievement for her significant contributions to advancing the clinical psychology of ethnic minorities. She has been listed among Who's Who in: American Education ('95-'96); Finance and Industry ('94-'95); the Midwest ('94-'95 and '96-'97); American Women ('92-'93, '93-'94 and '96-'97); and Human Service Professionals ('86). She also was awarded the Volunteer of the Year for Kansas Children's Service League ('85) and Mentor of the Year for APA Division 12 Section VI The Clinical Psychology of Ethnic Minorities (2003).
Dr. Caldwell-Colbert was a Trustee and Vice Chair of the Spelman College Board of Trustees in Atlanta, Ga. (2003-present) and served on the University of Georgia Franklin College Advisory Board (2005-present). She also served on the board of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (2001-2004), was a board member of the American Psychological Association's Board of Educational Affairs (2001-2003), Board of Professional Affairs (1998-2000), the President's Commission for Education and Training for Licensure in Psychology and is a committee member and Chair of the President's Implementation Plan for Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training of Psychologists for APA (1999-present). She also is a member of Phi Delta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Dr. Caldwell-Colbert's other professional affiliations include memberships in the Association for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and International Mental Health Professionals. Her other organizational affiliations include The Links, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, where she has also held positions of leadership at the local and regional levels.
Dr. Caldwell-Colbert is survived by her husband Charles C. Colbert and their three children: Joffre-Charles Colbert, Jordan Ashley Colbert, and LaTatia Colbert-Reed.
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