| Graduation Year | Class of 1961 |
| Date of Passing | Mar 29, 1998 |
| About | Dr. Flack’s highly successful career as an education administrator culminated when he was inaugurated as president of Wright State University in February 1994 – becoming the first African American president of a major metropolitan university in Ohio. His tenure, however, was short-lived as he died of pancreatic cancer in March 1998 at age 55. Upon his death, hundreds of mourners, led by his loving wife, Mignon, traveled from Wright State University to his burial place in Zanesville. Under his brief leadership, WSU was reaccredited for 10 years, the longest term possible. He helped establish the school’s first Faculty Senate, and championed several cultural and racial diversity initiatives on campus, including the WSU African American Male Mentoring Program for first-year students. By the time of his death, Wright State had reversed a six-year enrollment decline. The school also improved the academic quality of incoming students and lowered the dropout rate of first-year students. Dr. Flack was a noted leader in the field of ethics and bioethics, and a published author on those subjects. He was also an accomplished musician and composer, and one of his works, “A Nation: All Famillies” was premiered at his presidential inauguration. Prior to his WSU presidency, Dr. Flack was founding dean and professor of the College of Allied Sciences at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty for the State University of New York at Old Westbury; provost and executive vice president of Rowan University in New Jersey; and assistant dean and assistant professor at what is now known as the University of Buffalo. In 1992, he was credited with playing a lead role for securing a $100 million donation to Rowan. Dr. Flack earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, his master’s degree from Kent State University, and his doctorate from SUNY-Buffalo. |
