From GED to PhD: Rolundus Rice to speak at AUM’s Juneteenth Luncheon
After earning his GED, Rolundus Rice built a career in higher education leadership through perseverance, purpose, and a steadfast belief in education’s transformative power. He now serves as vice president for student affairs and chief operating officer at Tuskegee University. Rice’s journey is a testament to the heights one can reach with dedication, determination and resilience.
Rice will share his story during the Auburn University at Montgomery Civil Rights to Civic Virtue Society’s Juneteenth Luncheon. His talk, titled “From GED to PhD,” will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18, in Taylor Center 230. The event is free and open to all AUM students, faculty and staff. RSVPs are required.
Like his career, Rice’s academic journey has been anything but conventional. He received his undergraduate degree from DeVry University, graduating magna cum laude, and went on to complete a master’s degree in history from Alabama State University. While teaching world history at Tuskegee University, he earned a doctorate in history from Auburn University, becoming only the second African American to do so in the university’s history.
“Dr. Rice embodies the spirit of Juneteenth,” said Lynn Stallings, director of the Civil Rights to Civic Virtue Society and organizer of the event. “His life story is powerful and will resonate deeply with anyone who has pursued a nontraditional path to success. He is also a highly respected leader in higher education throughout Alabama.”
In addition to his role at Tuskegee, Rice has held numerous leadership positions in higher education. He served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and was appointed dean of humanities and fine arts at Talladega College at the age of 33. His career includes roles as a dean of both undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as assistant vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.
Rice also gives back to the field through roles such as serving as central region director of adult education with the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
As a longtime educator, his scholarly work focuses on 20th-century history, particularly the Modern Civil Rights Movement. He is the author of “Hosea Williams: A Lifetime of Defiance and Protest,” a biography of the civil rights activist who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. as a field organizer in major campaigns during the 1960s.
Juneteenth, a federal holiday observed on June 19, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans following the Civil War. AUM will be closed on Thursday, June 19, in recognition of the holiday.
The Juneteenth Luncheon is sponsored by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation as part of AUM’s initiative, “From Civil Rights to Civic Virtue: Forming Character through Community.”
