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Central State hires renowned biochemist as new provost

Juliette Bell, provost, left, and John Garland, president, Central State University, during a Dayton Daily News editorial board meeting.

Ty Greenlees/Staff Photographer Juliette Bell, provost, left, and John Garland, president, Central State University, during a Dayton Daily News editorial board meeting.

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By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer Updated 12:34 AM Friday, September 25, 2009

WILBERFORCE — Central State University turned to a “giant in science” to help build the school’s academic reputation and improve student success.

Juliette B. Bell, Central State’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs, is a renowned biochemist who has been honored by the White House and celebrated in an exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

At Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, Bell was the founding dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, where she fostered the development of two new departments and new academic degrees in nursing, forensic science, biotechnology and fire science, among others.

“We want to strengthen our sciences programs,” said John W. Garland, Central State president. “Someone who has a background and experience in starting new programs, particularly in the sciences, interested me greatly.”

As the university’s chief academic officer, Bell’s primary goal is to improve student success at Central State, including retention and graduation rates.

It’s a challenge, but Central State has many of the necessary pieces in place, Bell said. The public, historically black university has a record enrollment this fall of 2,436 students.

“We’ve got the students in, but now we’ve got to work with that group of students to make sure that they come back next year ... and that they are able to graduate in the next four to six years from this institution,” Bell said.

Bell credits her education at historically black colleges and universities in Georgia and Alabama for giving her the confidence to succeed in science and not feel like an outsider.

Bell, 54, did research on DNA mutagenesis. She studied how metals in the environment can cause changes in DNA that can then lead to cancer.

Bell was named a “Giant in Science” by the Quality Education for Minorities/ Math Science Education Network.

In 2000, Bell received the Millennium Award for Excellence in Teaching from the White House initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. That same year she was one of 10 scientists featured in a Chicago museum exhibition entitled, “Defying Tradition: African-American Women in Science and Technology.”

A native of Talladega, Ala., Bell was raised on a farm. She was a first-generation college student.

“I grew up picking cotton and all of those things that you don’t want to do, so that’s how I really got interested in getting an education and going to college so that I could have a better career,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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