Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D.
President, Prairie View A&M University
Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., assumed the role of the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023, bringing with her a distinguished career in higher education leadership. Prior to joining PVAMU, she held key positions, including Vice President for Strategy, Enrollment Management, and Student Success at Virginia Commonwealth University; Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Houston–Downtown; and Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at Winston-Salem State University. Nationally recognized for her expertise in strategic planning, leadership, and advancing student access and success, Dr. LeGrande has consistently championed student-centered innovation.
Advancing Excellence at PVAMU
Since arriving at PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande has led transformative initiatives to elevate the student experience. Most notably, she launched PV Cares, a pioneering student success model—the first of its kind implemented at scale in the nation. This initiative institutionalizes a culture of care by assigning each undergraduate student a dedicated CARE team—comprising an academic advisor, financial counselor, and career coach—who support them throughout their academic journey at PVAMU.
She also established the Division of University Advancement, charged with strengthening the university’s philanthropic infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, and alumni relations. As part of this realignment, the Prairie View A&M Foundation was strategically repositioned under the Office of University Advancement to enhance coordination and accountability across all fundraising and development activities. This structural shift ensures greater alignment between institutional priorities and philanthropic investments, expanding PVAMU’s capacity to support students, faculty, and innovation.
In 2024, following an inclusive stakeholder engagement process, Dr. LeGrande launched PVAMU’s bold new strategic plan—Journey to Eminence: 2035. Anchored in the university’s commitment to access, impact, and academic excellence, the plan outlines a transformative vision for the next decade. Designed through a collaborative, data-informed process, Journey to Eminence sets forth ambitious goals across five strategic pillars: operational effectiveness, advancing teaching and academic relevance, student success, research and innovation, and partnerships and engagement. This strategic blueprint not only reflects institutional priorities while serving as a framework for action and accountability—it also embodies the leadership philosophy Dr. LeGrande brings to Prairie View A&M University.
