Today In Black History - Ruth J. Simmons
On this date in 2000 Ruth J. Simmons was elected as the 18th president of Brown University. The Dillard University alumni became the first black president of an Ivy League institution. Simmons also became Brown's first female president. In 1995 Simmons became the first African American woman to head a major college or university when she was selected as president of Smith College.