Biography

Ruby Waiters Watts, Ph.D., currently serves as Executive Vice President at Benedict College, a position she has held for the past fifteen years. She has served her entire professional career at Benedict College in various teaching and administrative positions. These positions have included Interim President, Vice President for Governmental Affairs/Grants and Contracts, Interim Administrator for the Division of Community Development, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Liaison Officer for the New York University Faculty Resources Network, and Professor of English. In her current position, Dr. Watts is second in charge to the President. As such, she has responsibility for providing assistance to the President in insuring that all administrative divisions and departments develop and implement strategic plans that are sufficient to achieve the goals of the College; that they develop, implement, and maintain policy and procedures manuals; and that they maintain an adequate reporting system to track and assess their performance. She serves as the College’s Accreditation Liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and as the Administrative Liaison to the Committee on Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Benedict College Board of Trustees. Additional responsibilities include providing oversight for the Standing Committee program; for the planning, approval, and implementation of all College-wide programs and events; and for the review and approval of College-wide publications. She coordinates a program for recognizing significant accomplishments and events of faculty and staff, identifying faculty and staff for recognitions and awards, and presenting programs for faculty and staff recognitions. Dr. Watts earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Benedict College (magna cum laude), the Master of Arts Degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in English Education from the University of South Carolina. Past professional memberships have included the South Carolina Committee for the Humanities, the Columbia Urban League Board of Directors, the Council of Independent Colleges Deans Task Force, and the South Carolina Women in Higher Education Administration Executive and Advisory Boards. Other professional memberships include the National Council of Negro Women - Columbia Section; Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society; founding member of Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, Benedict College Chapter; Phi Delta Kappa Professional Educational Society; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Watts is a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow, and Kellogg Fellow. She received the Outstanding Service Award presented by the Benedict College National Alumni Association (1992). She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Benedict College (May 1994) – the only time an honorary doctorate has been awarded to a person still employed at the College; and the Crystal Bell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education by Bennett College (May 1994). She received the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) Presidential Citation in recognition of exemplary experiences honoring her Alma Mater (1995). She is a recipient of the Tribute to Women in Business and Industry (TWIN) Award (1986) presented by the YWCA, the TWIN Academy Award (1996), and the Women of Excellence Award presented by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (December 2013). In November 2013, she was honored by the Golden Rams Society – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “in celebration of her pioneering spirit as one of the earliest African-American students at The University of North Carolina on the occasion of her 50th class anniversary.” At Benedict College’s Founder’s Day Convocation in March 2014, she was presented the Legacy Award in recognition of fifty years of meritorious service to the College; and at the College’s May 2014 Faculty and Staff Honors Program she received recognitions for fifty years of meritorious service to the College. An active member of Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in north Columbia, Dr. Watts serves her church as Program Director, Chair of the Scholarships Committee, Member of the Deaconess Ministry and the Women’s Ministry, Vice President of the Jubilee Choir, Chair of the Senior Adults Fellowship, and Chair of the Leadership Workshops. In February 2014 she organized the inaugural Jubilee Choir Sing-Out at Benedict College as a part of the College’s African American History and Culture Commemoration Program. Dr. Watts is married to Rufus C. Watts, and they are the parents of three children, grandparents of nine, and great-grandparents of three.