Dr. Mishoe following in her father’s footsteps at DSU

DOVER, Del.  – It’s never easy to follow in the footsteps of someone great, but for Dr. Wilma Mishoe,  Delaware State University’s first female president and 11th overall,  that’s exactly what she’s doing stride for stride, now that she’s serving in the same role her father Dr. Luna Mishoe did from 1960 to 1987.

For Dr. Mishoe, she says it’s almost surreal.

“It’s awesome , it’s awesome. When I take the time to think about it and you must know I communicate with my father every day because again with every situation in my head I’m saying now what would dad say,” Dr. Mishoe said.

Surprisingly Dr. Mishoe said she never dreamed of following her father’s footsteps at DSU. In fact, when she first left for college, Dr. Mishoe said she told her parents she would never come back to Dover except to visit. But life had different plans.

After coming out of retirement to serve as interim president at Wilberforce University,  one of the oldest HBCU’s in the nation, Dr. Mishoe was again pulled out of retirement in 2017 when former DSU president Dr. Harry Williams resigned to become president of Thurgood Marshall College Fund. At first, it was on an interim basis, but not even a half year into her interim role she was approached to take over permanently. A decision she says was an easy one.

“Number one it was an honor. Number 2 I am so committed to DSU,” Dr. Mishoe said. “To be asked to be the head of this institution is something I could not fathom before.”

For Dr. Mishoe, her commitment to DSU also comes with her commitment to access to education and opportunity, something that was instilled in her when she at the forefront of desegregation in Delaware as a student.  After moving to the area as a 6th grader, Dr. Mishoe was forced to attend an all-black school for a year. At that time Delaware only had desegregated high schools, but following that first year, she and other students from the school decided enough was enough and switched schools to the all-white middle school in the area.

“So I chose to go to Dover junior high school which was still segregated at the time and yes it was a fight,” Dr. Mishoe said. “But my thoughts were, why shouldn’t I have been able to go. That was attitude then and this is my attitude today. Why shouldn’t the same opportunities that are available to some not be available to all.”

It’s that same push for access and opportunity that has led her to continuously support DSU’s dreamers program. A program that welcomes undocumented immigrants to pursue their college dreams at the university, but is also seen as controversial in some circles given the current climate surrounding immigration.

“Somebody took a stance for us a time when it was controversial, somebody took a stance for us. That’s what my commitment at even Wilberforce was about. Wilberforce was created before the civil war, somebody took a stance for us. When I said I’m a fighter, that’s what I mean. Fighting for doing what’s right. That’s why we take that stance, it’s the right thing to do,” Dr. Mishoe said.

It’s also that drive that’s led Dr. Mishoe to create the new digital learning initiative, which allowed DSU freshmen to get Ipad Pros free of charge this fall.

“We know the type of students that we are serving. we don’t want those kinds of barriers for them. we are providing access and opportunity in every way that we possibly can,” Dr. Mishoe said.

Dr. Mishoe said she will look to create more programs like the digital learning initiative in the future, but her plans also extend far beyond that.

“I want to introduce to some reintroduce to others Delaware State University beyond these brick walls that surround this campus,” Dr. Mishoe said. “I want people to recognize Delaware state for the true excellence that it already has and that it’s going to continue to have in the future.”

Part of that re-introduction process involved meeting with all the superintendents in the state earlier this month. Dr. Mishoe said she asked for the meeting so she could let them know of all the excellent things they were doing at the university and to tell them about all they had to offer.

“It starts from the top if you can educate and garner support from the top then it trickles down. I get their support and assistance. They asked me to please meet with their principals. That’s next and that was very strategic, we planned it that way,” Dr. Mishoe said.

So far, her plans seem to be paying off. After her interim year, DSU continued its trend of record-breaking enrollment. If that continues and Dr. Mishoe follows through on her other plans it appears not only will she be following the big footsteps of her fater, she’ll be leaving behind some pretty big ones behind herself.