Dr. Charlie Nelms

Dr. Charlie Nelms, a native of the Arkansas Delta, has devoted his life to equalizing opportunities for disenfranchised peoples. He is a senior scholar at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and a senior consultant for the Association of Governing Boards, specializing in HBCU governance and leadership. Charlie’s eminent career includes serving as chancellor at Indiana University East, the University of Michigan-Flint, and North Carolina Central University (NCCU), as well as IU Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs Emeritus. Charlie is the first African American to be appointed chancellor of an IU campus and vice president of the University. Charlie obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically Black College and University (HBCU). He earned his master’s and doctorate from Indiana University, with nearly half a century of affiliation. In 2019, IU awarded him an honorary doctorate, and he is also the recipient of its highest honors: The President’s Medal for Excellence, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement. Charlie is Professor Emeritus at IU. He holds honorary degrees from Earlham College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and is an Arkansas Hall of Fame nominee.