More than 80 representatives from academia and learned societies and community organizations were on hand to salute Dr. LeGrande. Mr. Bill Mahones, Chairman of the Board of Regents for The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), welcomed the students, staff, faculty and guests to the auspicious event. He commended Dr. LeGrande for the wealth of experience that she brings to PVAMU and the system and pledged his full support.
LeGrande comes from humble beginnings and is a two-time HBCU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Savannah State University and a master’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta, a historically Black sorority. She later earned the doctorate of education in higher education administration from Texas Tech University. After graudion, LeGrande returned to North Carolina A&T as a graduate recruiter. That springboarded her into a career focused on admissions and student success, taking her to Winston-Salem State University and the University of Houston-Downtown in rising positions; and later as the Vice President for Student Enrollment and Success at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is credited for enhancing and growing the enrollment through student success and college accessibility initiatives.
Persons paying homage to Dr. LaGrande included Carlotta Picket, LeGrande's sister, Mr. Herbert R. Thomas, Chairman of the Staff Council, Dr. David Rembert, Chairman of the Faculty Senate, Mr. Mark Falls, President of the PVAMU National Alumni Association and Miss Gabrielle Orji, President of SGA. “She carries with her the hopes and aspirations of faculty, staff, administrators and the student body,” ssociation President Orji said. “I have no doubt that she will rise to the occasion for Prairie View.”
The speaker for the inuaguration was Dr. Brenda Allen, 14th President of Lincoln University - Pennsylvania and mentor of Dr. LeGrande. Dr. Allen shared her admiration and respect for Dr. LeGrande and encouraged the students, faculty, staff and alumni, board of regents and legislative persons to do the same. The PVAMU Singers/University Chorale made a rousing tribute of I'll Rise Up.
Tributes for Dr. LeGrande’s inauguration were led by family and university leaders, including her sister Carlotta Picket, and university representatives Mr. Herbert R. Thomas, Chairman of the Staff Council, Dr. David Rembert, Chairman of the Faculty Senate, Mr. Mark Falls, President of the PVAMU National Alumni Association.
SGA President Gabrielle Orji expressed the student body’s confidence, stating that LeGrande carries the university's collective aspirations and will undoubtedly rise to the occasion. The PVAMU Singers and University Chorale performed a powerful rendition of "I’ll Rise Up," a special tribute for the occasion.
Keynoting the event, Dr. Brenda Allen, President of Lincoln University and mentor to Dr. LeGrande, shared her admiration for the new leader and urged the campus community and legislators to offer their full support.
TAMUS Chancellor John Sharp officially installed Dr. LeGrande with the presidential medallion and mace, pledging the System’s full financial and structural support to achieve her goals for the university.
Following a formal investiture by Mr. Bill Mahones, TAMUS Chancellor John Sharp presented Dr. LeGrande with the presidential medallion and mace. Sharp reaffirmed the System's commitment to funding and supporting her strategic goals. Other distinguished guests luminaries offering commendations and symbolic honors included Ronald Reynolds Texas State Representative, standing in for the late U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee; Ronald Leverett Mayor of Prairie View, who presented Dr. LeGrande with the Key to the City; Cynthia Jackson Hammond representing the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and Stan Kitzman Texas State Representative.
Drawing inspiration from PVAMU’s 1876 origins on a former plantation to its current status as a home for over 7,500 students, Dr. LeGrande articulated a vision of "eminence." She aims to transform the university into a premier, research-intensive public HBCU and a national model for student success. "Any time the wind blows on this campus, I feel hands pushing me on my back, pushing us forward to face new challenges," LeGrande concluded.
To jumpstart this vision, she announced PV Cares, a student support model launching this fall that provides every undergraduate with a dedicated academic adviser, financial counselor, and career coach. Dr. LeGrande concluded by thanking her family, the TAMUS Board, and the university community for their support in pushing the institution toward this new chapter.
The event hosted by FOX 26 Houston’s DaLaun Dillard and Denise Middleton and featured dynamic performances from Prairie View A&M’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, as well as musical group Hybrid 7 and acclaimed DJ, Spinderella.
The major highligts of the evening were the testimonies of the outstanding students lauding their choice to attend Prairie View A&M University and $1.1 Million Dollars raised for the scholarships, the plea led by Jeff Shaw, vice president for University Advancement, were met with enthusiastic applause and renewed commitments from supporters.
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