Dr. Ellison served as the second in the history of Cleveland to serve as the president of Ohio's Cuyahoga Community College, the largest community college in Ohio.
ROSEVILLE, CA, January 26, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Nolen Myers Ellison, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
After a long and successful career in education, Dr. Ellison retired from Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2009 after two years as a consultant and trustee for the college. During his distinguished 40-year tenure in education, he was affiliated with several institutions, having served in administrative and teaching roles. Dr. Ellison's last appointment was as a Missouri Schutte professor of urban affairs in the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 1992 to 2001, becoming recognized as an endowed professor emeritus. Today, he remains a member of the retired faculty with privileges on the Kansas City campus. He also owns and chairs NME Associates, a consultancy he founded in 2001.
Before working in higher education, Dr. Ellison taught history, government, and athletics at Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas, from 1963 to 1967. The school was notably named after Charles Sumner, a prominent American abolitionist and senator from Massachusetts. The school was founded during racial segregation, where separate but unequal conditions existed in schools. It was also the only educational facility in Kansas City where Dr. Ellison could teach.
Among his most notable professional accomplishments, Dr. Ellison served as the second in the history of Cleveland to serve as the president of Ohio's Cuyahoga Community College, the largest community college in Ohio, from 1974 to 1994. He previously served as the president of Seattle Central Community College in Washington between 1972 and 1974, securing the distinction as the youngest chief executive officer of a higher education institution in Washington at the age of 31. Moreover, Dr. Ellison received the statewide endowed professorship, the first ever in Missouri.
Following his retirement from the classroom, Dr. Ellison utilized the vast resources he had accumulated throughout his academic career to establish The Seed Center in 2001, a philanthropic initiative based in Kansas City to contribute to his community. The funds from the organization have been utilized to highlight Dr. Ellison's endeavors with the Delaware Indians in Wyandotte County, Kansas, who were displaced during the Trail of Tears after 1830, and to facilitate the return of Edward Joseph Dwight Jr. to Kansas City, who President John F. Kennedy previously identified as the first African American astronaut-in-training. Dr. Ellison directed the funds he acquired toward empowering individuals who required assistance in recognizing and harnessing their potential.
Among other civic initiatives, Dr. Ellison has been associated with the national advisory committee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, a philanthropic organization that supports children, families, and communities. He is also a member of The Union Club of Cleveland and a member of the advisory board for Microsoft Corporation's TechSpark Project in Topeka, Kansas. Concerning charitable work, Dr. Ellison established a family trust and foundation to expand access to higher education. He was also selected as part of a team of Christian basketball players for the Overseas Christian Crusade's mission work, having contributed to the development of basketball in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan by training their Olympic teams.
Dr. Ellison graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1959 and subsequently received a Bachelor of Science in education, history, and social science from the University of Kansas in 1963 as a collegiate basketball player. He became recognized as an All-Big 8 player after receiving an athletic scholarship from the university. Dr. Ellison also achieved a Doctor of Philosophy in leadership, sociology, and urban development from Michigan State University in 1974.
As part of his professional commitments, Dr. Ellison succeeded as a member of the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and an affiliate of the American Association of University Professors. He has received several accolades throughout his career, including a Distinguished Service Award from the University of Kansas in 1986 and a Mike Shinn Award from the University of Kansas Alumni Association-Black Alumni Network Organization in 2017. Moreover, Dr. Ellison received an Honorary Doctorate from Baldwin Wallace University.
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