James Hill was the first black vice president of University of Texas at Austin. The 84 year-old recently died of prostate cancer. Hill was a civil rights advocate who was once refused an education at the same school that made him vice president. During his tenure, Hill served on the Martin Luther King Jr. Sculpture Project Committee and the Black Faculty and Staff Association.
When Hill was denied entry to University of Texas in the 1940’s, he enrolled at Samuel Huston College, which became Huston-Tillotson College, an HBCU. In 1978, he earned his Ph.D. from UT in educational administration.
Hill was appointed Associate Vice President for Administration and Public Affairs in 1993, then went on to become Vice President for Community and School Relations in 2000 for seven years. At UT, he was responsible for the general management of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, the University Interscholastic League, Neighborhood Longhorns, Community and School Relations, University Outreach programs, and Pre-college Youth Development.
As a result of his tireless work in civil rights, the Dr. James L. Hill Education Scholarship was established in 2001 at UT.
