Dr. Barbara Hatton, SC State University’s first woman president, dies at 84

Photo Courtesy: Legacy.com

ORANGEBURG, SC (WOLO) — Dr. Barbara R. Hatton, considered a pioneering educator and former HBCU President, has died at 84 in Boston, Massachusetts.

According to her obituary, Dr. Hatton became the first woman President of South Carolina State University in 1992. Her leadership roles included Dean, School of Education, at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta), at Tuskegee University, and Deputy Director of the Education and Culture Program at the Ford Foundation, where she advanced national initiatives addressing teacher shortages and strengthening community-based schooling.

From 1997 to 2005, as President of Knoxville College, she designed the pioneering debt-free “work college” model, enabling students to earn their education through structured internships.

Her honors included the ROSE Award, the Drum Major for Justice Award, & recognitions by the Navajo Nation & National Defense Education Act Fellow. She was also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Howard University, a master’s degree from Atlanta University (now Clark University) and an M.E.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, where she became the first African American woman assistant professor of administration and policy analysis in the School of Education. Patton also served in leadership roles at Atlanta University, Tuskegee University and the Ford Foundation and Knoxville College.

Dr. Hatton is survived by her daughter, and two grandchildren.