Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr. is the 11th president of Alabama A&M University (pronounce it hugh-guinea). He graduated from South Carolina State University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics and from Michigan State University with a doctorate in Higher Education/Institutional Research. He is the author of three mathematics textbooks and has presented at several professional conferences on methods for boosting the proportion of minorities in STEM fields.
He held the position of president of South Carolina State University before being hired by Alabama A&M University. Other roles held include Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director of Special Services Program, Director of University Year for Action Program, Research Fellow, Assistant and Director of Institutional Self-Study, Professor of Mathematics, and High School Math Teacher. Hugine has received recognition on both a national and international level for his administrative prowess and leadership in the field of education.
The president of Alabama A&M University, Dr. Andrew Hugine, claims that he has always desired a career in teaching. He studied in math education while an undergraduate at South Carolina State University; his mother was a teacher. After graduating, he spent a year teaching high school math in Beaufort, South Carolina, before his alma institution contacted him.
The Beginning Story
Hugine recalls that when a student support job became available, Dr. Oscar Butler, who had served as SCSU’s SGA adviser while Hugine was SGA president, “went to bat” for Hugine because she had “essentially no (professional) background whatsoever.”
Hugine claims that his entire leadership philosophies are focused on passing it forward over fifty years later.
“That has always impressed upon me the need to give others the opportunity, because someone took a chance on me,” he says. “They could very well have looked at the experience and my educational background, but they were looking and seeing something in a person that doesn’t always show up on paper. Throughout my career, I have tried to do the same.”
Not only do you “give people a chance,” he says, “but in a leadership position — yes, you lead from the head, but sometimes, you lead from the gut.”
Hugine worked as a college math professor, assistant vice president for academic affairs, executive vice president, chief operating officer, and finally president of his alma mater before taking the helm at Alabama A&M in 2009. Hugine began his career as a student support director at South Carolina State University.
Hugine says he is proud of all the work the staff has done over the past 12 years, including the addition of 12 new academic programs, new construction, full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, over $54 million invested in deferred maintenance, and a $27.3 million capital campaign. However, the influence he thinks students, professors, and staff will experience in the years to come is what makes him most proud.
Hugine has made investments in human capital over the years, from professional development and salary increases for staff to cultural and social programs for students as well as a significant boost to the institution’s tech infrastructure that helped the university install smart classrooms and use robotics. Hugine has also made investments in the institution’s tech infrastructure.
He quickly clarifies, though, that a president’s ability to deal with others determines how effective they are.
Abbiegail, the wife of Dr. Andrew Hugine, is one of the most crucial members of his team. Hugine considers his wife, Abbiegail, to be the most crucial part of his team since she has undertaken various efforts to not only support student achievement and recruiting but also to advance the university’s reputation with outside stakeholders.
Hugine says his retirement at the end of the year will allow him to spend more time traveling with his wife and their grandkids, and that December 31 will unquestionably be his final day working in higher education.
For a guy who has dedicated so much of himself to higher education, it is not an unreasonable request. However, Hugine should depart as soon as possible. He cites a number of reasons why he is confident in the Alabama A&M Board of Trustees and cabinet to appoint a capable successor and continue the job they all began together.
