Brian O. Hemphill

MS Journalism and Mass Communications 1994
DeKalb, Ill.

Brian O. Hemphill is one of the outstanding young professionals in higher education—so outstanding, in fact, that his current boss says he wouldn’t be surprised if he loses him to a university president’s position within 10 years. At the age of 36, Hemphill is one of the youngest university vice presidents in the country, holding the title of vice president for student affairs at Northern Illinois University, an institution with an enrollment of 25,000 students, 16 student affairs departments, and a $55 million student affairs budget. While Hemphill’s administrative leadership skills are impeccable, those who know him say that one of his greatest gifts as a higher education administrator is his ability to focus on the values of higher education and the diverse needs of students.

Hemphill landed at Northern Illinois in 2004 after serving as associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Arkansas for three years. He has also worked in student affairs at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. His professional career, however, began at the institution from which he earned his master’s degree, Iowa State University, as coordinator of minority recruitment and retention in the College of Education from 1993-1995. He has taught college courses at various institutions on the subjects of African-American imagery in mass media, diversity studies, and public speaking and has been extremely active in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). He has served as the national chair for NASPA’s Minority Undergraduate Fellows Program, designed to encourage minority undergraduates to enter student affairs work.

Hemphill is a lifetime member of the ISU Alumni Association.  Hemphill is the proud parent of two children: Jada, Jordan.