The Fielding Graduate University community is mourning the death of Dr. Orlando L. Taylor, the Distinguished Senior Advisor to the President.
The university noted contributions to be made in memory Taylor’s memory may be made to the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education at Fielding.
Dr. Orlando L. Taylor delivers an inspiring speech to a full house Jan. 10, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California.Fielding Graduate University
Taylor served as vice president for strategic initiatives and research at Fielding, where he was also the principal investigator and director for an NSF-funded grant to advance women and people of color in the STEM fields into leadership positions at the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and at Tribal Colleges.
Taylor served in several senior leadership positions at Howard University, and as president of the Washington, D.C., campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He was one of the architects of the American Association of Colleges & Universities’ (AAC&U) National Science Foundation-funded Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future project. His reputation caught the attention of Dr. Charles McClintock who brought him to Fielding in 2009 as an external doctoral program reviewer. His admiration for Fielding’s educational model eventually led him to join Fielding’s leadership team.
In 2022, Taylor received the Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation, presented by the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education, which he founded. The annual award recognizes an individual for a lifetime of achievements devoted to efforts that support educational access and success.
Taylor authored several publications within his discipline and in higher education and was recognized by many as a national leader in graduate education. He was the past president of the Consortium of Social Science Association and the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools. He served as a member of national boards in higher education, including the Board of Directors of the Council of Graduate Schools, which he chaired. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Huston-Tillotson University and a member of the Research Council of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York.
Taylor received his undergraduate degree from Hampton University, a master’s from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where he earned its Distinguished Alumni Award. Additionally, he was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Purdue University, Indiana University, the Ohio State University, Hope College, DePauw University, Denison University, and Southern Connecticut State University.
