Charlie Nelms

Charlie Nelms is a nationally recognized leader in higher education, a compelling storyteller, and a dedicated activist. Charlie is the first African American to be appointed chancellor of an IU campus and vice president of the University. In 2019, IU awarded him an honorary doctorate, and he is also the recipient of its highest honors: The President’s Medal for Excellence, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement. Charlie is Professor Emeritus at IU. Charlie’s eminent career includes serving as chancellor at Indiana University East, the University of Michigan-Flint, and North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During his tenure as chancellor of NCCU, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as one of the best public HBCUs in the nation for three consecutive years. Charlie has received numerous national accolades for his higher education leadership, including prestigious fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the American Council on Education. 

Charlie obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically Black College and University (HBCU). He earned his master’s and doctorate from Indiana University.