Vera King Farris was the third president of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, located in Galloway Township, New Jersey, an hour from Philadelphia and 20 minutes from Atlantic City, is an undergraduate and graduate college of the arts, sciences and professional studies of the New Jersey system of higher education. The College was...

 from May 25, 1983 to June 3, 2003. She was the first African-American president of a New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 public college.

Farris was a native of Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

 and attended Atlantic City High School

Atlantic City High School

Atlantic City High School is a four-year public high school located in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Atlantic City School District. The current school building opened in 1994 and holds approximately 2,500 students...

, graduating third in the class of 1954. She attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University is a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...

), graduating with a degree in biology in 1959. She later earned master’s and doctorate degrees in zoology

Zoology

Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...

 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...

.

Farris held administrative and teaching positions at the State University of New York at Stony Brook

State University of New York at Stony Brook

The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....

 and Brockport

State University of New York at Brockport

The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...

, and the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

. She served at Kean College (now Kean University

Kean University

Kean University is a coeducational, public research university located in Union and Hillside, New Jersey, United States. Kean University serves its students in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions with a dedication to intellectual and cultural growth and is best known for its...

) as Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to her selection as president of Stockton College.

She was named New Jersey Woman of the Year in 1992, and New Jersey Policymaker of the Year in 1994. She held multiple honorary doctorate degrees.

She was the first African-American woman on the Board of Directors of Flagstar Companies, owner of Denny's

Denny's

Denny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...

 Restaurants. She was a member of Seaview Baptist Church in Linwood, New Jersey

Linwood, New Jersey

Linwood is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 7,092.Linwood was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1889, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, based on the...

 for over 25 years.

Farris retired to Galloway Township, New Jersey

Galloway Township, New Jersey

Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 37,349...

. Upon her retirement in 2003, the College renamed its main road "Vera King Farris Drive" in her honor. She died at the age of 71 after a brief illness and is buried in Germania Cemetery in Galloway Township.

External links

• "Vera King Farris / A true presence", The Press of Atlantic City
  The Press of Atlantic City
  The Press of Atlantic City is a daily newspaper based in Pleasantville, New Jersey. It is the primary newspaper for most of southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore, publishing regional editions for Atlantic County, Cumberland County, Cape May County, and southern Ocean County...
  
  (Editorial), November 29, 2009.
• "In Memoriam – Dr. Vera King Farris", Saatkamp, Jr., Dr. Herman J., Office of the President, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Accessed November 30, 2009.
• Obituary, The Press of Atlantic City, December 2, 2009.