James E. McLeod

James Earl McLeod (July 29, 1944 – September 6, 2011) was a scholar of Germanic studies and administrator at Washington University in St. Louis. He served as assistant dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, chair of the African American Studies department, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Vice Chancellor for students. He also founded and directed the John B. Ervin Scholars Program.

Early life and education
McLeod was second oldest of five siblings to James Clarence (JC) and H. Earline Jackson McLeod. Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, McLeod attended Carver High School in the Dothan City School System. At age 16, McLeod enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. During his time at Morehouse, he studied at the institute of European Studies at the University of Vienna. Upon his return to the United States, McLeod graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in German and Chemistry. McLeod continued his post graduate studies as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Rice University in Houston, Texas. His graduate work consisted primarily of information on turn-of-the-century Vienna and post-war Germany. Despite graduating, McLeod never left the world of Academia.

Career
McLeod began his teaching career as an assistant professor of German at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. After his time at Indiana University, McLeod began teaching at Washington University in St. Louis in the German department in 1974. During his time at Washington University in St. Louis, he served as Assistant to Chancellor William H. Danforth from 1977-1987 before serving as the director of the school's African and Afro-American Studies Program from 1987-1992. Following that position, he was appointed as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1992 before being appointed as Vice Chancellor for Students in 1995.

McLeod Scholars Program
Students who are chosen as McLeod Scholars show academic achievement, commitment to serve others, leadership potential, and character. The process to get students chosen is through the other scholarship programs at Washington University in St. Louis. These programs are the Danforth Scholars Program, John B. Ervin Scholars Program, and Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program all housed by the Office of Scholars Programs (OSP). A student in each of these programs is selected every year, totaling to three scholars.

Honors, awards, and legacy
As an impactful leader in the St. Louis community, McLeod received many awards recognizing his contributions, including the Distinguished Faculty Award in 1991, the Rosa L. Parks Award for meritorious service in 2007, the Saint Louis American Foundation’s 2008 Lifetime Achiever, the William Greenleaf Eliot Society’s Search Award in 2010, and the 2011 CoroLeadership Award.