Fielding Mourns The Loss of Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D.

Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D.

It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Orlando L. Taylor, Distinguished Senior Advisor to the President of Fielding Graduate University. Dr. Taylor was a person of great heart and wisdom. His remarkable contributions have left an indelible mark on our community, and his loss is deeply felt.

Details regarding memorial services are available here: https://everloved.com/life-of/orlando-taylor/funeral/#62681724-57fb-433b-9b80-959df0866cbb

The service is scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at 10 a.m. EST. It will be held at the University Baptist Church, 3515 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20740.

To view the service online, follow this link: https://youtube.com/@universitybaptistchurch-co517?si=Hm_jZRi5FJZToAeQ

The Fielding community will host a virtual event to honor Dr. Taylor and explore his lasting influence on education, leadership, and democracy. Mark your calendar for March 7. More information is forthcoming.

Prior to his appointment as Distinguished Senior Advisor to the President of Fielding Graduate University, Dr. Orlando L. 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. Before that, he 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 Dean Emerit 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, Dr. Taylor received the prestigious Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation, presented by the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education, which he notably founded. The annual award recognizes an individual for a lifetime of achievements devoted to efforts that support educational access and success. Past recipients of the Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation include Dr. Walter Bumphus, President of the American Association for Community Colleges; Dr. Gary Orfield, Co-Director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA; Dr. Patricia Gurin, the Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan; American labor leader Dolores Huerta; and Professor Angela Davis, social justice activist, writer and scholar.

Dr. Taylor awards Delores Huerta the Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation on January 10, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California.

Dr. Taylor was a national leader on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion in higher education for many years. He was a particularly vigorous advocate and spokesperson on topics and issues relating to access and equity, preparing the next generation of researchers and faculty members in the nation’s colleges and universities.

Dr. Taylor was the author of numerous 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 numerous national boards in higher education, including the Board of Directors of the Council of Graduate Schools, which he chaired. Dr. Taylor 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.

Dr. Taylor received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and earned that university’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He received his undergraduate degree from Hampton University and a master’s from Indiana University. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Purdue University, Indiana University, the Ohio State University, Hope College, DePauw University, Denison University, and Southern Connecticut State University.

Dr. Orlando L. Taylor delivers an inspiring speech to a full house on January 10, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California.

We will continue to honor Dr. Taylor’s legacy and vision through our mission and work at Fielding. If you would like to make a contribution in memory of Dr. Taylor, we encourage donations to a cause close to his heart, the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education at Fielding. To make a gift, please use this link http://weblink.donorperfect.com/mfc or contact Marlen Bautista, our Development Manager, at 805-898-4029.

For any inquiries or to share your thoughts, please reach out to us at communications@fielding.edu.