Notes:Dr. Pryor was the first president of Columbia State Community College, serving from 1967-1984, and the first community college president in Tennessee (Columbia State was the first community college established by the state). Dr. Pryor gave 38 years of service to Tennessee higher education. Pryor is a veteran of World War II. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay in 1946, a master’s degree in 1947 from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and a doctoral degree in higher education administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1951. Throughout the years, he has published numerous articles in professional journals and written chapters in two scholarly books. After 16 years of service to Austin Peay as director of student teaching, head of the department of education and director of teacher education, Pryor became the founding president of Columbia State Community College.
