SALISBURY –  It is with profound sadness that Livingstone College announces the passing of one of our own, Dr. Colin A. Pillay. He died on Nov. 2, 2022, after a battle with cancer.

Dr. Pillay has been a distinguished member of our faculty since 2010. He was a tenured professor of business and economics who elevated our business program on many levels.

Under the leadership of Dr. Pillay, Livingstone College students achieved top ten rankings in the CAPSTONE Business Strategy game among 2,000 international competitors. Their outstanding results were the subject of an article published in the Salisbury Post and the students also made a presentation to the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Pillay presented research papers in many conferences and published many articles in academic journals. Dr. Pillay is the driving force to the students for achieving leadership skills through the student organization, Phi Beta Lambda. Through this organization, Dr. Pillay engaged extensively with the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, and attended Business After Hours programs and the Power in Partnership Business Breakfasts. He guided two students in the Phi Beta Lambda organization at Livingstone College to take first-place positions in Impromptu Speaking and Sports Marketing in the State of North Carolina.

Dr. Pillay created the first entrepreneurship course at Livingstone College and also created the minor in entrepreneurship. He assisted in initiating the Study Abroad Program by leading the first team of Livingstone College students to India. Since then, he had been extensively involved with the program and served as the chair of the study abroad program.

Dr. Pillay was a member of the panel of distinguished International Visiting Faculty at Alliance University in Bangalore, India, which included professors from world class universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Dr. Pillay presented lectures at Invertis University in Bareilly, India, and Alliance University. He served as the primary representative for IACBE and attended many IACBE conferences. He was a member of the IACBE site visit team and has conducted reviews of four universities over the past two years.

In 2019, Dr. Pillay won both the Leadership Award and the Outstanding Research Award from the Institute for Business and Finance Research. He frequently attended academic conferences such as the Western Finance Association, the Financial Management Association, the Academy of Management, the Allied Social Sciences Association and the United States Association of Small Business Enterprises. Through his involvement, Livingstone College was awarded a prize at the January 2022 meeting of the USASBE.

Dr. Pillay taught in the MBA program at Gannon University and has more than 23 years of teaching at the college and university level. He earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in computer science; a  Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Finance; and a Doctorate of Business Administration in Finance.

“Livingstone College will miss the contributions of this consummate academic professional. The impact he made on his students and this institution are indelible,” said Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis.

“As we grieve together as a campus family, also keep Dr. Pillay’s family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers,” he said.

Livingstone’s mental health and grief counselors are available for faculty, staff and students. Dr. Rhonda Flowers-Corpening, mental health counselor, is located in Room 223 of the Walls Center, or you may call her at (704) 216-6990. The Rev. Brenda Bulger-Walker, interim campus minister, can be reached at (704) 216-6820.

More details will be shared on Dr. Pillay’s final arrangements as they become available.