Faced with hostile legislatures, growing enrollments, and shrinking budgets, the presidents of many historically Black colleges and universities are also under increasing pressure from their boards of trustees to perform “satisfactorily” or get out.
Losing top administrators at a rapid pace is becoming a universal problem in higher education. Some public HBCUs leaders, however, are leaving at a higher rate. Since 1984, Alabama A&M University has had six presidents and interim presidents. Virginia State University has had four.
In July, AAMU selected John T. Gibson as its ninth president, and times are already tough. His appointment has been called the “death knell” for the university by critics among the faculty and, although Gibson has a four-year contact, Board President Pro Tempore Chris McNair said the Board of Trustees will conduct an evaluation after his first year in office.
When Virginia State University President Eddie Moore was interviewed by his board three years ago, he felt it didn’t have a good understanding of the problems facing the university.
“We started what we call a `Board Education Program’ with all the information and news of what’s going on on campus,” Moore said. “It does give me some concern that people are coming in without a history. They have an expectation of what should be [and] if it’s not that way, they start blaming the president. I am passing out a book [to the board] on the role of the board.”
Moore feels that board stability is important. Since he was hired three years ago, Moore has seen the entire 11-member VSU Board of Visitors turn over — five new members in 1994 and six new members in 1996, all appointed by Republican Governor George Allen, who has systematically replaced all the appointements made by his predecessor, Gov. L. Douglas Wilder. Moore will start the 1996-97 academic year with a board that had nothing to do with his hiring. And it should be noted that VSU is the only higher-learning institution in the state that has had a complete board makeover since 1993.
Moore wants a study done to look at the connection between presidency and board turnover rates. “That’s the story behind the story. If presidents aren’t staying, what is the board doing?” he asked. “It’s a nationwide problem…. I’m not going to tell you I have the solution. Next year is telling for me with 11 new board members.
