Ten Years Ablaze: The HBCU Executive Leadership Turnover Report, a Decade Later
History repeats itself, according to Marx in the “Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte,” first as tragedy, then as farce.
Over the past decade, we have observed and reported on the high frequency of turnover in HBCU presidencies and chancellorships. Over the past decade, 103 HBCUs have announced 322 executive leadership changes, with many institutions appearing three or more times and a handful appearing five or more times in that period.
This level of leadership change is untenable at any historical period, but especially in one where public trust in higher education and attacks on a sector at the center of political culture wars are increasing. In 2021, Broussard reported that HBCUs change executives at a rate higher than Hispanic Serving Institutions, and that report was preceded by another in which he observed that HBCUs had their leaders replaced more often than other predominantly Black institutions. These data show that HBCUs are singled out among minority-serving institutions (MSIs) for constant turnover in executive leadership. Many of the damaging results are obvious: inconsistent leadership from HBCUs can harm institutional reputations, destabilize the careers of mid-level HBCU leaders, alarm students, prospective students, and alumni, disrupt the implementation of strategic plans, and sever relationships with businesses and elected officials.
This year, we observed no abatement of the crisis, with three dozen announcements of executive turnover at HBCUs.
In 2024-2025, as has been the case historically, several presidents and chancellors retired after long, fruitful careers, several others moved on to new executive appointments at other HBCUs, and sadly, one career was cut short by an unfortunate death (Shorter College’s former President Jerome Green). Paine College appointed Lester McCorn to its lead post after seven productive years at Clinton College; Morehouse College President David Thomas announced his retirement after bringing stability and growth to a previously turbulent executive post; and Elizabeth City State University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff named long-tenured HBCU leaders from Tuskegee University and Winston-Salem State University, respectively. These decisions, like all transitions, bring change. However, leaders who depart from their roles under stable conditions and those who accept leadership posts with relevant experience and credentials augur well for the futures of those institutions.
No year would be complete, it seems, without scandal and uncertainty in the world of HBCU executives, however. FAMU began the year with the retirement announcement of Larry Robinson, following the university's acceptance of a fraudulent quarter-billion-dollar donation without sufficient investigation. This decision cleared the way for a controversial replacement to be named in recent weeks amid national media scrutiny.
Jackson State University accepted the resignation of Marcus Thompson amid scandal, clearing the way for the university’s eighth interim or permanent executive appointment since 2010. Dillard University named Monique Guillory president after Rochelle Ford’s abrupt exit in May 2024; Spelman College leader Helene Gayle suddenly stepped down after requesting a leave of absence after only two years;
Tennessee State University replaced an interim president (Ron Johnson) with another interim president after only 120 days at the helm. Lane College and Albany State continued the emerging trend of appointing executives from the private sector (Albany State’s Robert Scott previously served at Norfolk State and Spelman College, though most recently as president of research and development for Kraft Heinz; while Lane’s Donald Comer brings with him a 35-year career at FedEx).
What happens next at these institutions remains less certain and more volatile given the circumstances which led to the turnover in the executive position and the unorthodox background and experience of the new leaders.
Current data reinforce the severity of this leadership churn. The average tenure for an HBCU president is now just 49.38 months, or approximately 4.1 years. Men tend to remain in leadership longer than women—50.34 months versus 46.41 months, respectively. Men at private HBCUs hold the most stable presidencies with an average tenure of 55.05 months, while women at private HBCUs serve the shortest tenures, averaging just 40.46 months, barely over three years.
When focusing solely on four-year HBCUs, the numbers drop even more dramatically: the average tenure falls to 42.23 months, with men averaging 45.4 months and women only 35.46 months—less than three years. A stark gender gap emerges when segmenting by institutional type. At private four-year HBCUs, women presidents average 32 months, compared to 45.4 months for their male counterparts. Similarly, at public four-year HBCUs, men average 45.37 months, while women average 38.4 months.
These disparities illustrate not only the volatility of HBCU executive leadership but also the persistent gender inequities that exacerbate it.
As of the writing of this piece, 12 HBCUs are being led by interim presidents, underscoring the chronic instability in executive leadership. Compounding this issue is the growing trend of appointing Board members as interim or even permanent presidents, a pattern that raises pressing ethical, structural, and accreditation questions. Are Board members genuinely committed to the governance roles they were appointed to, or are some positioning themselves for executive leadership, fostering turnover to secure the top job? The common rationales—“this Board member knows the institution” or “brings familiarity”—blur the critical distinction between governance and administration. Board knowledge should be strategic, not operational; their role is oversight, not day-to-day leadership. When governance bodies assume executive roles, it not only confuses accountability structures but also risks further destabilizing institutions already struggling with frequent transitions.
Ten years of instability and uncertainty later, what is to be done about this crisis in leadership at HBCU’s? The advice remains the same as ever:
Get involved. Alumni, supporters, and community members should not wait for the next crisis to inquire about their institution’s health. Volunteer, engage with students, listen to the faculty and staff who are in your community, and show up at alumni chapter gatherings, public hearings, at your elected officials’ offices, and on social media when trouble is afoot. Stay informed, and when information is available, get your local media (especially independent and Black media) involved.
Get organized. Start building relationships now with organizations mentioned above as well as civic, church-based, and other community orgs. If you can’t find one that suits you, consider starting your own. Work with executives at your institution, show up in large numbers to support officials in the good times and to voice your concerns in sour times. We have more power in numbers, and recognized organizations have more ethos than scattered, individualized exhortations of criticism.
Get In There. The battle for the future of the HBCUs won’t start in 2030, 2040, or 2050, and it didn’t start in 2025. It won’t be more difficult under republican administrations, and difficulty won’t abate suddenly under democratic ones. Your last governor didn’t start it, it won’t end under your next one, and it won’t be fought merely in Washington or your state capitol. Until HBCUs are funded adequately and in proportion to their ability to educate future Black educators, engineers, and public servants, the fight will continue.
To the fight against meddlesome governing boards, historical, racially-motivated underfunding, and the defunding of CRT, DEI, or whatever culture war is sure to follow, we must go. The future depends on what we do now to stabilize leadership at HBCUs, and it will be a grim one if we continue the pace of the prior decade. First as farce, then as tragedy, can end in glory only if—to paraphrase Fred Hampton—we are willing to fight for it.
William Broussard, Ph.D. is the Vice Chancellor of University Advancement at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His first book, Fundraising at Public Regional Universities: Under the Radar, Below the Fold (2023) was published by Palgrave Macmillan. His next book, Critical Perspectives on HBCU Fundraising, will be published in 2026 by Palgrave Macmillan.
Dakota Doman, Ed.D. is a Managing Director at ZRG Partners and formerly served as President and Managing Principal of TM2 Executive Search. A nationally recognized expert in executive talent solutions, Dr. Doman has an extensive history supporting leadership transitions across higher education, with a deep focus on HBCUs. He previously served as Acting CEO of Texas Southern University. His work centers on aligning leadership strategy with institutional mission and strengthening governance-executive dynamics.
For more details on the 2024-2025 HBCU Executive Leadership Transitions, visit @DeadLecturer thread on X at: https://x.com/DeadLecturer/status/1811381213803778082.