Kevin E. James, president of Morris Brown College, was fired by the school’s board of trustees on Monday in a move that James described as “deeply concerning.”
“Dr. James has played a meaningful role in guiding the institution through critical seasons of growth, resilience, and transformation,” the college said in a statement Monday.
The former president wrote on Facebook that he was terminated by the board without “specific cause or substantive explanation.” James had led the college since 2019.
“This action is deeply concerning,” James wrote. “The timing of this decision is particularly troubling, as the institution is approaching its accreditation reaffirmation review in a few weeks.”
In 2019, James stepped into the role in the midst of uncertainty about the Atlanta college’s future. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked Morris Brown’s accreditation in 2002 after a former president and a financial aid director misappropriated funds.
Under James’ leadership, the college in 2022 regained its accreditation from the Virginia-based Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
A Morris Brown spokesperson referred all questions concerning James’ termination to Monday’s statement. James did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
In his Facebook post, James said that during his tenure, he helped make Morris Brown the first HBCU to regain accreditation after 20 years. He said he also helped increase enrollment — from 20 students in 2017 to more than 500 students now.
James said the college currently has more than 540 students; a university official told Capital B there are currently 472 enrolled students.
Before the college lost its accreditation, the peak enrollment was about 2,700 students, James told The Edu Ledger in 2022.
During James’ tenure, the college was awarded $2.9 million in federal funds to aid in curriculum and building refurbishment in 2023.
The school said board trustee Nzinga Shaw will serve as interim president. Shaw has worked in human resources and as a diversity and inclusion officer for several corporations, such as Starbucks and the Atlanta Hawks, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Morris Brown becomes the latest HBCU to part ways suddenly with its chief administrator; Jackson State University and Howard University have changed presidents in the past year.