Courtesy of Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University’s Ninth President Charlotte P. Morris, who has served the university for almost 40 years in different capacities, will retire as planned next spring.
During her tenure, she led the development of the five-year strategic plan, which set the university’s direction, and celebrated a very significant increase in research grants awarded to the university ̶ including some focused on health disparities for African Americans in general and others targeting cancer in the Black community.
The Board of Trustees has hired an executive search firm to conduct the search for the university’s 10th president with particular interest in including feedback from alumni and friends. Dr. Morris is supporting the Board during this process.
“My hope is that I am leaving a legacy that shows the power of collaboration, the importance of integrity and the value of servant leadership,” she said.
When reflecting on her legacy of leadership, there are many accomplishments that make Dr. Morris proud, foremost among them is the completion and implementation of the first two years of the university’s five-year Strategic Plan – Embracing the Legacy, Transforming the Future.
“Outlining the roadmap for the university’s success was an essential, collaborative mission and I am confident the planning and two-year implementation has provided a foundation to support the 10th President and our next generation of students,” she said. “I am also proud of raising millions to expand research, providing resources to ensure students in need are able to continue their academic pursuits, and watching our enrollment grow.”
Board of Trustees Chair Norma Clayton thanked Dr. Morris for her dedication to the university for four decades.
“Your selfless service to Mother Tuskegee over the past 40 years, as a professor and interim dean in the business school and your tenure as the chief of staff to Tuskegee’s fifth president, Dr. Benjamin Payton, demonstrate your unwavering commitment and devotion to the university’s founding principles of knowledge, leadership, and service,” Clayton said.
University Trustee Jonathan Porter ’95, senior vice president for customer operations for Alabama Power, will chair the 15-member search committee, which includes Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the broader Tuskegee community. They will provide a recommendation to the full Board.
The university will provide regular updates from the search committee on the university website and communicate directly in some cases to ensure transparency as the Board works through the decision process.