Mississippi Today

7 university presidents have left in the last year. Why is turnover so high?

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2023

William LaForge — the former Delta State University president who was suddenly fired last summer — wants you to know this is not about “sour grapes.”

The regional public college he led for nine years in Cleveland, a small town in the Mississippi Delta, was losing students. There was a 27% decline in enrollment during the pandemic. He feuded with faculty. The school’s cash-on-hand, a financial health metric, was dwindling. And clashes with local donors over the golf course he closed sowed division.

LaForge concedes all of that. But if the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees had to fire him, he said there was a better way to do it.

Though the board gave LaForge a few weeks heads up it was considering parting ways, he says he did not learn he was officially fired until the commissioner, Alfred Rankins, called him on Monday, June 20, five minutes before a press release published announcing the decision.

“The way they did this gave Delta State an unnecessary black eye at a particularly vulnerable time,” he said. “I resent that.”

The stunning termination was the first in a series of presidential turnovers that have roiled colleges and universities in Mississippi over the last year. Weeks after LaForge was canned in 2022, Rodney Bennett, the president of the University of Southern Mississippi, stepped down in July — nearly a year before he said he would. Earlier this year, Thomas Hudson at Jackson State University resigned after the board placed him on administrative leave with pay. Then Felecia Nave was terminated from Alcorn State University.

All this has left students, faculty and staff and alumni wondering: Why is this happening? Mississippi Today spoke with more than a half-dozen former IHL board members, university administrators and faculty to understand the causes.

It’s unusual that LaForge — or for that matter, any president — was fired at all, some trustees said. Even presidents whose tenure ended in scandal have been allowed to step down. William Bynum Jr., the former Jackson State president who was arrested in a prostitution sting in 2020, resigned.

IHL acknowledged the board prefers presidents to resign in a written statement to Mississippi Today.

“That is common among employers,” IHL wrote. “No one wants to have to terminate an employee.”

The board added it could not comment on LaForge’s specific personnel matter.

Credit: Bethany Atkinson, Mississippi Today

The state’s private colleges haven’t been immune from turnover either. Millsaps College, Rust College and Tougaloo College have all seen their presidents depart in the last six months. The latter two are both historically Black universities, which have been especially impacted by turnover.

“It puts the university in maintenance mode,” said Dan Durkin, a University of Mississippi professor and the president of the United Faculty Senate Association of Mississippi.

As far as LaForge knows, “there’s been nothing like this exodus in the near past, in my lifetime.”

He feels like his longer-than-average tenure has been overshadowed by its bitter end. Now, a year after he was fired, he has a warning for university presidents in Mississippi: “Watch your back.”

“Future presidents should know it’s not forever,” he told Mississippi Today in a phone call from Virginia, where he has retired. “And you should know it’s not on your terms.”

Skirting a unified theory of turnover, some trustees said there are likely as many reasons for the recent turnover as there are departed presidents.

Others said it’s more general than that. But everyone agreed the job is getting harder, especially for the presidents of the smaller institutions. Wooing private donors matters much more in a time of declining state appropriations. So does enrollment. The eight universities are vying for the same pool of high school graduates, and University of Mississippi and Mississippi State, with their deep pockets and big stadiums, can out-compete them all.

“Many factors make the role of university president a complex and challenging position,” IHL wrote in a statement to Mississippi Today.

Ford Dye, a surgeon who was appointed to the IHL board by former Gov. Phil Bryant in 2012, said that turnover isn’t just an IHL or Mississippi issue. It’s a national problem.

Research backs him up. Across the country, university presidents are serving shorter terms than ever. According to the latest survey by the American Council on Education, a typical university president has served for 5.9 years. A majority don’t think another five years is possible due to the pandemic and the politicization of higher education.

That holds true for Mississippi, former trustees said.

“I agree with that,” said Bill Crawford, who served on the board from 1992 to 2004, when asked if the job of a university president in Mississippi has gotten more political. “What hasn’t?”

Presidents must wrangle so many constituencies on campus that even if they aren’t fired, frustrated faculty or outspoken alumni could drive them to quit. For leaders of the HBCUs, this presents a particularly fraught dynamic. In his autobiography, John Peoples, the beloved former Jackson State president, described walking a fine line between pleasing the mainly white board and advocating for his school. Another long-serving Jackson State president, Ronald Mason, resigned in 2010 in part due to outcry that he supported an IHL-backed plan to merge the three HBCUs.

“Navigating competing priorities and demands is one of the reasons the job is so difficult,” IHL wrote.

The presidents who thrive in this environment, trustees said, are politically savvy.That’s why Mark Keenum, Mississippi State University’s president, has lasted so long. (For LaForge, this is particularly ironic, as just like Keenum, he got his start in Thad Cochran’s office.)

Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum Credit: MSU

Keenum invites board members and lawmakers to sporting events and remembers the names of their family members, former trustees told Mississippi Today. His 14-year tenure as the president of Mississippi State University makes him the longest currently serving president and the exception to the rule.

“Mark is an intense listener,” said Sid Salter, Mississippi State’s director of public affairs. “He is, by nature, kind and thoughtful.”

Then there’s the view that the issue of turnover starts at the top — with the 12 trustees who are appointed by the governor to lead the system, a job that includes picking the university presidents.

“That is a matter of opinion,” IHL wrote. “Every personnel situation is different.”

That is also LaForge’s perspective.

He said his experience shows that when the going gets tough, this crop of IHL trustees lets the presidents go. Their four-year contracts are at-will. And the commissioner, Alfred Rankins, the presidents’ manager, is not standing up for them, LaForge said.

“I have grave concerns, and I know others do too, but they would never go public,” LaForge said. “Some of them are university heads.”

Past trustees were more understanding of the pressures that presidents face, he said.

Around the time he was appointed in 2013, LaForge spoke with Alan Perry, a trustee, and Hank Bounds, the then-commissioner. They warned LaForge that even though he should try to increase enrollment, it would be a serious challenge due to many factors, including the depopulation of the Delta.

“I took offense to that,” LaForge said.

But he said that they told him, “It’s not just you. It can’t be done. There are external factors beyond human capacity.”

Bounds told Mississippi Today he recalled the meeting. Perry wrote in an email that he did not remember this but in general had many discussions about the difficult task of increasing Delta State’s enrollment and thought LaForge was recalling those.

Nine years later, declining enrollment was one of the putative reasons for his firing, LaForge said. It is the number one metric on a list of 20 that university presidents are now graded on, according to the evaluation criteria obtained by Mississippi Today.

The IHL board, which can in nearly all cases hire or fire its eight university presidents at the whim of a majority vote, is a jumble of contradictions. It was created to be insulated from politics, but board members are political appointees. The board has been dogged by accusations of favoritism, but trustees are supposed to check their school colors at the door.

Some trustees like to say that “running a university is like running a city,” said C.D. Smith, an AT&T regional director who was appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour in 2008 and served until 2018.

Unlike a city, there is little democracy at the universities — and none at all within IHL.

The board knows that. Increasingly, Smith said, trustees think of the university presidents as CEOs who can be hired or fired “as the circumstances require.” The commissioner is a middle-manager who meets weekly with the presidents, who are his direct reports, and conducts their biennial performance reviews.

All this goes against the expectation many faculty have, which is of “shared governance,” a way of viewing the university as a partnership between students, faculty, staff and a transparent administration.

Trustees are aware of that too. When Crawford sat on the board, he said that any time a president had to be removed, trustees faced a tug-of-war between sharing just enough information to ameliorate upset alumni but not so much that it would denigrate a reputation — or lead to an employment lawsuit. He said the board also wants to make Mississippi a “congenial” place to be a college president.

“To the extent that you can comment, you offer a reason for making the change,” Crawford said. “But what you want to do is not harm somebody’s career by talking about those sorts of things which are personnel matters oftentimes.”

IHL wrote that the board “recognizes that all employees are entitled to confidentiality in personnel matters.”

In recent years, the board has said less and less, offering little-to-no information about its decisions and spurring calls for accountability from alumni, particularly from Alcorn State and Jackson State.

Just as trustees were not engaging with the community, it seemed to LaForge like they could do more to support the funding needs of each university.

The commissioner, legislative liaisons and lobbyists all advocate for funding during the legislative sessions, and IHL wrote that individual trustees “may, and do” advocate for the board’s requests.

But a few years after Rankins was appointed in 2018, LaForge recalled that he and some of the other presidents asked the commissioner if trustees could help lobby for more state funding at the Capitol, considering many of them donated to lawmakers. That could alleviate some of the pressure that presidents face to fundraise, he said.

The suggestion seemed to go nowhere, LaForge said.

On June 7 last year, LaForge said he received a personal visit from Rankins and IHL’s legal counsel. They met in the conference room in Kent Wyatt Hall. There, LaForge said the commissioner informed him that trustees were considering ending his contract at the upcoming board meeting on June 16 — news that LaForge recalled Rankins acknowledging was “a punch in the gut for you.”

Delta State University president William “Bill” LaForge attends a state College Board meeting Thursday, June 18, 2015 in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The commissioner offered LaForge several options to resign, including staying on at Delta State to research how to bring more students to campus or increase faculty retention — a proposal that LaForge considered “frankly garbage.”

“Why the hell would I stay around Cleveland on campus doing research when that’s supposed to be done by somebody else on my campus anyway,” LaForge said he thought at the time.

He rejected all the options to resign. Then he said he asked Rankins what advice the commissioner had given the board on whether to fire him. LaForge said Rankins told him he gave the board no advice.

“He is supposed to support his presidents, that’s part of his job,” LaForge said. “I didn’t get the feeling he did that (for me) and nor do others.”

In a statement to Mississippi Today responding to LaForge’s recollection of the June 7 visit, IHL said the commissioner does not make a “recommendation regarding continued employment” of a president when he presents performance reviews to the board.

In the IHL board room later that month, the vibe was “cordial but cold,” LaForge recalled. Sitting in front of the trustees during executive session, he made his case.

He wasn’t trying to save his job. He just wanted to stay at Delta State through the end of his contract in 2023 to “make it a smooth, orderly transition.” He said he thought that was the deal trustees had given Rodney Bennett, the then-president of USM, who was also appointed in 2013.

“That’s what you did for Rodney, at least do it for me,” he said he told the board.

Mississippi Today could not confirm any sort of “deal” took place and while many outlets, including this one, reported Bennett stepped down before he initially said he would, no articles detailed some sort of compromise between the former USM president and the IHL board.

Four days later, the termination letter came. It was labeled “personal and confidential” and signed by Rankins. It listed no reason for LaForge’s firing and noted he would be paid by the board through June 2023, the original end of his contract.

IHL meeting minutes show that in the same executive session, trustees also voted to terminate Bennett’s contract and name Joe Paul interim president at USM. IHL wrote that the termination of Bennett and LaForge’s contracts were unrelated.

Delta State had consistent leadership up until LaForge’s firing. Now he spends his time exercising, running errands for his kids and contemplating creating a Wikipedia page.

He said he wishes his successor, Daniel Ennis, well. But he worries for the future of the system. So do many students, faculty and alumni.

Take Jackson State University which, along with the two other public HBCUs, has had more presidential turnover in the last two decades than the predominantly white institutions. Its community has repeatedly asked the board to conduct a more transparent search.

But as Keenum’s success has shown, closed searches aren’t the be all, end all. He was confirmed following a search that was unusually secretive for its time.

The Legislature could make a change to the board, Crawford said, through the constitutional amendment process. Without a ballot initiative process, the public has no direct avenue to influence IHL. In a statement, IHL said the board “regularly listens to input and concerns from constituents and tries to be responsive within the parameters of its constitutional duty.”

But recent bills to dissolve IHL have failed. And lawmakers may not view turnover as IHL’s fault. Sen. Hillman Frazier, a Democrat who represents parts of Jackson, said at a listening session in April for the Jackson State presidential search that he has heard lawmakers cite the university’s turnover as a reason not to provide it with more funding.

Presidential turnover, LaForge said, is just like enrollment. The three largest and wealthiest universities in Mississippi will be just fine; if they wanted to buy the entire freshman class, LaForge said, they could do it, and leave the smaller schools scrambling.

“It’s just like how the rich get richer,” he said. “I’m not bemoaning it. It’s a fact.”

Editor’s note: Ivy Taylor, the former president of Rust College, is a member of Mississippi Today’s board of directors.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC hospital madison county

Published

4 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 11:23:00

by Gwen Dilworth, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has acquired Canton-based Merit Health Madison and is preparing to move a pediatric clinic to Madison, continuing a trend of moving services to Jackson’s suburbs.

The 67-bed hospital, now called UMMC Madison, will provide a wide range of community hospital services, including emergency services, medical-surgical care, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and radiology services. It also will serve as a training site for medical students, and it plans to offer OB-GYN care in the future.

“As Mississippi’s only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research and deliver accessible high-quality health care,” Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor of health affairs, said in a statement. “Every decision we make is rooted in our mission.”

The new facility will help address space constraints at the medical center’s main campus in Jackson by freeing up hospital beds, imaging services and operating areas, said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs.

UMMC physicians have performed surgeries and other procedures at the hospital in Madison since 2019. UMMC became the full owner of the hospital May 1 after purchasing it from Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.

The Batson Kids Clinic, which offers pediatric primary care, will move to the former Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine location in Madison. This space will allow the medical center to offer pediatric primary care and specialty services and resolve space issues that prevent the clinic from adding new providers, according to Institutions of Higher Learning board minutes.

A UMMC spokesperson did not respond to questions about the services that will be offered at the clinic or when it will begin accepting patients.

The Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine, a pediatric subspecialty clinic, closed last year as a result of a settlement in a seven-year legal battle between the clinic and UMMC in a federal trade secrets lawsuit.

The changes come after the opening of UMMC’s Colony Park South clinic in Ridgeland in February. The clinic offers a range of specialty outpatient services, including surgical services. Another Ridgeland UMMC clinic, Colony Park North, will open in 2026.

The expansion of UMMC clinical services to Madison County has been criticized by state lawmakers and Jackson city leaders. The medical center does not need state approval to open new educational facilities. Critics say UMMC has used this exemption to locate facilities in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods outside Jackson while reducing services in the city.

UMMC did not respond to a request for comment about its movement of services to Madison County.

UMMC began removing clinical services this year from Jackson Medical Mall, which is in a majority-Black neighborhood with a high poverty rate. The medical center plans to reduce its square footage at the mall by about 75% in the next year.

The movement of health care services from Jackson to the suburbs is a “very troubling trend” that will make it more difficult for Jackson residents to access care, Democratic state Sen. John Horhn, who will become Jackson’s mayor July 1, previously told Mississippi Today.

Lawmakers sought to rein in UMMC’s expansion outside Jackson this year by passing a bill that would require the medical center to receive state approval before opening new educational medical facilities in areas other than the vicinity of its main campus and Jackson Medical Mall. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed the legislation, saying he opposed an unrelated provision in the bill.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC hospital madison county appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The article presents a primarily factual report on UMMC’s expansion into Madison County, outlining the medical center’s services and strategic decisions while including critiques from Democratic leaders and local officials about the suburban shift. The inclusion of concerns over equity and access—highlighting that the expansion is occurring in wealthier, whiter suburbs at the expense of services in majority-Black, poorer neighborhoods—leans the piece toward a center-left perspective, emphasizing social justice and community impact. However, the article maintains a measured tone by presenting statements from UMMC representatives and government officials without overt editorializing, thus keeping the overall coverage grounded in balanced reporting with a slight progressive framing.

Mississippi Today

Rita Brent, Q Parker headline ‘Medgar at 100’ Concert

Published

4 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 10:26:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

Nationally known comedian Rita Brent will host the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s “Medgar at 100” Concert on June 28.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 14, and can be ordered on the institute’s website.

The concert will take place at the Jackson Convention Complex and is the capstone event of the “Medgar at 100” Celebration. Organizers are calling the event “a cultural tribute and concert honoring the enduring legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers.”

“My father believed in the power of people coming together — not just in protest, but in joy and purpose, and my mother and father loved music,” said Reena Evers-Everette, executive director of the institute. “This evening is about honoring his legacy with soul, celebration, and a shared commitment to carry his work forward. Through music and unity, we are creating space for remembrance, resilience, and the rising voices of a new generation.”

In addition to Brent, other featured performers include: actress, comedian and singer Tisha Campbell; soul R&B powerhouse Leela James; and Grammy award-winning artist, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Q Parker and Friends.

Organizers said the concert is also “a call to action — a gathering rooted in remembrance, resistance, and renewal.”

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s mission to “advance civic engagement, develop youth leadership, and continue the fight for justice in Mississippi and beyond.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Rita Brent, Q Parker headline 'Medgar at 100' Concert appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents a straightforward, factual report on the upcoming “Medgar at 100” concert honoring civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers. The tone is respectful and celebratory, focusing on the event’s cultural and community significance without expressing a political stance or ideological bias. It quotes organizers and highlights performers while emphasizing themes of remembrance, unity, and justice. The coverage remains neutral by reporting the event details and mission of the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute without editorializing or promoting a specific political viewpoint. Overall, it maintains balanced and informative reporting.

Mississippi Today

Future uncertain for residents of abandoned south Jackson apartment complex

Published

4 days ago

June 13, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-06-13 09:25:00

by Maya Miller, Mississippi Today
June 13, 2025

Residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments in Jackson are left wondering what to do next after months dealing with trash pileups, property theft and the possibility of water shutoffs due to the property owner skipping out on the bill.

On Sunday, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, city attorney Drew Martin and code enforcement officers discussed next steps for the complex, which, since April 30, has been without a property manager.

“How are you all cracking down on other possible fraudulent property managers around Jackson?” one woman asked Martin.

“ We don’t know they’re there until we know they’re there, and I know that’s a terrible answer, but I don’t personally have another one I’m aware of right now,” Martin said. “These individuals don’t seem to have owned another apartment complex in the Metro Jackson area, despite owning a whole bunch nationwide.”

A sign marks the entrance to Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

Back in April, a letter was left on the door of the leasing office advising residents to not make rental payments until a new property manager arrives. The previous property managers are Lynd Management Group, a company based in San Antonio, Texas.

The complex has been under increased scrutiny after Chapel Ridge Apartments lost its solid waste contract mid-March due to months of nonpayment. The removal of dumpsters led to a portion of the parking lot turning into a dumping site, an influx of rodents and gnats, and an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Local leaders pitched in to help remedy the situation, and in May, Waste Management provided two dumpsters for the complex.

However, the problems persisted. In May, JXN Water released the names of 15 apartment complexes that owe more than $100,000 in unpaid water fees. Chapel Ridge was on the list. JXN Water spokesperson Aisha Carson said via email that they are “pursuing legal options to address these large-scale delinquencies across several properties.”

A “No Dumping” sign stands where a dumpster was previously located at Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

“While no shutoffs are imminent at this time, we are evaluating each case based on legal feasibility and the need to balance enforcement with tenant protections. Our focus is on transparency and accountability, not disruption—but we will act when needed to ensure the integrity of the system,” Carson said.

And earlier this week, Chapel Ridge Apartments was declared a public nuisance. Martin said this gives the city of Jackson “the authority to come in, mow the grass and board up any of the units where people aren’t living.”

Martin said the situation is complicated, because the complex is owned by Chapel Ridge Apartments LLC. The limited liability corporation is owned by CRBM Realty Inc. and Crown Capital Holdings LLC, which are ultimately owned by Moshe “Mark” Silber. In April, Silber was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Earlier this month, both companies filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey.

An empty area where a dumpster was once placed is seen at Chapel Ridge Apartments, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Jackson, Miss.

Now, Martin said the main goal is to find someone who can manage the property.

“Somebody’s got to be able to collect rent from you,” Martin said. “They got to be able to pay the water. They got to be able to pay the garbage. They got to be able to pay for the lights to be on. They got to maintain the property, so that’s our goal is to put that in place.”

Chapel Ridge offers a rent scale based on household income. Those earning under 50% of the area median income — between $21,800 and $36,150 depending on household size — for example, pay $480 for a two-bedroom and $539 for a three-bedroom unit. Rent increases between $20 and $40 for those earning under 60% of the area median income.

Valarie Banks said that when she moved into Chapel Ridge nearly 13 years ago, it was a great community. The disabled mother and grandmother moved from West Jackson to the complex because it was neatly kept and quiet.

“It was beautiful. I saw a lot of kids out playing. There were people that were engaging you when you came out. They were eager to help,” Banks said. “ I hope that they could bring this place back to the way it once was.”

But after months of uncertainty, Banks is preparing to move. She said she’s not the only one.

“I have somewhere to go, but I’m just trying to get my money together so I can be able to handle the deposits and the bills that come after you move,” she said. “All of my doctors are around here close to me. In 12 years, I made this place home for me. … I’ve been stacking my rent, but it’s still not enough if I want to move this month.”

While she said she’s holding onto her rent payments for the time being, she realizes that many of her fellow residents may not be as lucky. Without someone to maintain the apartments, some residents are finding themselves without basic amenities.

“Some people are in dire straits, because they don’t have a stove or a fridge or the air conditioner,” she said. “Their stove went out, or the fridge went out, or they stole the air conditioner while you’re in the apartment.”

Banks isn’t the only one who is formulating a plan to leave. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she’s been trying to save money to move, but she already has $354 wrapped up in a money order that she’s unable to pass off for her rent, due to the property manager’s recent departure.

“It really feels like an abandonment and just stressful to live where I’m living at right now. This just doesn’t happen. It just feels stressful. It doesn’t feel good at all,” she said.

She’s trying to remain optimistic, but as each day passes without someone to maintain the property, she’s losing hope.

“ I just hope that things get better some day, somehow, hopefully, because if not, more than likely I’m going to have to leave because I can only take so much,” she said. “I can’t continue to deal with this situation of hoping and wishing somebody comes, and they don’t.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Future uncertain for residents of abandoned south Jackson apartment complex appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article from *Mississippi Today* primarily focuses on the struggles of low-income residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments, emphasizing the human impact of property mismanagement, regulatory gaps, and systemic neglect. The piece maintains a factual tone, but it centers the voices of vulnerable tenants and local officials seeking accountability—hallmarks of a center-left perspective. While it does not overtly advocate for policy change, the narrative framing highlights social injustice and institutional failures, subtly aligning with progressive concerns about housing equity and corporate responsibility.