Education

Morehouse Board of Trustees Votes To Remove President

April 10th, 2017

Morehouse College has new leadership. The board of trustees voted to remove President John Wilson last week.

The trustees voted in January not to renew Wilson’s contract when it ends in June. The former president drew mixed reactions from faculty, students, and alumni. Some didn’t like his decision to cut 150 staff members in an attempt to balance the budget. Others credited Wilson with increasing fundraising and boosting enrollment.

“It’s fair to say President Wilson improved the school, but at the same time, I think that we shouldn’t keep the narrative around President Wilson or any of the turmoil,” student trustee Moses Washington said. “I think that we should view Morehouse going forward, not with anything from the past.”

The “turmoil” Washington is talking about is the reported tension between Wilson and the board, including former Chairman Robert Davidson. However, Davidson is also gone now. He stepped down, and the trustees elected five new officers in addition to removing Wilson. Bill Taggart, Morehouse’s former chief operating officer, is serving as interim president.

In a statement, the college said the changes were based on “recent feedback from the Morehouse community.”