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Meeting minutes made public last week and first reported by Mississippi Today show that the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees fired Alcorn State University president Felecia Nave on a unanimous vote, shedding some light on her abrupt exit.
Nave, who became president of the historically Black university in 2019, was ousted last month. At the time, an IHL Board of Trustees news release did not indicate whether she had been fired or had resigned voluntarily. While the board has remained relatively quiet about her exit, meeting minutes from an executive session show that Nave was terminated by a board vote, though no reason was given for her firing.
Nave faced recent protests and calls from students to step down over concerns about alleged communication issues and neglected campus infrastructure and resources. Alumni have also raised questions about declining enrollment and employee retention at Alcorn State.
Of Mississippi’s eight public universities, four have seen their presidents leave since June. All four of those departures have been sudden. Prior to Nave’s ouster in April, Delta State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University also saw their presidents exit abruptly over the last 11 months with no explanation from the IHL board.
In a recent statement to Inside Higher Ed, IHL officials argued that presidential turnover has increased nationally, with top executives serving shorter terms. IHL officials also said they had introduced new efforts to attract and retain presidents but declined to identify such strategies.
