Tuskegee University — the private Alabama institution founded by Booker T. Washington — has fired its current president.
The Board of Trustees has decided not to renew Dr. Brian L. Johnson’s annual contract, effective July 1, 2017. It’s unclear exactly why the trustees decided to let Johnson go, but a source familiar with the situation said that several trustees were angry to learn that Johnson has interviewed for the top post at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), which is located in his hometown of Durham, N.C.
He is reportedly a finalist for the job.
NCCU has been without a permanent leader since its former chancellor, Dr. Debra Saunders-White, died last November from cancer.
A W.E.B. Du Bois scholar and expert in 17th to 19th century American literature, Johnson took the helm as president in 2014 at the age of 40. He previously held teaching and administrative positions at Gordon College, Claflin University and Johnson C. Smith University.
Contacted over the weekend, Johnson declined to be interviewed for this story.
Raised by a single mother in Durham, Johnson earned an undergraduate degree from Johnson C. Smith, a master’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of South Carolina in 2003.
