The past three years have not been easy for Alabama State University. Between 2014 and 2015, the university cut over $75 million from its budget, according to a letter from former president Gwendolyn Boyd to university stakeholders. In 2016, Boyd, whose tenure started in 2014, was dismissed by the school’s board of trustees for reasons she said she “can’t define.” Reports following her dismissal stated that her firing was the result of a combination of reasons including a university contract with comedian Steve Harvey and a high school basketball tournament being moved away from ASU.
But after celebrating its 150th birthday this summer, Alabama State University hopes a new president can help the institution move forward.
On Friday, the board of trustees at Alabama State University appointed state Senator Quinton Ross as president of the institution in a 12-2 vote on Friday, beating out three former university presidents. Ross inherits the office from Dr. Leon C. Wilson, the provost and vice president for academic affairs, who has been serving as interim president since Boyd’s departure. Ross said that he hopes to respect the institution’s history while guiding it towards a more secure future.
“There is much work to do and the path forward may not be easy, but together we can preserve and add to the rich legacy of ASU for another 150 years,” he said in a statement on Friday.
As a former high school principal who also served as director of adult education at a community college for 10 years, an educational consultant for two and a state senator for 15, Ross has paved his path to university administration. In the Alabama senate, he has been a member of various committees and served as vice chairperson for the Education and Youth Affairs Committee.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Ross was raised in Pontiac, Michigan and has been living in Montgomery for more than 20 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in secondary English and a doctorate in educational leadership, policy and law, all from ASU.
“I was just very impressed with Dr. Ross overall,” ASU board chairman Alfreda Green told Alabama Political Reporter on Friday. “The things he said during his interview, his history with the school – I think he will make an excellent president.”
