Dr. Cordell Wynn, president of
Stillman College in Tuscaloosa,
Alabama, may be retiring, but
he’s not going to stop working.
He plans to remain active in
the world of higher education,
writing and consulting on the
relationship between
presidents and boards of
trustees of historically Black
colleges and universities
(HBCUs).
“The relationship
between the HBCU
president and board of
trustees is a president’s key
to success,” said Wynn.
“The successes I have had at
Stillman have come from my
ability to build a good board
and to help them understand
what trustees do.”
Those successes for
Wynn at Stillman include: an increase in the
college’s budget from $5.3 million in 1982, when
he took the helm of leadership, to $14.2 million
in 1996-97; an increase in endowments, from $2
million to $20 million; an increase in enrollment,
from 523 to 1,014; an increase in faculty, which
nearly doubled; and improvement of the campus
infrastructure, which added two new buildings
and renovated numerous others.
“There used to be a time when it was I not
necessary for the president or administration
and the board of trustees to work very closely
together. But now that is a must,” Wynn said.
“The role of the board is to hire a competent
administrator [and] to make policy, but to let
that administrator implement policy. I have seen
too much interference. I have seen them want to
run the school on a day-to-day basis and
interfere with hiring.”
Dr. Moses Jones, chairman of Stillman’s
Board of Trustees and a local neurosurgeon in
Tuscaloosa, agrees with Wynn on the
importance of a good working relationship
between a board and president.
“There has to be a clear demarcation of
authority and open communication. Dr. Wynn
has been excellent to work with and the most
important thing he did was to inform,”
acknowledged Jones. “Before every meeting,
we received a very thorough written report
containing an agenda, highlights, schedules,
statistics on enrollment, faculty, finance,
bylaws–everything you needed to evaluate
and plan for the meeting.”
“The tremendous turn
over in presidencies at
HBCUs has come about as
a result of [presidents and
trustees] not being able to
work together
harmoniously and focus on
mutual goals.” said Wynn.
who believes that turnover
rates are a problem because
longevity is important to
the success of a president.
“I think [long presidential terms are] a
good idea if you are effective. Continuity is so
important in fundraising, implementing a
vision, and gaining respect in the community,”
added Wynn, who also said that presidents
can’t just sit on campus but must extend
themselves to the community.
A Good Fit
