Tuskegee University hosted a panel of four presidents from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for its final Lyceum Series session on April 28. The event, titled “Leading in Challenging Times,” brought together Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO of Tuskegee University; Dr. David K. Wilson, President of Morgan State University; Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President of Benedict College; and Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College.
The discussion focused on the challenges facing HBCU leaders today and the importance of resilience, adaptability, and student-centered leadership in higher education institutions serving communities of color.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Thierno Thiam opened the evening by describing HBCUs as “the boldest and greatest experiment in higher education,” emphasizing their foundation in struggle but sustained by faith and an unyielding belief in education’s transformative power. “This lyceum is not just a forum for conversation,” Thiam said. “It honors history, responsibility, and—most important—possibility.”
Each president reflected on their personal journey to leadership roles that were often unexpected or nontraditional paths to the presidency. Dr. Artis noted her background as a lawyer before entering academia; Sorrell recounted his accidental path to leading Paul Quinn College when it was at risk of closure; Wilson discussed his move from corporate America into academia after encouragement from his father; Brown shared how his career as an Air Force Major General eventually led him back to Tuskegee.
The panelists agreed that humility, collaboration, and trust are essential qualities for leaders navigating uncertainty at HBCUs today. “There is not a single day that I have had all the answers,” Brown said during the discussion moderated by Student Trustee Carrington Thompson.
Panelists also addressed issues such as representation—Artis became Benedict College’s first woman president—and strategies for ensuring future generations continue breaking barriers rather than being exceptions themselves.
Looking ahead fifteen years into the future, each leader offered distinct visions: Brown imagined students graduating debt-free; Artis described a national awakening to HBCUs’ unique value; Wilson hoped HBCUs would be recognized as vital to American democracy with expanded research capacity; Sorrell advocated economic independence so small private colleges could remain “unbought and unbossed.” All agreed that students must remain central to every decision made at their institutions.
As the event concluded with student questions about prioritizing resources amid challenges faced by many first-generation college attendees like aerospace engineering major Deirdre Faye Newcombe, Sorrell told her: “You are who you are looking for.” Wilson encouraged students never to forget Tuskegee’s legacy: “You will raise the bar, set the standard and show them what the model of excellence is.”
