New Presidents To Assume Posts At Fisk, Kentucky State

Board members recently elected presidents at Fisk University in Nashville and Kentucky State University in Frankfort.

Dr. Kevin D. Rome Sr. will assume office at Fisk on June 30. Dr. M. Christopher Brown will assume office at Kentucky State University on June 1.

Before Rome became president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., in 2013, he held increasingly responsible administrative posts at several universities including North Carolina Central in Durham. Morehouse and Indiana University-Purdue.

“Our nation’s HBCUs are facing an interesting chapter in history and I am certain Fisk will see its story of academic excellence, diversity, and integrity expand over the next 150 years,” Rome said in a recent statement. “It will be my pleasure to work alongside the entire Fisk University family as we continue to cultivate scholars and leaders one by one.”

Brown most recently served as provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Southern University and A&M System. Brown has also held administrative posts at Alcorn State University, at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and the United Negro College Fund.

Of Brown’s appointment, Board of Regents Vice Chair Ekumene Lysonge said, “Dr. Brown’s extensive work at those institutions, combined with his ideas for growing Kentucky State University’s academic capacity and student enrollment, make him an excellent choice to lead us into the future.”

Rome is a Morehouse College graduate. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Georgia and a doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin.

Brown is a South Carolina State University graduate. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Kentucky and a doctorate degree at Pennsylvania State University.