Education
Morehouse College President Says He Will Retire Next June
ATLANTA (AP) — Morehouse College President David Thomas has announced he’ll retire next yr, saying it was time for brand new leadership on the distinguished, all-male, historically black school he has led since 2018.
Thomas, 67, said in an announcement Friday that he’ll retire on June 30, 2025, noting that “the most difficult moment for a leader is knowing when it is in their best interest and the best interest of the institution to step down.”
“After countless hours of reflection, I believe that Morehouse’s future potential requires new leadership. The next president will inherit a solid platform on which to build a program and vision that will accelerate and amplify the College’s positive trajectory,” he said. He plans to stay a member of the varsity’s faculty.
The board of trustees said it would begin a seek for Thomas’ successor.
During Thomas’ tenure, Morehouse’s enrollment grew from 1,700 to 2,200, and he said enrollment is at an all-time high, reaching nearly 3,600 last yr. The college’s endowment has greater than doubled to $280 million, and the school has launched into a $170 million project to enhance campus facilities.
“We are on much more stable financial ground than we were 10 years ago,” he said.
Thomas was criticized this yr by some faculty, students and alumni for inviting President Joe Biden to talk at his graduation due to president’s support for Israel within the war with Hamas. Thomas met with protest leaders but didn’t rescind the invitation.
Morehouse is one among the nation’s premier historically black universities. Its alumni include civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his father, film director Spike Lee, former presidential candidate and business executive Herman Cain, actor Samuel L. Jackson and Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses.