One day after announcing that there would be three finalists for its presidential vacancy, Paine College officials today have announced two current and former executives vying to lead the embattled private HBCU.
Southern University Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Brandon K. Dumas and former Life University Special Assistant to the President Jerry Hardee will interview with campus stakeholders this weekend, with the board expected to name its choice in the coming week.
Dr. Dumas, an alumnus of Southern and Jackson State University, has served at the university since 2014. Dr. Hardee is a graduate of Clark College and Fisk University, and retired from the chiropractic teaching institution in 2015.
Paine made headlines last fall after having its accreditation revoked by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities’ Commission on Colleges, citing unsustainable financial and governance infrastructure. Its status was reinstated by a federal judge’s injunction against the accrediting agency.
The school raised more than $3 million in an effort to reverse the accreditation status.
