Alcorn State University president stepping down. See who is replacing her
Alcorn State University Provost and Senior Vice President Dr. Ontario Wooden has been tapped by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to be the interim president at Alcorn State University.
Wooden replaces Dr. Felecia Nave who served as the 20th President of Alcorn State University since 2019. Trustee Tom Duff, president of the Board of Trustees said, “The Board wishes Dr. Nave well as she pursues new opportunities.”
According to multiple sources, Wooden was also considered during the presidential search at Delta State University which concluded in March. If he had been selected, he would have been the first Black president at Delta State.
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Instead, the IHL appointed South Carolina educator Daniel J. Ennis, Ph.D., as the ninth President of DSU.
The IHL has been busy in the past year, having removed presidents at Southern Miss, Delta State and Jackson State University. The openings at Southern Miss and Delta State have been filled while listening sessions were recently begun at Jackson State for the replacement of Thomas Hudson.
The search process for university presidents is now much more secretive and confidential with the opening at DSU the first since it was changed.
At Alcorn State, Wooden has been responsible for facilitating the effective and efficient delivery of academic and support services across the campus, which includes management and oversight of all academic schools, the registrar, research and graduate studies, 1890 Research/Extension, Library, Institutional Research, and Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment/Accreditation.
Wooden has served as a member of the president’s executive cabinet and reported directly to Nave.
Wooden came to Alcorn after serving as associate vice chancellor for Student Success and Academic Outreach at North Carolina Central University. In his 12-year career at NCCU, he has provided leadership in multiple positions that include associate vice chancellor for Innovative, Engaged and Global Education; interim associate dean of the School of Education; and associate professor of education. He was also the acting associate vice chancellor for Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning, and served as dean and associate dean of University College.
According to his bio, Wooden partnered as an affiliate graduate faculty in higher education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for five years. He also served in multiple roles at Albany State University and Indiana University Bloomington. He earned a doctorate in higher education from IUB in 2004, which is where he also earned a master’s degree in the same area of study in 2002. Wooden earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Albany State University in 2000.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Alcorn State president removed, Ontario Wooden named interim
