Bethune-Cookman interim president departs, is replaced by 'acting' president William Berry

Without a public announcement, Bethune-Cookman University has turned to a new leader, the third temporary president in as many years following the abrupt departure of E. LaBrent Chrite in March 2021.

William Berry, who had served as provost since just before Chrite's exit, was named "acting president," according to an email from Karen Parks, executive director of marketing and communications. Berry replaced Lawrence Drake, who apparently informed the Board of Trustees via letter on Jan. 17 of his intent to leave after his contract ended on June 30.

The university has not confirmed the authenticity of that letter, which was provided to The News-Journal by a non-university official in February. In it, Drake wrote that "after prayerful consideration and reflection," he informed the board's chairman that he was removing his name from consideration for the full-time presidency.

"I will instead return my attention to redoubling my efforts toward my scholarship, nonprofit and corporate board leadership as well accelerate my advocacy for HBCUs across the country and around the world," he wrote.

Drake did not respond to a message seeking comment on Wednesday.

Board Chairman Belvin Perry, a lawyer and former judge, was in court on Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

A page on the cookman.edu website indicates as of July 11, the presidential search committee began reviewing applicants with the intent to begin a first round of interviews in August.

Drake's tenure marked by controversies

The university's website as late as Wednesday afternoon still had Drake listed as the interim president. After being informed of this, the university removed the page within a few hours.

Drake, whose background is in psychology and business, was elected interim president by the board in June 2022, less than a year after he had started at the school as dean of the College of Business & Entrepreneurship.

He succeeded Hiram Powell, a 42-year veteran professor and administrator of the historic Daytona Beach school. Powell retired after a year at the helm.

Drake assumed the duties at a university that was turning the corner on a serious set of financial, legal and accreditation problems. However, B-CU had also sued its former alumni association, months after severing ties with the organization, whose leader, Johnny McCray, had been critical of Perry's leadership.

In September and November, two named storms, Ian and Nicole, disrupted classes and caused millions of dollars in damage. Students' concerns about mold from the storm and other concerns led to a protest and a fiery town hall hosted by Internet host Roland Martin.

Drake also faced criticism for the hiring and unhiring of NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed as the B-CU football coach last December and January. The school never finalized a contract with Reed after he posted a social-media tirade about the campus' condition and facilities, and B-CU later hired Raymond Woodie Jr.

Who is William Berry?

A former journalist and telecommunications manager, Berry moved into academia, where he served as a tenured professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign for 20 years, starting in 1991. He had appointments in the departments of advertising, journalism, Latino studies, media studies and communications research.

He received a bachelor's degree in English at Morehouse College, a master's in journalism and a PhD. from the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois.

Berry started his professional career as a reporter with the Associated Press in New York and Chicago. He became senior staff editor of Ebony and managing editor of Jet, two Black-owned magazines under the Johnson Publishing Co. umbrella.

While at U of I, he also served as a dean and department head before being named associate chancellor of the Urbana campus. He took early retirement in 2011, but later returned to the university in 2014 to serve as interim director of the institute that granted him his doctoral degree.

He was hired as a tenured professor for the Department of Mass Communications at Bethune-Cookman in 2015. He became senior vice president and provost in January 2021.

He has received two Fulbright Scholar awards, allowing him to lecture and conduct research at two Dominican Republic universities. He also handled curriculum review for the journalism and marketing programs while organizing faculty professional development seminars.

B-CU Clashes Continue: Backers say Bethune-Cookman chair deserves credit for guiding school through hard times

Ian, Nicole Damage: Bethune-Cookman pledges $10 million in campus improvements

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: B-CU appoints William Berry 'acting' president as search continues