Presidents at black colleges facing shorter tenures, firing as pressures grow

Presidents at historic black colleges and universities across the nation are facing pressures their predecessors did not, and failure, real or perceived by college boards, means the leaders’ jobs are on the line.

Tenure for HBCU presidents have dropped to about four years. One in six of the nation's HBUCs, such as Morehouse College, have recently parted way with presidents or do not have one.

The pressures are often beyond leaders’ control, such as dropping enrollments at HBCUs as African American students are choosing state or private colleges. That is one of many financial pressures the schools face, and the presidents have to address those, as well as keeping college board members -- who can be micro-managers -- happy.