Alcorn alum named new school president

ALCORN, Miss. (IHL) – The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced today the selection of Alcorn State University alumna Dr. Felecia M. Nave as the preferred candidate for President of Alcorn State University. Dr. Nave currently serves as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.

Dr. Nave was recommended by the Board Search Committee, chaired by Trustee Shane Hooper, with input from the Campus Search Advisory Committee.

“Dr. Nave has an outstanding academic background and record of higher education leadership and we are pleased to announce that she has been selected as the Preferred Candidate,” said Trustee Shane Hooper, Chair of the Board Search Committee. “In addition to graduating from Alcorn State University, she has devoted her professional life to opening doors of opportunity to students as a faculty member and administrator. She understands the important role higher education plays in the lives of individuals and in providing a skilled workforce for the state.”

Dr. Nave currently serves as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. In this role, she serves as the university’s chief academic officer, developing, managing and providing oversight for all academic degree programs at the university. The university includes seven colleges and schools, including a law school. The university enrolls more than 8,000 students and has more than 564 full-time and part-time faculty, and more than 450 professional and administrative staff.

Dr. Nave graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Alcorn State University in 1996. She holds a master’s degree in chemical and environmental engineering and a doctorate in engineering, both from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.

Prior to joining North Carolina Central University, Dr. Nave served in various academic and administrative roles at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas from 2003 until 2018. These roles included tenure-track Assistant Professor, tenured Associate Professor, tenured Professor of Chemical Engineering, Interim Assistant Dean of the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Director of Special Initiative for Faculty Development.

Campus listening sessions were held on campus in October for the members of the Board Search Committee to hear what qualities and qualifications the campus constituency groups believed the next president should possess. After careful review of all applicants, the Campus Search Advisory Committee submitted the names of several candidates unranked to the Board Search Committee.

“I would like to thank the members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee for the time the members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee devoted to reviewing the applications,” said Trustee Hooper. “The membership represented all facets of the campus community, including students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni and the community. Their insight was invaluable to the Board of Trustees.”

The members of the Alcorn State University Campus Search Advisory Committee includes Alfred Galtney, Chair; Dr. Jacqueline Beasley, Co-Chair; Tracy Cook, Carolyn Dupre, Dr. Wanda Fleming, Dr. Yolanda Jones, Dr. Peter Malik, Dr. Debra Spring, Shundera Stallings, Dr. Valtreasa Tolliver-Cook, Dr. Voletta Williams, Dr. Dylinda Wilson-Younger, Moriah Batiest, Robert Tatum, Lakesha Batty, Dr. Charlie Bridges, Dollie Carter, Wilbert Jones, Charles McClelland, Percy Norwood, Kalvin Robinson, DeKendric Stamps, Dr. John Walls, Neddie Winters, Robert Gage, and Mayor Fred Reeves.