Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kevin James. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Dr. Kevin James serves as the 19th President of Morris Brown College, a historically Black college founded in 1881 in Atlanta, Georgia. The institution is the only college in Georgia founded solely by African American patronage. Dr. James became the leader of the college while it was under duress and lacking recognition from the United States Department of Education as an institution in good standing. The institution lost its accreditation in 2002-03. Dr. James was serious about the historical legacy of Morris Brown and was on a mission to re-accredit the institution. As an executive leader with years of academic and business experience, he understood that re-branding the institution while staying close to its mission was vital. Therefore, he initiated #TheHardReset, a campaign to restore Morris Brown to compliance and recognition by the Department of Education.
After three years of diligent restructuring, Morris Brown College secured “Accredited Status” with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) on April 26, 2022. The institution complied with the standards and criteria to be deemed a quality institution. An on-site peer review team evaluated the school, which determined that the institution provides sound instruction and appropriate student services. After the institution became a candidate for accreditation, it became eligible to apply to the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal financial aid programs and Title IV funding. Such funding was desperately needed to support the students and the college’s overall mission. Morris Brown’s access to Federal Financial aid has also been reinstated.
Moreover, Morris Brown College has been officially reinstated as an institution to participate in the Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities program under Title III. Dr. James made history by leading the institution to become the first HBCU to regain accredited status after a nearly twenty-year hiatus. He drew from his 22-year career as a higher education administrator, professor, executive business leader, and motivational speaker to fulfill his role as the college’s Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for the leadership and management of all college operations. Dr. James is also responsible for the development and execution of the vision and strategic direction for the college in concert with the Board of Trustees. To execute his preliminary vision of re-accreditation, he built a strategy around several core pillars: academic strength, governance, financial solvency, alum partnership, and community engagement. Dr. James is committed to the legacy of Morris Brown, which empowers the community through education. He understood such empowerment could only be delivered through the pillars previously listed. Moreover, Dr. James is also credited with securing a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the most significant financial gift the institution has received in more than 20 years.
Dr. James announced a partnership that has people rethink what Morris Brown is capable of. On February 25, 2021, Hilton Hotels Worldwide and the global investment firm CGI Merchant Group agreed to partner with Morris Brown to develop a $40 million hotel. A major component of the agreement was the ability to train students in the hotel and its restaurants. The construction begins in spring 2023 on a 150-room hotel under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
As President, Dr. James has stabilized finances; increased fundraising; expanded and revised academic offerings; successfully guided the institution through accreditation approval; and led the College to reach record-breaking enrollment increases in the past twenty years. Under his leadership, Morris Brown College has been completely transformed and revitalized.
Before his post as President, Dr. James served as Interim CEO of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., internationally headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The mission of 100 Black Men of America is to improve the quality of life and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans.
Dr. James has been featured on CNN, CBS, NBC, Fox, US News, Forbes, Black Enterprise, The Root, NewsOne, The GRIO, HBCU Times, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Voice, Atlanta Magazine, RollingOut Magazine, and The Atlanta Tribune to name a few.
Dr. James has received numerous awards. In January 2023, Forbes Magazine named him one of the Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders by the HBCU Campaign Fund and 10 Top Higher Ed CEOs to Watch in 2023. He is an alumni of Leadership Atlanta 2023, was named Core 100 Most Influential Blacks Today, named the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Citizen of the Year (Eta Omega Chapter), received the Mountain Mover Award by Historically Black Colleges & University Law Enforcement Executives and Administrators, named one of 12 Prominent African Americans you should know by Upscale Magazine, named Honorary Chairman of The Walk Atlanta- National African American Male Wellness Initiative, named 22 to watch in 2022 by The Atlanta Business Chronicle, and named one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful Leaders by Atlanta Magazine. Moreover, he received the FACE of Influence Award and The Isaiah DeQuincey Newman Lifetime Humanitarian Award.
In 2021, Dr. James was named College President of the Year by the Georgia Greater Black Chamber of Commerce and one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful Leaders by Atlanta Magazine. In 2020, he received the Winthrop University Alumni Professional Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to higher education. Additionally, he received the 4 Brighter Futures Foundation, Inc. Chairman Award, was a Georgia Leadership Character Award nominee, Mentor of the Year for 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., and Morris Brown College was named Top 10 Smaller HBCU that is Rising #4 by the HBCU Campaign Fund. Moreover, he was selected and completed the Higher Education Leadership Foundation/United Negro College Fund Presidential Leadership Institute.
As President, Dr. James serves on the Board of Trustees for the African Methodist Episcopal Church Worldwide, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Historic Oakland Foundation, and Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc. Moreover, he serves on the Omega Psi Phi Inc. International HBCU Education Committee, the AEAONMS HBCU Initiative Committee, and Georgia Film Consortium Academic Advisory Council. Among his memberships are the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, Golden Key International Honor Society, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, the Prince Hall Masonic Fraternity, and 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Dr. James attended South Carolina State University and earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and Social Sciences from Winthrop University and was presented the 2020 Alumni Professional Achievement Award; a master’s degree in Business Management, Leadership, and Organizational Effectiveness from Troy State University; and a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He is also a graduate of the Higher Education Institute at Harvard University.
We’ve been impressed with Morris Brown College, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
Morris Brown College was founded on Christian principles in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is chartered by the State of Georgia as a private, coeducational, liberal arts college engaged in teaching, research, and public service in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, and professional programs.
The mission of Morris Brown College is to provide educational opportunities in a positive and nurturing environment that will enable its students to become fully functional persons in our global society. The college prepares graduates to live meaningful and rewarding lives, enabling them to make socially constructive and culturally relevant contributions to society. In its commitment to academic excellence, Morris Brown College provides experiences that foster and enhance intellectual, personal, and interpersonal development for students who have demonstrated the potential to compete in a challenging undergraduate liberal arts program of study.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Morris Brown College Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, students, and other shareholders
Contact Info:
- Website: www.morrisbrown.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morrisbrownatl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorrisBrown1881/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/morris-brown-college/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/1881MorrisBrown
Image Credits
Morris Brown College
