Through Jeroslyn JoVonn
January 24, 2026
Morris Brown alumni call for Dr. Kevin James to oust as president after his brief one-week resignation.
Morris Brown College alumni speak out against the reinstatement of Dr. Kevin James, just a week after his dismissal and subsequent reappointment.
The newly formed watchdog group, Morris Brown Accountability Now, is evocative The resignation of Dr. Kevin James just days after the Board of Trustees reinstated him following a brief termination, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. The group is made up of about 300 alumni across the country and was pushing for a change in leadership after a whirlwind week that saw James fired and rehired.
“I still believe he was the right person for that moment, but that moment has now passed,” said Jeffery Miller, a former trustee and Morris Brown graduate who voted to hire James seven years ago but has become one of his most outspoken critics. “I believe it is a failure of true leadership and fiduciary responsibility to bring him back.”
Miller and other members of the accountability group cite a “hostile work environment” and high employee turnover as key reasons for their lack of confidence in James’ leadership.
“Look at his turnover rate,” Miller said. “You can always see the value and effectiveness of leadership in the attitude of the followers. When you have people who leave within a year, within eight months of coming on board, that’s a leadership problem. We can’t be our fourth provost in seven years.”
Miller supported the board’s suspension of James in November after at least four staff members filed complaints. Complaints included harassment by management, violations of policy, a hostile work environment, mishandling of reports of sexual misconduct, retaliation and improper dismissal, as well as unprofessional administrative tactics and presidential overreach.
“Dr. James is impulsive, tone-deaf, lacks professionalism, exhibits serious moral turpitude and is such a dysfunctional character,” one complaint read.
The board cited James’ achievements, including restoring accreditation and leadership other institutional improvements, when he decided to relocate him. However, they acknowledged that his return “does not address broader concerns about employee culture, trust and experiences in the workplace.”
“For the people who work in the environment he created, it will be demoralizing,” Miller said of the board’s decision.
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