One of these three finalists will be Kentucky State University’s next president

Kentucky State University has named three finalists in the search for the school’s next president, the university announced Thursday.

The finalists are Koffi Akakpo, Gerald Hunter and Robert Mock Jr. All three have experience in higher education leadership and have ties to Kentucky. The board and presidential search committee selected the finalists during a closed-session meeting on Wednesday, with the finalists publicly named 24 hours later.

Akakpo is the current president and chief executive officer at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington. He previously held positions at North Central State College and Central State University, a historically Black university in Ohio. He also previously worked as the department secretary and director of the Department of Natural Resources for the state of Ohio, according to KSU’s announcement.

Hunter is the vice president for finance and administration at Norfolk State University in Virginia. He previously held positions at Winston-Salem University and Antioch University McGregor-Yellow Springs. Early in his career, he held various positions at KSU, Northern Kentucky University and Murray State University, according to KSU.

Mock is the executive vice president of strategic initiatives and chief of staff at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He previously held positions at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte Campus, the University of Kentucky and the University of Arkansas. Prior to working in higher education, he worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Pepsi-Cola Company.

Search process

Last year, the university began a search for the next president with help from the Council on Postsecondary Education. KSU is the only public historically Black university in the state.

House Bill 250, which also gave the university $23 million to address a budget deficit, ordered the university to halt its presidential search for one year.

The university resumed its search in March, with the goal of naming the next president by May or June. As the end of the school year approaches, the university will now bring the finalists to campus in May to meet with faculty, staff, students and trustees.

The university has been without a permanent president since July 2021, when then-president M. Christopher Brown II resigned amid growing concerns about KSU’s financial health and multiple lawsuits accusing college officials, including Brown, of various acts misconduct.

Interim President Ronald Johnson’s contract expires in June. He was hired last June on a one-year contract to fill the position while KSU addressed budget concerns. KSU used search firm Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting to assist with the search.

KSU has experienced a tumultuous several years, including the multi-million dollar budget deficit, a management improvement plan required by the state and a special examination by the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts. The special examination of the university’s finances revealed widespread overspending, a lack of financial control, and misuse of credit cards and university funds.

It also found poor internal controls and communication, failure to ensure an effective budgeting process and widespread overspending and credit card usage. The report identified more than $1.3 million in credit card transactions without proper documentation, and in one instance, the use of a fund that was meant for faculty, staff and student recognition was used to pay for the rental of the Kentucky Castle for a board retreat.

Millions in federal funding for the university is also at risk, according to the report, because of improper internal controls and documentation.