The president of a historically Black university (HBCU) in Kentucky has abruptly tendered his resignation because of concerns about the school’s financial status.

Kentucky State University President M. Christopher Brown II on Tuesday resigned immediately during a meeting specifically held because an external auditor had been appointed to assess the university’s finances. It was the second time in nearly eight years that Brown resigned from an HBCU because its finances were being audited.

The Kentucky State University Board of Regents accepted Brown’s resignation on Tuesday and named the university’s senior vice president for brand identity and university relations to be the acting president.

“As the Kentucky State University community comes together, with a renewed appreciation for our collegiate campus atmosphere and a commitment to our core mission and values, I am humbled and energized by the opportunity to serve our students and community following what has certainly been a time of unprecedented change,” Kentucky State University’s new acting President Clara Ross Stamps said in a statement following Brown’s resignation. “I pledge to labor with our faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, and will be accessible, transparent, accountable, and communicative, so together we can positively impact the lives of our students and society while advancing Kentucky State onward and upward.”

For Brown, who served four years as Kentucky State University’s president, it was seemingly a case of déjà vu all over again.

Back in December 2013, Brown also quit his post as president of Alcorn State University in Mississippi. At the time, the Associated Press reported that Brown was resigning “amid an investigation into university purchasing practices.”

The exact nature of the “purchasing practices” was not disclosed.

Four years later, Kentucky State University hired Brown to be its president.

All indications are that Brown’s resignation was not expected.

Just last week, Kentucky State tweeted that Brown was scheduled to speak at an event that carried financial implications for the school; and state.

@KyStateU President Brown to speak at today’s Kentucky Diversity & Equity Summit – bringing Kentucky’s economic developers, business leaders, and policy makers together to build capacities and strategize on the growth of communities and the Commonwealth. https://t.co/kjlZXiAirL

— Kentucky State U. (@KyStateU) July 15, 2021

Before leading Alcorn State, Brown was provost at Fisk University in Nashville.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

SEE ALSO:

HBCU President Caught Up In Off-Campus Prostitution Ring Resigns

Fired HBCU President Is ‘Disputing Every Last Word’ Of Admissions Scandal Allegations

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