Texas Southern University president retires after two years on the job

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Texas Southern University President Lesia Crumpton-Young has retired from her position just two years after joining the historically Black university in Houston.

In a May 15 letter to the chair of the TSU Board of Regents announcing her decision to leave, Crumpton-Young said she was “called to expand my commitment to transforming lives by helping elevate HBCUs to a broader national stage.”

“My goal is to assist in accelerating this urgent and compelling objective and shape the national success of HBCUs and Higher Education at large. With the successful conclusion of the 2022-2023 Academic Year, it seems the most appropriate time to share this communication with you,” she wrote.

It’s unclear if she has secured a new position.

In a statement, TSU Board of Regents Chair Albert Myres said the board unanimously agreed to Crumpton-Young’s request to retire. TSU did not respond to additional questions Friday.

The board has appointed Regent Mary Evans Sias to manage a transition oversight committee in the meantime.

Crumpton-Young came to TSU soon after it was revealed that unqualified students were admitted to the university and given more than $2 million scholarships between 2017 and 2019; meanwhile, other applications weren’t reviewed. The scandal led to the ousting of former president Austin Lane. Ultimately, the board and Lane came to a confidential departure agreement that did not accuse him of wrongdoing. He is now the chancellor of Southern Illinois University.

An external review of admissions irregularities at the time said an anonymous complaint was sent to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in November 2018, alleging that the university, one of the country’s largest historically Black colleges, “tried to increase enrollment by encouraging staff to admit all candidates, regardless of whether the candidate met the university’s academic admissions criteria.” Around that same time, the TSU law school also faced allegations of bribery and improprieties in its admissions process.

Disclosure: Texas Southern University - Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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