Dr. Tracy Cook will serve as Alcorn State University’s next president, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees decided during its latest board meeting, citing support from the campus community. Cook has served as the university’s interim president since July 2023.
“This decision was made in the long-term best interests of Alcorn State University and its students, faculty, staff, and alumni,” IHL Board of Trustees President Dr. Alfred McNair said in a March 21, 2024, press release. “There was an obvious desire and call from the Alcorn family for Dr. Cook to be named to this role, and we are putting our full faith and confidence behind this decision. He is the right person to lead Alcorn State University.”
Cook, an ASU graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1994, a master’s degree in agronomy in 1996, and his degree in educational administration and supervision in 1998. He went on to earn a doctorate and specialist degree in educational leadership from Hattiesburg’s William Carey University. A star football player for the Braves, Cook was inducted into the Alcorn Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and honored with the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
He said that he appreciates the opportunity to lead his alma mater as its fully appointed president.
“I am honored to have the trust and support of the Board of Trustees, and excited to officially lead a university that has meant so much to me personally and professionally,” Cook said in an IHL press release. “We have a bright future ahead of us, and I am committed to leading us all toward new levels of success.”
Cook has more than 25 years of educational experience, including work as a teacher, athletic director, principal, and superintendent in the Jefferson County and Claiborne County school districts. He became ASU’s chief of staff in 2015 before becoming the university’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.
“At this juncture in Alcorn’s history, Dr. Cook is the right choice to lead the university to greater prominence,” Commissioner of the Mississippi Institutions of
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