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A few years ago, barely a day went by that there wasn’t a story about Alabama State University. And usually, it was something not so flattering about the historically Black college located in Montgomery.
From football coaches getting fired to board members fighting (literally) with attorneys to the governor’s office going to war with the university’s trustees by way of a sham investigation to fired presidents, there was a seemingly endless stream of negative, embarrassing press for ASU.
And in the midst of it all, as different factions of power players fought internally, the university was being crippled by financial and compliance issues. Accreditation was threatened. The school’s bond rating was lowered. Tuition started to fall.
It was a dark, dark time.
And then, seven years ago, then-state senator Quinton Ross was named president. Ross was an ASU grad whose family had deep ties to the university, and that’s the only reason I could think of to explain why he wanted to step into the role of president at ASU at that moment.
Whatever his motivations, he was exactly what the school needed.
I saw Ross earlier this week on APT’s “Capital Journal,” discussing the new school year and the good things that are happening around the campus. He talked about navigating the new normal of online classes, and balancing the financial differences that come with it. He talked about the freshman class and the joy of welcoming so many first-in-their-family college students.
Enrollment is up. Bad press is pretty much non-existent.
Watching Ross, I couldn’t help but think what a remarkable turnaround it has been for ASU under his leadership. Not just because the embarrassing incidents are gone and local TV isn’t broadcasting trustee fights on the nightly news.
But because the entire vibe around ASU has been changed for the positive. In pretty much every circle.
No, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, and Ross and his administration has certainly made mistakes and dealt with problems – mostly the same sort of problems that all universities deal with. But the difference has been in how those issues have been addressed and the confidence that Ross’s leadership has brought from those on the outside looking in.
Perhaps that’s the biggest change that Ross has brought – confidence from state leaders that everything at ASU is under control.
Among state legislators, where there was once a wary, skeptical tone on most things ASU-related, the university is now treated and talked about with the same general tone as other institutions. Gone are the days of threatening ASU’s appropriations or talk of monitoring the school’s financial decisions.
A few months back I had a long time Republican lawmaker mention to me in a conversation that he had just left a function at ASU. He had been coming to Montgomery for years, he said, and had been to campus probably 10 or so times – every single time since Ross took over. And he wasn’t alone. ASU routinely held events on campus for lawmakers and state leaders.
That wasn’t an accident. It was part of Ross’s plan when he took over – to open the doors of ASU to lawmakers. The goal, he said, was to remove the mystery of an HBCU, to show people that ASU was a university just like all the others around the state.
At the same time, he wanted to build the school’s relationship with the community around it. From health care initiatives to working with financial institutions to erase student debt to community outreach programs, he did that too. During the pandemic, ASU led the way in testing and treatment, utilizing some of the latest technology and delivery systems to treat the impoverished neighborhoods that surround the campus.
All of it has served to produce one of the longest stretches of peace and quiet around ASU that many alums can remember. It’s the kind of stretch that the school deserves, and it has brought about the respect that ASU should have been receiving for decades.
ASU’s contribution to the Montgomery area, and to so many Black families, has always been notable, even when it was overshadowed by goofy behavior and attacks from lawmakers hellbent on keeping the school down. The university has literally changed the course of thousands of families, offering opportunities and advancements that would have never come for many in central Alabama.
Finally, a lot of people around the state — important people who make important financial decisions — are coming to understand ASU’s role and its importance. Finally, it is getting that respect.
That’s the difference good leadership can bring.
