I have notified the Board of Regents of Morgan State University of my intention to retire from the Presidency of the University, effective December 31, 2009.  By that date, I will have served twenty-five years as Chief Executive Officer of the institution and thirty-nine as an employee of the State of Maryland.

Thanks to you, the University has made great strides during my presidency.  The most notable success is undoubtedly its advancement to doctoral research university status.  However, despite this success, we are at a critical juncture in the University’s history, with the issue and goal of institutional parity yet to be resolved.  So, although we have achieved a great deal, much is yet to be done; and we must not allow ourselves to be distracted for a moment from achieving this goal.  Instead, we must continue an aggressive pursuit of the goal of making Morgan State University one of the very best institutions in the State.

I take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support that you have afforded me, and I am sure there will be many other opportunities to reinforce these sentiments over the next year.