The board of regents of Texas Southern Univerity in Houston has selected Kenneth Huewitt as the interim president of the university. He has been serving as acting president.
In January of this year, Austin A. Lane, then president of Texas Southern University, was placed on administrative leave with pay. In February the university terminated his contract. The board of regents had alleged that President Lane knew of irregularities in the admission process at the university’s law school and did nothing about it. They also alleged that he had excessive entertainment expenses that were paid through the university’s foundation and not through usual channels. In late February, the board of regents and Dr. Lane reached a settlement that pays the former president $560,000.
Huewitt joined Texas Southern in 2017 as the chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration. Earlier, he was chief financial officer and interim president of the Houston Independent School District. Earlier in his career, Huewitt worked for the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Huewitt is a graduate of Texas State University, where he majored in accounting.
“I am honored to serve in this role, and I appreciate the confidence that the board has shown in me and the TSU administrative team,” Huewitt said after being named interim president. “We have a lot of important work to do, especially with the current coronavirus situation. Our students, as well as the entire TSU community, deserve nothing but the best from this university, and that is what we will deliver.”
Huewitt will lead the university for an extended period. The board of regents will not begin the search process for the 13th president of Texas Southern University until six to eight months after the completion of the university’s accreditation reaffirmation process later in 2020.
