Roosevelt D. Steptoe, former chancellor of Southern University and A&M College, died on Friday, November 20 at the age of 86.
Dr. Steptoe began his professional career at Southern University in 1967, serving as director of economic and transportation research, and later as director of economics research projects and professor of economics. Dr. Steptoe led the flagship campus of the Southern University System from 1975 to 1982. He was the first chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus after the university system was established.
Later, Dr. Steptoe served as vice president for academic affairs at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. He also served as an assistant professor of economics at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee and Alabama A&M University in Huntsville.
A native of Liberty, Mississippi, Dr. Steptoe was a graduate of Southern University and A&M College. He earned a master’s degree in economics from Atlanta University and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
