LORMAN, Miss. (WJTV) – On Thursday, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) named Dr. Tracy M. Cook as 21st president of Alcorn State University.

Cook has served as interim president of the university since July 8, 2023. He will assume the role as president on April 1, 2024.

“This decision was made in the long-term best interests of Alcorn State University and its students, faculty, staff, and alumni,” said Dr. Alfred McNair, president of the Board of Trustees. “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.”

A native of Fayette, Mississippi, Cook earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Alcorn, and then earned his doctorate at William Carey University. His time as an athlete at Alcorn has been recognized with his induction in the Alcorn Sports Hall of Fame, his selection as one of the university’s Top 50 Greatest Football Athletes, and the 2023 presentation of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

According to the IHL, Cook has more than 25 years of administrative experience in education, having served in the Jefferson and Claiborne County School Districts as a teacher, athletic director, principal, and superintendent. He returned to his alma mater as chief of staff in 2015, and then stepped into the role of vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

“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. “We have a bright future ahead of us and I am committed to leading us all toward new levels of success.”