Corey S. Bradford Sr. has stepped down as president of Harris-Stowe State University after 13 months.
University officials said in a statement Bradford is leaving the university to start a new position at an undisclosed research university. Bradford announced his departure from Harris-Stowe on Friday.
His departure marks the second time in two years that the university has needed a new leader.
LaTonia Collins Smith, the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, will serve as interim president. Harris-Stowe officials did not say when the search for a new president will begin.
Bradford has led Harris-Stowe since April 2020. He replaced Dwaun Warmack, who left the university in 2019 for Claflin University.
During his short tenure, Bradford helped secure federal COVID-19 support funding to help keep students in campus housing, provided them with the technology they needed for remote classes and created scholarships to help students who were facing hardships during the pandemic. Bradford also helped create a program to increase freshman enrollment.
Bradford also began working to increase the university’s budget by lobbying state lawmakers to increase funding to Harris-Stowe, which he said had been underfunded for years.
A Harris-Stowe spokesperson said the university will continue to build upon its strong reputation and importance to the St. Louis region.
Collins Smith began working for Harris-Stowe in 2010. She helped secure a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to increase STEM programs in Missouri.
University officials did not elaborate on the reasons for Bradford’s departure. But they said Collins Smith is an experienced administrator who can lead the university in the coming months.
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