SSU’s Dr. Marcus S. Cox is Among 26 National Leaders Selected to Participate in the AASCU 2025 Academy for New Provosts

Savannah State University’s Provost Dr. Marcus S. Cox is among 26 national leaders selected by The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to participate in its 2025 Aca

demy for New Provosts, a leadership development program designed for the specific needs of new provosts at state colleges and universities.

The program, which is in its sixth year, gives cohort members the opportunity to connect with their peers as they learn strategies for tackling the distinctive challenges they will face in their role.

The 2025 Academy for New Provosts (ANP) will meet in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28-31 for their first in-person gathering. The group will also participate in virtual sessions. ANP is made possible in part by generous support from AASCU strategic partners Ad Astra and EAB.

“The provost is one of the most important members of the president’s cabinet, with responsibilities that are ever-expanding and more complex than ever,” said AASCU Vice President for Academic Innovation and Transformation Terry Brown. “AASCU’s Academy for New Provosts provides timely and relevant content, tailored guidance, and a supportive community to help provosts succeed in a challenging environment for higher education.”

ANP will prepare new provosts to build trust through effective communication; strengthen their psychological and physical resilience; navigate between the president’s vision and the expectations of faculty members; integrate academic planning with budget, facility, and IT planning; manage key relationships for success; and understand principles of exemplary academic leadership, change management, and university finance and budget.

“We are thrilled that the AASCU has selected Dr. Cox for its 2025 Academy for New Provosts,” said SSU President Dr. Whirl. “His scholarly expertise and leadership skills will serve the academy well. I personally congratulate Dr. Cox for this achievement and look forward to his continued leadership in advancing the vision of Savannah State University in the years to come.”

A distinguished scholar and academic leader, Cox has extensive experience in higher education leadership, curriculum innovation, and faculty development. As SSU’s chief academic officer, he leads the Division of Academic Affairs, overseeing the university’s academic colleges, libraries, and centers, as well as initiatives related to accreditation, research, and faculty development.

A noted historian, Cox specializes in African American civil-military history, the Modern Civil Rights Movement, and U.S. history since 1945. He has authored more than two dozen scholarly articles, reviews, and book chapters, and he is the author of Segregated Soldiers: Military Training at Historically Black Colleges in the Jim Crow South (Louisiana State University Press).

Cox’s thought leadership extends beyond academia. He appeared in the National Geographic and Disney+ documentary Erased: WW2 Heroes of Color, and serves as a consultant to the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. He is also the Chairman of the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee to the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Founding Director of the Gillis-Jones Institute for Ethics and Leadership at Fayetteville State University.

Cox earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in history from Southern University in Baton Rouge. He holds an MBA from The Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business at The Citadel and a Ph.D. in African American history from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

View the full 2025-2026 ANP cohort

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