As a private citizen, Dillard University President Dr. Walter Kimbrough has every right and a level of responsibility to comment on public matters, particularly those within HBCU culture. As an esteemed leader within the culture, Dr. Kimbrough has a voice, expertise and perspective that few, even among his presidential peers, can claim.

So when the question is asked about the fairness and timing of his recent editorial in the Montgomery Advertiser on Alabama State University’s leadership shake up, there are two angles to which we should consider his piece. One angle is the opinion of someone who is a personal advocate for historically black colleges, and the other is a nuanced view of how president-board relationships work from the mind of a sitting HBCU president and consultant to several boards and presidential searches.

We are all entitled to opinions, but Dr. Kimbrough offers a surface understanding and perspective on the short and long-term effects of Joseph Silver’s separation from the university.

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