NATCHEZ — If M. Christopher Brown II is hired as Alcorn State University’s next president, he wants to stick around long enough to witness some changes.

The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced Monday it selected Brown as the preferred presidential candidate following a board of trustees meeting.

Brown currently serves as executive vice president and provost at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.

“It is a mixed bag of emotions, I feel humbled, very excited and nervous,” Brown said about learning of his selection.

Brown said if hired, he would like to serve as president of Alcorn for at least 10-15 years, to make a lasting impact and move the historically black university into the future.

On Nov. 30, Brown will participate in open, daylong discussions on ASU’s Lorman campus with various university and community constituency groups. Those who attend the open discussions will then provide feedback to the board of trustees.

The board will announce at 4 p.m. on Nov. 30 after the open sessions either that Brown will be ASU’s next president, or that the search will continue.

Prior to joining the staff of Fisk University — also a historically black college — Brown served as dean of the college of education at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, vice president for programs and administration at the American Association of Colleges for teacher education and director of social justice and professional development for the American Educational Research Association.

He received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from South Carolina State University and a master’s degree in educational policy and evaluation from the University of Kentucky. He holds a doctorate in higher education from Pennsylvania State University with a cognate in public administration and political science.

Brown said many historically black colleges that have shown the most success, such as Xavier University in New Orleans, have benefited from long-term leadership of a president. Norman Francis has served as president of Xavier for 42 years, Brown said.

Brown said he applied for the job because it was a natural step in his career.

He said he spent his career as a faculty member teaching and writing about the future of historically black colleges, climbed the faculty ladder, became a dean, provost and vice president — so becoming Alcorn’s president would remain right on track with his career.

Attending undergraduate studies at South Carolina State University, a 1890s historically black land grant institution in Orangeburg, S.C., Brown said he is used to a rural lifestyle and looks forward to the atmosphere of Alcorn as an “academic resort.”

“I feel like I’m returning to my roots,” Brown said.

Brown said because Alcorn is removed from the hustle and bustle of a city, its isolation creates a “safe enclave for exploration of the study of higher education.”

Brown said he has been impressed with the faculty, staff and administration at Alcorn and will avoid stepping on any toes as a leader.

“The (Alcorn) faculty, staff and administration are skilled performers,” Brown said.

“And much like a symphony with lots of skilled musicians, my job as president is not to play everyone’s instrument but to serve as a conductor for the symphony — to be sure we’re all on same sheet of music to provide an excellent performance for Mississippi and the region.”

If hired, Brown said he would like to revamp Alcorn’s brand identity to make it more publicly recognizable, “like Ole Miss,” he said.

Brown said he would also like to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation for Alcorn as a local economic engine providing jobs and a trained workforce.

He would also like to diversify enrollment in terms of gender, race and national origin to help broaden Alcorn’s role as a historically black college.

“We can grow a new understanding of what it means to be a historically black college,” he said.

Brown said he looks forward to the Nov. 30 meeting, when he will have a chance to be introduced to all types of Alcorn supporters from the school and community.

Brown was recommended by the board search committee, chaired by trustee C.D. Smith, with input from the campus search advisory committee and the interview search advisory committee following careful review of all applications and two rounds of interviews, and IHL press release said.

“We believe we have found someone who understands Alcorn’s unique mission as a land-grant institution set in rural Southwest Mississippi,” co-chair of the campus search committee Stephen McDaniel said.

“Dr. Brown understands our mission and has the experience needed to position us well on a national stage.”

Brown is the author of 15 books and monographs, including the most recent, “Ebony Towers in Higher Education” published in 2008, “The Broken Cisterns of African American Education” in 2009 and “The Case for Affirmative Action on Campus” in 2009.

A former member of the South Carolina State University Board of Trustees, Brown has received numerous honors and awards, including The 100 Black Men of Charleston 2002 Image Award and the 2004 Pennsylvania State University Alumni Achievement Award.

He received the 2001 Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Promising Scholar/Early Career Award, the 2002 AERA Committee on the Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award, the 2007 Philip C. Chinn Book Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education and the 2008 Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Educator Award.

More information and a schedule of the Nov. 30 open sessions can be found on Alcorn’s website at alcorn.edu