Alumni Profile: Mark A. Brown

EdD ’22, Learning & Organizational Change
President, Tuskegee University

Dr. Mark Brown is the tenth president of Tuskegee University and the first Tuskegee graduate to hold the position. He holds three master’s degrees — in public administration, strategic studies, and national security strategy. After retiring as a two-star major general from a 32-year career in the U.S. Air Force, he was chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid. Baylor’s Dr. Mark Pullum, graduate academic advisor for the EdD in Learning & Organizational Change, interviewed Dr. Brown.

Q: Who is Dr. Mark Brown?

A: I am about as average as average can be, and my story speaks to the educational system. I was probably not as prepared as many students when I graduated from high school. My grandmother, who had not graduated from anything but was persistent in making sure that this generation did better academically, told me if you go down to Tuskegee, they will take care of you. I was very blessed to run into mentors and others who have taken an interest and took time for me. Obviously, hard work goes along with that, but I could not have done it without many, many who helped me.

Q: What does that full-circle experience feel like?

A: It’s a little bit surreal. Those who have served in the position are servants in the ultimate definition of the term. Tuskegee’s first president, Booker T. Washington, worked until he was exhausted. He built the school from the back of a church with one teacher holding the light so he could teach the others. That humble start is the foundation of Tuskegee University. So, I feel the position is a form of public service with the ultimate goal being for the greater good of students and talent for the nation. The heritage of Tuskegee is more than the school. When there was not a veterans’ hospital in the south that veterans of color could go to, Tuskegee donated the land and built it. When people of color began to get medical degrees and needed to do clinicals but were not allowed in certain hospitals, they came here and did clinicals in that hospital. When we were worried about soil quality, we learned about the value of soil rotation and multiple uses of peanuts under the leadership of Dr. George Washington Carver. That is why I often say that Tuskegee students and dedicated staff don’t just do research; rather they do research that solves the world’s most complex problems.

Q: Tell us about your journey in the Baylor EdD program.

A: Thank God for Baylor University and their ability to produce a program that can service the adult learner. I worked full time, like most of my classmates, and it was fairly busy in my day job. I do not want to mislead anyone to think this was easy; it was very hard. But it also was structured to allow me to work. The other part that’s really good — in addition to the amazing professors and classmates — is the concept of a “problem of practice.” You could intersect work data and academic data and solve a real problem, so it’s not some abstract thing. I worked on the student loan crisis, and my problem of practice was titled “Student Loans Do not Equal 40 Acres and a Mule.” At the same time, I served as the Chief Operating Officer at U.S. Department of Education. My day-to-day portfolio was the $1.7M associated with the Federal Student Loan program. The intersection of work and academia was the secret sauce for me.

Q: What is your vision for the future of education?

A: There is no shortage of work to be done. Back in 1965 or so, we aimed to “bridge the gap” for those having a hard time keeping up financially as well as socially. We developed the term “social and economic mobility,” meaning one of the fundamental purposes of education was to create that mobility in society. My philosophy on education is that I believe wholeheartedly that education should create social and economic mobility, that education is a wise investment. This is why at Tuskegee we will require each student to not only have a degree but also have an internship experience as well as a certification appropriate for their chosen profession.