By Mary E. O'Leary Register Topics Editor
NEW HAVEN -- A former president of universities in North Carolinaand Maryland will serve as the interim head of Southern ConnecticutState University.
Stanley F. Battle, one time president of Coppin State Universityin Baltimore and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical StateUniversity, will come to SCSU next month to succeed Cheryl Norton.
Norton will be on sabbatical for the next year after serving sixyears as president of Southern, its first female president.
Faculty at Southern have said Norton was forced out byConnecticut State University Chancellor David Carter, after he wasgiven the power last fall to terminate a president 'without cause orexplanation' with the concurrence of the chairman of the board oftrustees.
Battle was president of North Carolina A&T from 2007-2009 andhead of Coppin State University from 2003-2007.
Battle has a bachelor's degree in sociology from SpringfieldCollege, a master's in social work from the University ofConnecticut, a master's in public health from the University ofPittsburgh and a doctorate in social welfare policy from theUniversity of Pittsburgh.
Battle was associate vice president of academic affairs atEastern Connecticut State University from 1993-1998 and earlier inhis career was a faculty member at UConn, Boston University and theUniversity of Minnesota.
The interim appointment was made by Carter and endorsed by theexecutive committee of the Board of Trustees of CSUS.
'We are confident that Dr. Battle will be an effective interimleader at Southern, working closely with faculty, staff and thecommunity in furthering the best interests of our students,' saidCSUS Board Chairman Karl J. Krapek.
Southern has about 12,000 students and offers 116 graduate andundergraduate programs. It is the second largest of the fouruniversities in the Connecticut State University System.
Contact Mary O'Leary at 203-789-5731 ormoleary@newhavenregister.com.
