Morehouse College has named Dr. John S. Wilson Jr. as the 11th president of the historically black, all-male college in Atlanta.

Wilson is a 1979 Morehouse graduate recently tapped by President Obama to serve as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Wilson will officially assume the role as Morehouse's president at the end of January.

Wilson is a former associate professor at George Washington University, where his research focused on finance in higher education and the role of black colleges and universities. He also worked for 16 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, serving as the director of foundation relations and assistant provost.

Last month, the college announced it would furlough faculty and make other budget cuts due to lower-than-expected enrollment.

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