President of Atlanta’s historically Black Spelman College steps down after leave of absence

ATLANTA (AP) — Spelman College’s president won’t be coming back from her leave of absence and is stepping down permanently. The  historically Black women’s college made the announcement Thursday. The college hasn’t said why Dr. Helene Gayle initially left or why she won’t return. Trustees say they are working on a plan to select the college’s next president. In the meantime, interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer remains in charge. Brewer is the former chair of the school’s board of trustees and a part-owner of the Atlanta Falcons football team. Gayle became Spelman’s president in 2022 after former president Mary Schmidt Campbell retired. The school is part of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of four historically Black schools.