Butts, William A.
(born: 1933 - died: 2017)William A. Butts served as the 11th president of Kentucky State University from 1975 to 1982. He favored the Council on Higher Education's plan to keep Kentucky State as a small liberal arts college with one graduate program. Enforcing the new strategic plan caused him to fall out of favor and led to his resignation in 1982.
The following comes from the transcript of the Oral History with Dr. William A. Butts at the University of Southern Mississippi, Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, 3/3/1976.
William A. Butts was born near Kilmichael, MS, the son of Sylvester and Virginia Butts. He was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea. He earned a B.S. in political science in 1957 from Mississippi Vocational College and his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Butts taught at Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. In 1975, he was named the eleventh president of Kentucky State University. He died 6/9/2017 in Greenwood, MS; see the Kentucky State University memoriam and see his obituary at Find a Grave.
