Rebranding Lincoln University

Kevin D. Rome Sr., Ph.D.

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  --  Kevin D. Rome Sr. sat down to speak with The St. Louis American last week one year and one day after he took over as the 19^th president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

The school was founded as Lincoln Institute in 1866 by African-American Civil War veterans to educate newly freed slaves. Lincoln Institute formally became a state institution in 1879 and was renamed Lincoln University in 1921, via state legislation introduced by Walthall M. Moore, the first black American to serve in the Missouri Legislature.
Rome told The American that Lincoln now needs, not another renaming, but a rebranding – and explained how he tried to be a trailing spouse and follow his wife to the University of Chicago, but ended up bringing her and the twins to Missouri with him instead.

The St. Louis American: What’s new at Lincoln University?

Kevin D. Rome Sr.: We’re going though a lot of new rebranding strategies, defining goals to improve our reputation and improve our impact on the state and improve our retention and graduation rates. It’s a transformative period of growth for us.

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