TUSKEGEE, Ala. – Dr. Gilbert L. Rochon, the university’s president, has announced his resignation from the university effective immediately.
During the fall meeting of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Rochon announced his resignation and the Board of Trustees accepted. The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Matthew Jenkins as the acting president of the university.
The critical task for the Board of Trustees was to insure outstanding leadership and management of the university during the interim period. Dr. Jenkins, a native of the state of Alabama, graduated from Tuskegee University in 1959, receiving the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with honors. After graduation, he was employed by US Department of Agriculture in Boston. MA; subsequently he served in the US Air Force, at the rank of captain, stationed in Greenland. In this position, Dr. Jenkins discovered rabies and later led a team dedicated to the control and eventual eradication of rabies in Greenland.
In 1960, he moved to California; was employed by the State of California Department of Veterinary Medicine and, shortly thereafter, entered private practice in Compton, CA. His veterinary practice grew to a medical and office staff of 18 professionals; he developed a new anesthetic combination that was published in “Modem Veterinary Practice” in 1972 and currently is in use in many countries. In 1970, Dr. Jenkins and his wife (Mrs. Roberta Jones Jenkins, a fellow Tuskegee University graduate) founded Saroe Imports and later established SDD Enterprises, a highly successful real estate investment and property management firm with businesses in eight states. In 1979, Dr. Jenkins retired from veterinary medicine practice to devote full time to SSD Enterprises as CEO and President; he currently serves as Chairman of the firm. Since its founding in 1984, Dr. Jenkins has served as the Chairman of the Matthew and Roberta Jenkins Family Foundation, an entity that has donated in excess of 12 million dollars to deserving students and academic institutions, including significant contributions to Tuskegee University. READ FULL
