AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- It’s 100 days in for Paine College’s new president, Dr. Lester McCorn.
McCorn joined students, faculty and staff to reflect on his first 100 days in office at a special address Tuesday morning.
From renovations and improvements around campus, to witnessing high student achievement, he says it’s the start of what he calls the “Preparation for Transformation”.
Dr. McCorn was appointed as Paine’s new president last October, 4 months after the retirement of former president Dr. Cheryl Evans-Jones.
Since then, he says time has flown by.
“I can’t believe it’s been 100 days, it’s gone by really quickly. I learned a lot about myself in the process, and I learned a lot about Paine,” said McCorn. “We know the challenges we’re facing, but I think Paine has the raw materials we need to succeed despite those challenges.”
So far in 2025, Paine College celebrated the first Miss National UNCF (United Negro College Fund), Brittney Daniel, in school history.
Last month, the Paine men’s basketball team advanced to the championship game in the NCCAA South Region Tournament.
Another Paine student, Katherine Sugilo-Peralta, was recently recognized on the national level as a White House Scholar.
“I think we’re punching way over our weight in terms of the small institution we are. They’re a significant microcosm of this larger community, and it makes me proud.”
He’s also learned while college has a rich history, it also has problems he wants to address—including finances.
More than $400,000 has been raised for the college this year, but McCorn says there are big changes on the horizon.
“I kind of alluded to it earlier, but we’re going to have to right-size the institution, and we’re going to have to make some cuts. That’s really hard to do, but it’s what every business does when it has to reset. So, we’re doing a reset probably as I move into the new academic year. You’ll see a different workforce here at Paine College, and then it’s incumbent upon me to raise more money,” McCorn said.
He’s also led efforts for renovations and improvements around campus.
That includes repairs for damage caused by Hurricane Helene, hitting the area nearly 7 months ago.
“We probably have done about $600,000 or $700,000 worth of remediation work on our buildings, and that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done,” said McCorn.
He’s also had extensive conversations with state lawmakers, doing what he can to bring more opportunities to students on campus.
“There are federal dollars that are available for various projects in individual states and districts. So, Senator Warnock has already been instrumental in helping us get the National Registered Historic Places money for Paine College. I’ve also talked to Rick Allen about other ways he can support,” McCorn said.
Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson and commissioners appointed him to be part of the 11-member Charter Review Commission.
McCorn wants that to be another opportunity for students to be engaged.
“I want to bring them alongside me as interns to the president, to see how civic life works. Hopefully they’ll be more apt to engage in public life, and I think it’s a golden opportunity for them and Paine College,” said McCorn.
So what are his goals for the rest of 2025?
McCorn is hoping to increase student enrollment at Paine up to 500 students for the fall semester.
He also wants new facilities on campus, including new residence halls, a cyber center for excellence, and a fine arts center.
McCorn also wants to turn the old WifeSavers restaurant on 15th Street and Laney Walker Boulevard into the Lion Cafe and Bookstore.
It’s also his goal for Paine to become a top 10 HBCU in the nation, and eventually become Paine University with the addition of graduate programs in business, cybersecurity, medicine, nursing, public health, and sport management.
Senator Raphael Warnock, a close friend of McCorn since they were classmates at Morehouse College, will be the guest speaker at Paine’s Spring Commencement on Sunday, May 11th.
