BATON ROUGE - Southern University has named former Alcorn State University President M. Christopher Brown as its new provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Brown resigned from Alcorn in 2013 as Mississippi's College Board moved to suspend him amid inquiries into bid-law violations.

The Southern University System Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to hire Brown at its meeting Friday. He will be paid $200,000 a year.

Southern University System President and Chancellor Ray Belton praised Brown's experience in announcing a search committee's choice of Brown.

A 2014 Associated Press review found Alcorn spent $89,000 at the president's house without seeking required bids. A production company associated with a Brown aide collected $85,000 for staging campus concerts. An auditor said Alcorn spent $67,000 in bond money on unallowed projects.