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S.C. State University narrows presidential field
By Scott Miller
Staff Writer
None of the finalists to be the next president at South Carolina State University currently leads an institution of higher education, a “surprise” to alum and state Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg.
“Then again, on the other hand, maybe that’s not what the screening committee was looking for. I, like other stakeholders with an interest in this, look forward to meeting with these individuals and will reserve judgment until then,” said Govan, who has been critical of trustees’ decision in December to oust former President Andrew Hugine.
The university’s presidential search committee in April announced five finalists to compete for the president’s post. They were among 42 to apply to be the university’s fifth president in 20 years.
With so much turnover in the president’s office, the last four were either fired or asked to resign, Govan and Patricia Lott, president of the university’s national alumni association, questioned whether the university would get a solid pool of the most qualified candidates.
“I’m quite sure the individuals are competent individuals, but I was somewhat surprised that just based on the resumes, or the info given, that there was perhaps not as much experience of actually heading an institution,” said Govan, who filed pending legislation that if approved would allow alumni to remove trustees.
The field includes a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the head of a nonprofit organization in Florida, two university administrators from North Carolina and one from Nevada.
Different direction
Maurice Washington, chair of both the board of trustees and the presidential search committee and the target of much of the criticism following Hugine’s dismissal, said the university did receive applications from past and present university presidents but decided to go in a different direction.
Two business minds from the private sector also applied, Washington said.
Ultimately, however, the individuals selected as finalists shared several key traits, he said, including fundraising abilities and strong leadership skills, both direct reflections of the criticisms Hugine received in his final performance evaluation.
Applicants’ personality traits also played a role in the committee’s decision, he said.
“(Committee members) gravitated to certain things about the applicants,” Washington said. “Some applicants presented themselves and connected and engaged the search committee. Some were very affable engaging the individuals.”
Hire by July 1
Applicants will meet with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members during campus visits in May. The university expects to hire the next president by July 1. The finalists are:
• Johnson O. Akinleye, associate vice chancellor for academic programs at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington.
• Juliette B. Bell, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
• George E. Cooper, deputy administrator for science and education resources development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Lawrence F. Davenport, interim president of the nonprofit Paragon Foundation in West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Juanita P. Fain, vice president for planning at the University of Nevada.
The Charleston Regional Business Journal requested copies of resumes for each finalist under the Freedom of Information Act but had not received a response by press time.
Washington noted that the presidential search committee, as well as the board of trustees, will continue background checks during these final rounds of interviews.
“If there are things that are to be found that present concern to the board, we will find them, and we will manage that accordingly,” he said. “If the right candidate is not in the mix as the board will ultimately determine, we will reopen the process and do what is necessary to get the right person. That July 1 deadline only applies if the right candidate is in that pool.”
Scott Miller is a staff writer at the Business Journal. E-mail him at smiller@scbiznews.com.
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