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Jairy C. Hunter from entrepreneur to president
Jairy C. Hunter: from entrepreneur to president
For Dr. Jairy C. Hunter, the journey
to the president’s office at Charleston Southern University had a very
improbable beginning. Forced to enroll
in college against his better judgment in order to keep his job in Lancaster,
South Carolina, Hunter acquired a passion for education that has continued to
grow through the years. This year, he
celebrates his 15th anniversary as CSU president, making him one of
the longest-tenured college presidents in the state.
“After finishing high school, I was
working for a company manufacturing electrical supplies, and they wanted to
promote me to supervisor,” Hunter recalls.
“The only problem was, I would be the only supervisor in the company
without a college degree.”
Hunter didn’t feel he was college
material, and asked if he could be demoted and stay with the company. The answer from the incredulous president
was “no, it’s up or out,” so he enrolled in Wingate College, working during the
day and attending classes at night.
Two undergraduate, two master’s, and
one doctorate degree later, Jairy Hunter is still learning and still actively
involved in teaching at CSU. His
graduate seminar course in strategic business planning is required for all
master’s degree candidates.
It’s a course he is well qualified to
teach. Prior to moving into academia,
Hunter was a very successful entrepreneur in Boone, N.C. His holdings included an automotive body
shop, a wrecker service, commercial rental property, a chain of coin-operated
laundries, a used car dealership, and even a shopping mall.
All were very successful, but one day
in early 1971 Hunter remembers a life-changing discussion he had with his
accountant. “He came to me and said,
‘Do you know how much money you’re making per hour? It works out to just under a dollar. You need to figure out what
you want to do with your life.’
“After getting mad and deciding to
fire the accountant, I thought about it and he was right,” Hunter adds. “I realized I really wanted to be in
education, and was filling the void by getting into as many businesses as I
could.”
Not long after selling most of the
businesses, he saw a job advertisement for the Dean of Business Affairs at Blue
Ridge Community College in Hendersonville, N.C. Knowing he had the credentials,
he went in and convinced the college to interview him on the spot. They agreed, and hired him.
Today the 58-year-old Hunter is highly
respected as a college president, educator, Christian role model and community
leader. He wouldn’t trade his business
experience, however. “I have always
felt that the best teachers are those with practical experience,” he says. “You bring credibility, competence and a lot
of excitement into the classroom.”
His students agree. Charleston County Treasurer Andy Smith
graduated from the master’s program last December. “Dr. Hunter’s course was the most interesting and rewarding
course I’ve taken,” says Smith. “He put
everything about business in perspective.
He has a knack for making you want to learn more about business and life
in general.”
Hunter views the Charleston area as a
“higher education heaven.” In his
opinion, the region’s colleges and universities have greatly expanded their
cooperative efforts during his tenure at CSU.
Students at every college, for example, can utilize the library
facilities of all the institutions, and the presidents talk regularly about areas
of common concern and ways to serve the business community more effectively.
“I was recently talking with the CEO
of an economic development prospect,” Hunter recalls, “and one of his first
questions was about the leadership of the higher education community. He wanted to know how well we college
presidents worked together.”
After 15 years, Hunter is more
enthused than ever about Charleston Southern University and his job as
president. With a record enrollment of
over 2,000 traditional and 500 evening school students and three major
construction projects, there is much to keep him busy.
“When I first arrived at [the then
Baptist College], I spent most of my time managing internal operations,” says
Hunter. “I now spend most of my time promoting the school, recruiting the type
of students we want, and in resource development.”
This last area is the one Hunter sees
as his biggest challenge for the immediate future. With dormitories and
classrooms full and the campus now 35 years old, infrastructure needs are
growing rapidly. As a private
university, the burden of adding and replacing facilities falls solely on
private donations.
In spite of the challenges, Hunter has
no immediate plans to retire. In addition to his busy schedule at CSU he
travels the country conducting professional seminars on strategic planning and
leadership development. “Years ago, I wrote out my goals for the rest of my
life,” he says. “I am fortunate to have
accomplished all of them--with the exception of writing a book.”
Based on Jairy Hunter’s track record,
it may be wise to keep an eye on the bestseller list.
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