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New SCSU president familiar with university
By Scott Miller
Staff Writer
South Carolina State University looked beyond academia to find a new leader.
The hope is new President George Cooper, the school’s fifth in 20 years, will bring experiences beyond those of a school administrator and fruitful connections beyond the Palmetto State.
Lack of fundraising was one of the major criticisms trustees cited in their decision to fire former President Andrew Hugine. Another was Hugine’s perceived inability to boost academic performance at the institution.
To fix those problems, trustees hired Cooper, who’s been with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the past 17 years.
But Cooper isn’t unfamiliar with higher education or S.C. State. Currently, deputy administrator of science and education resources development at the Agriculture Department, Cooper oversees land-grant colleges like S.C. State that receive federal funds to conduct agricultural research.
His recommendations to Congress about research projects worthy of funding helped S.C. State secure “millions” in federal funding, said Maurice Washington, chairman of the university’s board of trustees.
“He brings the total package, higher education experience, government experience, working with lawmakers at the federal level. He understands the land-grant management at SCSU because it falls under his area of responsibilities (at the Agriculture Department),” Washington said.
Before joining the Agriculture Department, Cooper initiated fund drives while at Alabama A&M University in the 1980s, Washington said. He also was a professor of animal science at Alabama A&M University until 1991 and vice president for academic affairs from 1985 to 1988.
He worked at Tuskegee University in Alabama from 1972 to 1985, serving as a dean for his last eight years there.
A spokeswoman at SCSU said his contract is still being negotiated. Cooper has been unavailable for comment.
His distance from academia could serve him and the university well, said Evelyn Fields, president of the S.C. State faculty senate and chair of the department of education. His connections in Washington, D.C., and beyond could put S.C. State in the spotlight.
“It broadens your reach, your relationships,” she said. “In this day and age, collaboration and partnership is the key to success. In the world of academia, we like to believe that the world revolves around us, but we do know in the truest sense that it doesn’t. It’s not uncommon for leaders of institutions to come from various backgrounds.”
Cooper was selected among 42 applicants with a variety of backgrounds, some from the corporate sector, some from the nonprofit sector and some from academia.
In addition to Cooper, finalists for the job included Johnson O. Akinleye, associate vice chancellor for academic programs at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington, and Juanita P. Fain, vice president for planning at the University of Nevada.
S.C. State Alum and state Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, was originally surprised that none of the finalists had the experience of leading a four-year university but is happy with trustees’ decision to hire Cooper. Govan is one of the most vocal critics of the board’s decision to fire Hugine in December. He introduced legislation this year that effectively would have allowed alumni to reshape the board, but the measure failed.
“Everything I’ve heard about (Cooper) has been very positive,” he said. “From what I understand he had a distinguished record with U.S. Department of Agriculture and had some relationship in his capacity there with the university. That may have been a factor (in his hiring).”
Supporters also pointed to Cooper’s quiet confidence and leadership experience. He may need it, taking over in the middle of a state investigation of the university’s spending.
“I think he’s approachable. I think he’s confident. I think he has a quiet confidence,” said Walter Tobin, a newly elected member of the board of trustees. “I think he also possesses the ability to convince people of the importance of the university.”
Cooper starts July 1.
Scott Miller is a staff writer at the Business Journal. E-mail him at smiller@scbiznews.com.
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