South Carolina State President George Cooper Resigns
Written by HBCU Digest, Posted in Headlines, Leadership, South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University President George Cooper today announced his resignation, effective Mar. 30. Dr. Cooper, who has been at the healm of one of the most tumultuous stretches in the university’s history, steps down after a recent slate of firings, board resignations, and scrutiny over university spending practices.
Cooper says his decision is voluntary, and that he wished to spend more time with his family and other interests. He said he will accept a $268,000 severance package from the school.
In an apparent effort to calm any fears, trustees spoke immediately after Cooper made his announcment, saying the school is “alive and well.” They offered an apology to students and the state, and thanked Cooper for his service. The group said it now will focus on finding a new president.
Thursday, the school’s board of trustees spent about six hours in a closed door executive session meeting. While the topic of the discussion wasn’t made public, it’s believed it was about a letter from the faculty senate calling for Cooper’s resignation. (WLTX)
I am a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina,the home of South Carolina State University.I am most concern by the ongoing problems that the university is having.As I stated before that the right answer might be to close the college until it can “learn” a lesson on educating our younger generations.I grew up in a family of thirteen children,and did not had the opportunity to attend [SCSU] or Claflin. Today the younger generations in my family,thirteen of them have graduated from[SCSU] I hope this college can get back to the purpose of educating. Thanks, for allowing me this space to share my view. Rosa Mavins Bogar