South Carolina State University, plagued for several years by turmoil in its administration and governance, was placed on “warning” status by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the major higher education accreditation agency for institutions across the South.
SACS, which concluded its mid-year meeting Thursday in Charleston, S.C., cited the state-controlled Historically Black College with failure to meet eight key standards required for accreditation and gave the university 12 months to comply. Questions were raised about the university’s financial resources, financial controls, financial stability, board of governors conflicts of interest, governance in general, control of sponsored research and external funds and management of various federal programs for which SCSU has received federal funds.
The accreditation action by SACS comes on the heels of a decision in April by a sharply divided South Carolina State Board of Trustees to hire a new president, effective in early July.
Thomas J. Elzey, executive vice president for finance at The Citadel, was hired despite demands from state lawmakers that the board of trustees postpone a decision on filling the presidency until a legislative election could be held in May. That election, according to all involved, was aimed at eliminating several trustees from the board, including the ones who supported Elzey, including board chairman Walter Tobin.
Tobin, who served on the board when SCSU was most recently placed on “warning” status, has repeatedly defended Elzey’s hiring despite widespread support for interim president Dr. Cynthia Warrick. Elzey, who has extensive experience in financial management for government and private agencies, is the fifth chief executive of South Carolina State in many years.
South Carolina State was one of nearly a dozen rulings the SACS made involving HBCUs.
