The embattled board of trustees of South Carolina State University signaled earlier this week it was moving ahead with its disputed agenda for the institution, announcing a four-year contract for its choice of a new president despite demands the process be put on hold.
Wednesday’s announcement of approval of the $300,000 a year-plus contract for Thomas J. Elzey, executive vice president for finance, administration and operations at The Citadel, was the result of a 6-4 vote taken despite the state legislature’s latest signal of dissatisfaction with the SCSU board.
In voting earlier this month for candidates to fill six expiring terms on the SCSU board, the legislature removed all four of the incumbent trustees who had championed the April board decision to select Elzey over interim president Dr. Cynthia Warrick. She had the backing of many members of the faculty, student body and alumni.
Among those removed from the board was veteran public school administrator and SCSU alum Walter Tobin, chairman of the SCSU board of trustees. He will be succeeded by Katon Dawson, a political moderate who is a former chair of the South Carolina Republican Party.
“I stuck my neck out and got kicked off the board,” said Tobin, adding he had no regrets. “I believe in my heart, he (Elzey) will do what we need.””
Snaring The Citadel’s finance chief did not come cheap. Several newspapers in South Carolina, citing public records, found SCSU’s leadership drew on a variety of sources to put together a package that would make it competitive in attracting top talent.
