Jairy Hunter celebrates 25 years at Charleston Southern University

When he arrived, the school's survival was in question. It was called Baptist College at Charleston then and had about 1,500 students and several creditors clamoring to get paid.

Jairy C. Hunter Jr. signed on as president in 1984 and committed to three years, enough time to get the school out of the hole. He was only the second president after John A. Hamrick founded the school in 1964.

Twenty-five years later, Hunter is hooked, still focused on the school's mission to promote academic excellence in a Christian environment, still worried about how students will be able to afford their education, still hatching plans for facilities expansion and sports success.

Enrollment has doubled, degree programs have increased to more than 30, the athletic program boasts 17 NCAA Division I teams and 60 available scholarships, more and more courses are available online, alumni giving has increased five-fold, numerous guest speakers and performers have made appearances on campus and the school has become one of the largest private accredited universities in the state.

On the move

On a warm Aug. 21, Move-In Day, Hunter, wearing slacks and a school T-shirt with a "Go Blue!" pin, is all over campus, all smiles, all energy, joyfully admiring the incoming freshman class, chatting with parents and students, offering encouragement and gratitude, teasing and joking. His manner is so hospitable and informal that he surprises many when revealing he is the president.

"Today is the most exciting day," Hunter says while traversing the lawn toward one of the dormitories. Many young people are getting their first glimpse of college life.

The college is welcoming 900 new students this semester, a nearly 8 percent increase over last year, he says.

Before greeting Clark Carter, campus minister, Hunter picks up a piece of cardboard and throws it in the trash.

Student Aimee Connor, a 19-year-old sophomore, greets Hunter and explains that the "Go Blue!" battle cry is "the period at the end of every sentence because there's so much CSU spirit flowing out of our hearts!"

Hunter chats with a group of football players in uniform. Many players are on hand to help new students carry belongings into their rooms.

In the Women's South dorm, Hunter visits a family helping Jessica Payne move in.

"You're the grandmother?" Hunter asks Dot Drennon with incredulity, prompting a flattered reply.

"And who are you?" she asks after a few minutes of conversation.

"I'm the president."

Christie Payne, Jessica's mother, smiles. "One more confirmation that we're in the right place," she says.

Hunter, a fit 67, has presided at the helm of the university during a period that has seen tremendous growth and not a few challenges.

Those first few years were especially tough, he says. He had to let go dozens of faculty and staff and work out a way to pay off debt. Once stabilized, in 1989, the campus endured Hurricane Hugo. The name of the institution, Baptist College, left some prospective students with the (false) impression that they had to be Baptist to attend. That was a handicap, Hunter said.

So in 1990, Hunter upgraded the school to a university and changed the name, selecting "Charleston Southern" from a list of 166 possibilities collected by a blue-ribbon panel that had deliberated for a year. (He had hoped to call it Charleston University, but the College of Charleston already had reserved that moniker in case it should ever choose to abandon its "college" designation, Hunter says.)

"Then the university just took off," he says.

The name changed, but the mission and vision stayed the same: to foster learning in a faith-based setting and "to be a Christian university nationally recognized for integrating faith in learning, leading and serving." Hunter regularly expresses these goals like a mantra.

He says CSU attracts students from middle-class and working families who want a "values-based" college experience. Consequently, Hunter often is turning over and over in his mind the various financial aid packages available to students, eager to ensure that everyone who wants to attend CSU can do so.

The Southern Baptist Convention, with which CSU is affiliated, collects money from 2,000 member churches and distributes about 60 percent of the funds to three Baptist colleges, a children's home and a facility for the aging, Hunter says.

CSU gets $2 million a year from the convention and raises another $6 million, all of which goes toward its operating budget. Scholarships come in the form of discounted tuition, and nearly all students receive aid that is both merit- and need-based, he says. That aid includes state grants and scholarships, federal and private loans, work-study funds and merit awards.

Theoretically, a student with top grades and standardized test scores who has little disposable income can qualify for financial aid that covers all or most of the $19,238 tuition and $7,000 room-and-board fees, according to Jenna Parish, director of financial aid.

Dedication

The faculty and staff are used to the T-shirt and informal manner.

James P. Coleman, vice president of academic affairs, said he met Hunter for the first time when he came to the campus from Oklahoma Baptist University for a job interview.

"I learned very quickly that he is a guy who is just really down to earth," Coleman says. "The way he is is the way he is."

He also learned about Hunter's faith in people.

"Once he trusts somebody, then he's really willing to let him run," Coleman says.

Mostly, his trust in colleagues is well-placed, though the investigation into academic freedom and the Al Parish episode shook the university, and Hunter, to the core.

In 1999, CSU rejected history professor Robert Rhodes Crout's application for promotion, then dismissed him two weeks after he publicly criticized the university's compensation policy. His case was reviewed by Charleston Southern University’s Promotion and Tenure Committee, though “the institution effectively lacks a system of faculty tenure,” according to the American Association of University Professors. In 2001, the watchdog group put the CSU administration on its list of censured administrations.

In 2007, news broke of Al Parish's Ponzi scheme. The economist (no relation to financial aid's Jenna Parish), once held in high esteem at the school and beyond, had squandered university scholarship funds worth $10 million, a huge financial blow from which the school still is recovering.

But Hunter soldiered on, maintaining a long view. "He (Hunter) has been very good at getting people to buy into what we're doing here," Coleman says. "He's able to walk the line with constituents of the Southern Baptist Convention ... while at the same time doing things that are beneficial to the school."

A workaholic, Hunter often spends his days in face-to-face meetings or out and about among students, faculty or members of the larger community, Coleman says. In the evenings, the president often is at his desk managing paperwork. His open-door policy is meant for students as well as faculty and staff.

"Students often go straight to him, and he gets to work on their behalf."

This kind of regular interaction with students is an inevitable part of the job, Coleman suggests. Private universities constantly battle to stay capitalized, and the main source of revenue comes from students and their families.

Accomplishment

During Move-In Day, Hunter extols the Board of Visitors, a group of volunteers that raises about $500,000 a year for the school, and the Women's Council, another fundraising organization with which his wife, Sissy, serves. He chats with parents, showing off the extra-large framed photograph of the CSU Bucs' 2007 victory over The Citadel Bulldogs.

"We just happened to take a picture of that," he tells one father with a smile.

His children are accomplished medical professionals. Jairy Hunter III is a hospitalist at Trident Medical Center. His daughter-in-law, Christine Hunter, is a gynecologist. Daughter Jill McElheny is a nurse practitioner.

Hunter's professional background consists of four degrees, including an MBA and Ph.D. in higher education and finance; teaching and administrative posts at Appalachian State University (which he also attended as a student); two years as executive vice president of Broward Community College (which had four campuses in Southern Florida and 65,000 students); and the vice chancellorship for business at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where he eventually was promoted to vice president for development.

Every semester, no matter where he was, no matter what administrative position he held, he taught a classroom of students. "I love to teach," Hunter says.

At CSU, he teaches the capstone course in the MBA program, which applies the lessons of all previous courses and requires students to develop a start-up business plan.

A few weeks ago, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey declared July 15, 2009, "Dr. Jairy and Sissy Hunter Day" in the city, honoring Hunter's 25 years at CSU. Sissy Hunter has long worked in conjunction with her husband to enhance the visibility of the university and raise money for scholarships.

The Rev. Dr. Joe Wren, pastor of Summerville Baptist Church, which the Hunters attend, says he has a lot in common with his friend. Wren's from Gaffney. Hunter's from Lancaster. They both like steak and chicken (perhaps more than blue crabs and shrimp). They both maintain a wide view of the world. They both persevere, keeping goals in clear sight. They both are men of faith who believe that God makes his assignments in much the same way as a knowing teacher guides, often discreetly, the hard-working student.

In church, Hunter gives good counsel, Wren says. He doesn't miss a worship service or Sunday school class unless he's traveling. He knows what it means to work hard and never give up. As a young man, Hunter worked in his father's wrecking business. As an older man, he sees the big picture and avoids jumping to conclusions, Wren says. He doesn't give up, not even on his golf game.

Academics first

"Who's the student?"

"She's the student!" Tammy Vickers replies, pointing to her daughter and acknowledging Hunter's disguised compliment with feigned dismay.

"How did you learn about CSU?" he asks Vickers' daughter, Summer Warren. The family is from Anderson.

"I wanted to get out of town, and my mom loves Charleston," she says.

Hunter is having fun. He is in his element. Move-In Day is the second best day of the school year after commencement day, he says.

"My man, J.H.!" yells a football player in the stairwell of Russell East.

"Ready for the game?"

"Always ready!"

Outside, sandwiches and iced tea are available. The Army ROTC and National Guard have a recruitment table set up. Mike Giunta, who owns 11 Wendy's restaurants, is handing out special key chains that get students a free Frosty if they show it at the store.

George and Kim Taylor of Lexington are dropping off their 18-year-old son, Addison, a wide receiver walk-on. Addison, the son of a construction worker and fifth-grade schoolteacher, comes to CSU with excellent grades and the perfect lean physique for running long outside plays.

Hunter is thrilled to have him as a student here.

"Remember what I said," he tells the young man. "Academics first, play football if you can and maybe get a girlfriend."

Then he chats with the parents, reminding them to ask their son about his grades since report cards go directly to students.

"I'll pull him in and take care of him," Hunter tells them reassuringly, and then moves on to the next family.

"I love my job," Hunter says, walking.

Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902 or aparker@postandcourier.com.