Ouster still a mystery

A day after the president of South Carolina State University was fired, the reason remains a mystery.

After meeting for nearly five hours behind closed doors Tuesday, a majority of the Board of Trustees voted not to renew the contract of President George Cooper, but neither Cooper nor board Chairman Jonathan Pinson said they know why.

The seven members who voted not to renew the contract, a move that effectively fired Cooper, can't explain their decision because a board policy restricts communication with the media to the body's chairman.

The contract expires June 30.

Pinson, who was among four board members who voted against firing Cooper, did not return calls for comment and clarification at his home or business Wednesday.

He said after Tuesday's meeting, where the board conducted Cooper's performance evaluation in the closed-door session, that he didn't know why seven board members voted to remove Cooper from the school's top post.

But, he said, "some people have unrealistic expectations and look for a quick change." Cooper has held the position for two years.

Pinson also has said Cooper's official evaluation should be turned in to the state next week, and that it would be made public sometime after that.

Bill Rogers, executive director of the South Carolina Press Association, said that under the state's open records law, Cooper's evaluation should have been made available to the public as soon as the board completed it.

"The fact that it hasn't been turned over to the state is a bogus argument in my opinion," Rogers said.

The Post and Courier has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with S.C. State asking for a copy of the evaluation.

State Rep. Jerry Govan, an Orangeburg Democrat and S.C. State alumnus, said he was surprised by the board's move but wants to know why Cooper was fired before commenting on it. "I'm waiting like everyone else for the facts," he said. "I hope the board moves quickly to give adequate reasons."

Govan also said he's concerned about the message that firing a president who has been on the job only two years sends to the public. If the university appears unstable, that could affect funding and other support, he said.

"The larger problem is perception," he said. "We have to address that before people will stand up and stand behind the institution."

Cooper told a Columbia television station after Tuesday's vote that he didn't know what led to his firing. His attorney told the TV station that Cooper is considering legal action.

Cooper did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who also is an alumnus of S.C. State and has helped the university obtain millions of dollars in federal grants, would not comment on Cooper's termination, Clyburn spokeswoman Hope Derrick said.

In 2007, when the board voted not to renew the contract of former President Andrew Hugine, Clyburn expressed his opposition. The congressman sent a letter to board members before Hugine's termination asking them not to fire Hugine because that could jeopardize funding and the school's accreditation.

Hugine served as the university's president for four years, but the board didn't renew his contract, citing management problems. Cooper replaced Hugine.

After Hugine was let go, somebody anonymously sent newspaper stories, which included comments from Clyburn, to Belle Wheelen, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges, which is S.C. State's accrediting agency.

The agency subsequently issued a 12-month warning to the university based on five areas of concern, all of which centered on the Board of Trustees and whether it overstepped its authority. The warning was lifted in December 2009.

S.C. State's board has voted to have John Smalls, the university's senior vice president of finance and facilities, temporarily run daily university operations until an interim president is hired.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.