ISSUE: Clyburn letter to alumni

OUR VIEW: As rumors flew about board and Hugine, Clyburn acted; now what?

U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn has said he will continue supporting his alma mater South Carolina State University despite dismay at the board of trustees' action in firing President Andrew Hugine Jr. The depth of Clyburn's concern, however, is apparent and not new. As indicated by a letter he sent to SCSU alumni in the wake of reports the board chairman was interested in SCSU exiting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Clyburn was solidly in Hugine's corner amid rumors the president was being ousted.

It remains to be seen now how the congressman will approach matters of SCSU. The enthusiastic backing that brought the university the first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential debate cannot help but have been dulled in the midst of the negatives surrounding the Hugine ouster.

These quotes from the Clyburn letter to alumni reveal his sentiments:

* Potential exit from the MEAC: "S.C. State's membership in the MEAC Conference is a source of great pride and ownership, and severing that affiliation will destroy the character and undermine the heritage of our beloved institution. This is another example of micromanagement by Trustee Board members and interference with the administration that are clear and present dangers to the reputation and accreditation of our Alma Mater.

*"Another example": "I mean another of extensive occurrences, some of which I know of from first hand knowledge, and one of which cost the Archives and History Endowment Emily and I have established at the school $50,000."

* Upcoming reaccreditation: "If the current attempts by the Chairman and a few other Board members to terminate the popular and effective Presidency of Andrew Hugine, and the micromanagement and usurpation of administrative prerogatives continue, there is little question that the school's accreditation will be threatened."

Clyburn goes so far as to state the SCSU situation is comparable to what occurred at Auburn University when board members' actions resulted in probation and threatened accreditation. He provided a computer link for more info: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2005/MJ/Feat/gerb.htm?PF3D1.

* The university's recent past: "S.C. State has been on a roll in the last 18 months. The Transportation Center, the Environmental Institute, the Health Disparities Project, the Nuclear Engineering Program, the Presidential Debate, the new student housing, just to name a few of the efforts in which I have been intricately involved. Even the unfortunate headlines concerning the lack of housing last August were indicative of a positive situation at the school, a growing enrollment and a resurgence of an overwhelming interest in the University. And just in case you missed it, Dr. Hugine has been appointed to the United States Department of Education's Capital Financing Committee, the group that makes recommendations on the federal government's financing of dormitories and academic buildings."

* The board and Hugine: "Every Board member that I have asked to share with me the things they see as problems with Dr. Hugine's leadership have all answered with the same overused and undefined refrain, 'he can't take us to the next level.' But when I ask for their definition of the next level I get empty stares and silence."

* Support for Hugine: "Well, when Google reports that by 10:00 AM the morning after the Presidential Debate they got 1,300,000 hits on S.C. State, that's a level no HBCU and few, if any, other college or university ever achieved, and Andrew Hugine took us to that level. The success of that Debate led to the national Democratic Party's sanctioning of the one a few months later at the Citadel, and solidified my efforts to bring the Congressional Black Caucus Institute's 'Martin Luther King Jr. Day' Debate to South Carolina next month."

* The future: I know (the Hugine matter) could very well cost me credibility with the various funding sources I have developed on behalf of the University over the last few years. South Carolina State is in the best position it has been in for decades. It would be an unpardonable sin for us to lose our way on account of sophistry and personal agenda."

This is the writing of an unhappy alumnus (the letter was sent also in the name of his wife, Emily Clyburn, a '61 graduate) ready to make a stand against the SCSU board. Clyburn is a leader of great influence as 2008 dawns. While we expect he will remain "a loyal son" (he signed the letter that way), he likely will be looking for changes beyond Hugine's departure and the hiring of a new president. Based on public statements by other elected officials, alumni and university supporters, he's not alone.

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