South Carolina State trustees during a special meeting Wednesday named 15 officials to the search committee that will help select the university's 10th president.

Board Chairman Maurice Washington will serve as chair of the presidential search committee. Originally, the committee was set to have 11 members but was expanded.

S.C. State National Alumni President Patricia Lott said she takes offense to the manner in which the members were named. She said it has been a custom for the board to contact the national alumni associated president with the selections made for a presidential search committee. She said that didn't happen this time.

Citing her status as an ex-officio member of the board with a good attendance record, Lott said she should have been contacted out of respect for her office.

"The chairman said he wants everything to be transparent. I feel I should have been notified," Lott said.

The committee was created to help find a replacement for Dr. Andrew Hugine, who trustees removed last month. While Hugine's contract was set to expire in June, trustees voted to place him on administrative leave until his last day, Jan. 4.

The board selected Dr. Leonard McIntyre to be the interim president.

Trustees Earl Bridges, Lumus Byrd and Reggie Gallant will join Washington on the search committee. Byrd will be the vice chair of the committee.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, former State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, and state Reps. Leon Howard, D-Richland, and Lonnie Hosey, D-Allendale, were tapped to be on the committee. Hosey, director of the university's Adult and Continuing Education program, is representing university staff.

Other members of the committee include: S.C. State Faculty Senate President Dr. Evelyn Fields, Student Government Association President Jeremy Rogers, retired Col. Ned Felder of the National Alumni Association, James C. Hampton of the Board of Visitors, Randy Snell of Zeus Industries and Carole Cato, who is the community representative.

State Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, said the members are all quality people. Govan is an S.C. State alumnus who has spoken against the board's decision to remove Hugine.

"I think certainly they are competent. I know they will give their best as part of their responsibilities," Govan said. However, he does have a problem with the way the board handled Lott's involvement.

Govan said he was surprised and disappointed Lott was not picked to be a part of the search committee. He believes the fact she was not consulted or contacted shows a lack of respect for protocol and may even be viewed by some as retaliation by the board against her.

On Dec. 6, Lott and other alumni questioned the board about rumors that it wanted to oust Hugine. That day, Lott posed 10 questions to the board about Hugine's future at S.C. State.

The committee will have the task of conducting interviews, arranging on-campus visits and generating a list of finalists for the board's consideration. The board has set July 2008 as a target date to have a new president in place.

Howard said the next president must demonstrate great leadership that can move the university forward and an ability to interact with the community.

Washington said, "I am excited about working and interacting with this awesome group of diverse, dynamic individuals. Their varied backgrounds and expertise will assist the board with ide.jpgying and ultimately appointing the next president."

The board also decided that future audits should focus on contracts relative to the board in response to state Sen. Robert Ford's allegations of improprieties.

Washington said future audits will examine accounts and contracts made by the board to clear up any doubts.

"We value the transparency of the governing body," he said.

However, Ford said that the move is too little, too late. He said his biggest complaint is that S.C. State is not being run like a business and that the public money it receives is not respected and monitored properly.

Ford alleges that contracts are given out to companies and people that have friendly relationships with trustees without a bidding process.

"There's no way USC and Clemson would do that kind of thing, You don't see those things at other institutions," he said.

Stating the board's declaration sounds halfway decent, Ford said an audit is not necessary because he can obtain what he wants to know by filing a Freedom of Information Act request. He said that on Jan. 9, he will file that request with the office of president and board of trustees.

Also on Wednesday, the university announced that Vice President of Student Services Dr. Kevin Rolle has been reassigned to teach in the Education Leadership program in the School of Graduate Studies.

"It's a new administration moving in a different direction," McIntyre said of the move.

Rolle came to S.C. State in 2004 from Maryland Eastern Shore University, where he was the associate vice president for institutional advancement, chief development officer and instructor in the organizational leadership degree program.

Rolle and Hugine were questioned heavily by trustees in August regarding the university's failure to have adequate housing ready for the largest incoming freshman class in its history.

The university also announced McIntyre appointed Dr. Learie Luke, former interim chairman for the Department of Social Sciences, and Dr. Christine Boone, former chairwoman for the social work department, to be interim associate vice presidents of academic affairs.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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