S.C. State board OKs Cooper compensation
By LEE TANT, T&D Staff WriterFriday, July 18, 2008At his first board meeting, South Carolina State University President Dr. George E. Cooper found out Thursday just how much he will be paid.
The board voted to approve an annual salary of $200,000 for Cooper after emerging from a nearly two-hour executive session. In addition, he will receive a $25,000 annual housing allowance and $10,000 for moving expenses.
He will also receive use of an automobile and membership to social clubs and organizations, S.C. State Board Chairman Maurice Washington said.
Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dr. Jackie Epps then brought forth a proposal to have all scholarship donations go through the S.C. State University Foundation.
Currently, there are three separate foundations on campus: the University Foundation, the Advancement Foundation and the Real Estate Foundation.
“They are competing for dollars,” said Epps, who said the proposal was a typical agreement between a university and its foundation.
Cooper pointed out that the university doesn’t need competing entities during a fund-raising campaign. Washington suggested the proposal limited options for potential scholarship donors.
After some discussion, the board voted for Cooper to look at the issue and bring forth recommendations at a later date.
In other business, the board voted to name the NASA Education Resources Center in the I.P. Stanback Planetarium and Museum after Dr. Clemmie Webber upon approval from the board’s institutional advancement committee. Webber was instrumental in framing the concept for the I.P. Stanback Planetarium and Museum, Cooper said.
Webber was a former chair of the Orangeburg School District 5 board, National Mother of the Year in 1983, and she served as an adviser for pre-med students at S.C. State.
Board Institutional Advancement Committee Chair Martha Smith said a meeting would be held next week via teleconference to discuss the issue.
T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-793-3336.
