The governing board of South Carolina State University, in Orangeburg, S.C., decided during a telephone meeting today not to renew the contract of the institution’s president, Andrew Hugine Jr., The Times and Democrat, a local newspaper, reported.
The board plans to name an interim president soon and to begin a national search for a new president. Its decision to replace Mr. Hugine, who had led the institution since 2003, was based on his most recent performance review as well as an academic review of the university, the newspaper reported. It did not elaborate on the substance of those reviews. Mr. Hugine will be placed on administrative leave until his contract expires, in June.
Rumors that the board might attempt to fire Mr. Hugine had been circulating for weeks. The Times and Democrat reported on Saturday that in response to those rumors, U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, and two state legislators had praised Mr. Hugine’s performance as president and accused the board of attempting to micromanage how he performed his duties. The board’s chairman denied that allegation. —Charles Huckabee
