Cheyney U. sees jump in first-year enrollment

Cheyney University (PA) has enrolled one of it's largest first-year classes in recent University history. 6.6 The school saw its first year enrollment increase by 46.6 percent this year over last year. Overall, the University’s total enrollment has increased by 6.6 percent over last year’s enrollment.

The University’s president, Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital expressed extreme pleasure with the University’s reported enrollment numbers, and further states, “This demonstrates that families recognize the value we offer for an undergraduate education that will prepare young adults to be competitive and responsible citizens in a global economy.”

The University attributes the increase in first-year students to enhanced marketing and recruitment efforts. Cheyney expects to grow to approximately 2,000 students by 2012.

As a part of its' new outreach effort Cheyney hopes to begin offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nearby Philadelphia at 7th and Market Streets inside Philadelphia’s Mellon Center; as well as offer more online course offerings in order to remain competitive and convenient for students of the 21st century. Cheyney University is also working to develop partnerships with a variety of organizations and agencies to respond to the need to increase the college-going rate of citizens in the Philadelphia region and to provide skills training through various workforce training programs.

Texas Southern looking out of state for students

Frustrated by the university's reputation in Houston, Texas Southern University president John Rudley is aggressively courting students from out of state. "A lot of local kids, had such a negative opinion of Texas Southern," said Rudley. "I couldn't get them to come here."

California and Louisiana have proven especially fertile recruiting territory. But Rudley has also pursued students from his hometown of Benton Harbor, Mich., arguing that Texas' largest historically black university had something to offer students from a small town in an economically depressed state. Now there are nearly three dozen TSU students from Benton Harbor, population 11,000.

Other historically black schools also are recruiting from outside their geographic regions in an attempt to grow enrollment, said Marybeth Gasman, an associate professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the schools.

Many of the schools, including Texas Southern, have relatively low admission standards as part of a commitment to make higher education more accessible. But Rudley also has launched scholarships and special programs for honors students in order to attract better students.

Gilbert Rochon named 6th president of Tuskegee

Dr. Gilbert L. Rochon has been named the sixth President of Tuskegee University. He will take office on Nov. 1. Rochon comes to Tuskegee from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

Rochon currently serves as a senior research scientist at the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing and director of the Terrestrial Observatory at Purdue. The Observatory is a real-time satellite ground station for interdisciplinary multi-sensor remote sensing. Additionally, he served as Associate Vice President for Collaborative Research and Engagement at Purdue.

Rochon earned his bachelor's degree in English from Xavier University (New Orleans); a Master of Public Health degree from the Yale University School of Medicine; and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Rochon has held several positions in education, health, and community and national agencies. His resume includes: director of the Dorchester Mental Health Center, Boston State Hospital, Boston, Mass.; associate professor and director/chair of the Conrad N. Hilton Endowed Professorship, Urban Studies and Public Policy Institute at Dillard University in New Orleans, where he established joint BA/MS degree programs in collaboration with counterparts at Columbia University (Urban Planning), New School for Social Research (Public Policy) and State University of New York, Stonybrook (Coastal Oceanography); and researcher and investigator in divisions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Rochon has an extensive background of international research. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Mah Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Rochon, a native of New Orleans, has been the recipient of many research fellowships, including the Fulbright Senior Specialist Research Fellow, International Nutrition Fellow, the Dwight David Eisenhower Faculty Fellow, and the Dorothy Danford Compton Fellow.

Rochon has published and/or collaborated on more than 135 articles in peer-refereed professional journals. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Terrestrial Observation. He also serves on many review panels and advisory boards in the areas of his scientific specialization.

Ronald Walters dies at 72

Ronald W. Walters, a longtime professor of political science at Howard University and the University of Maryland, and one of the most respected public intellectuals on matters of race, civil rights and public policy, died Friday at age 72. He had been suffering from cancer.

Dr. Walters won worldwide acclaim as the author of many books, including works on black presidential politics, pan-Africanism and the resurgence of white conservatism.

After 25 years at Howard, Dr. Walters became director of the African American Leadership Institute at Maryland and frequently appeared wrote for the popular press and appeared on television programs discussing major issues of the day. In 1984, he was a key adviser to the presidential campaign of Jesse Jackson, and he had been a major intellectual force behind the Congressional Black Caucus since the 1970s.

SWAC/MEAC Challenge renewed thru 2013

Walt Disney World Resort has announced that it will continue as sponsor of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney through 2013. The Resort and ESPN made the joint announcement the day after the 2010 event drew the second lowest attendance in the events seven year history.

“As a company that values diversity and supports education, we are proud to renew our commitment to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney,” said Eugene Campbell, vice president of minority business development for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “The MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney is more than a game – it’s a weekend long celebration for our community filled with events that encourage young people to achieve their dreams.”

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney, an ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned-and-operated event, features football teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Walt Disney Resorts and ESPN are all owned by the Walt Disney Companies.

Virginia State University Business School Buys E-Textbooks for Students

Why do students have to pay for college textbooks? Couldn't the reading material be considered part of the college infrastructure paid for by officials as part of tuition, like classroom buildings and course-management systems?

Virginia State University is experimenting with that idea this fall, with a new effort to give free e-textbooks to students in its business school for eight core courses. The university recently negotiated a deal with upstart publisher Flat World Knowledge that treats buying e-books like buying campuswide software—with the institution paying a small per-student fee. The university plans to formally announce the deal Tuesday.

Student complaints about the high cost of traditional textbooks drove the university to try the giveaway. "For our accounting books senior year, there's nothing under $250," said Mirta Martin, dean of the Virginia State University business school. "What the students were saying is we don't have the money to purchase these books."

Last year Ms. Martin became so frustrated from hearing stories about students who were performing poorly because they could not afford textbooks that she made a pledge that no needy student would go without a book. She asked community officials and others to donate to a fund to pay for books of students who came forward asking for financial help, and last year that project paid for $4,000 worth of books for students. But Ms. Martin felt that philanthropic model was not sustainable, so she began reaching out to publishers to see if the institution could get some sort of bulk rate that would allow the institution to pay for textbooks for all students.

The university found Flat World Knowledge, which offers free e-textbooks to students and makes money by selling study guides and printed versions.

In its standard model, Flat World offers free access to its textbooks only while students are online. If students want to download a copy to their own computers, they must pay $24.95 for a PDF (a print edition costs about $30). But the publisher offered the business school a bulk rate of $20 per student per course, and it will allow students at the school to download not only the digital copies but also the study guide, audio version, or iPad edition (a bundle that would typically cost about $100).

"It's a really significant shift in the business model of the publishing industry," argues Eric Frank, president and co-founder of Flat World Knowledge, who compared the new approach with the way colleges buy software licenses.

Professors at the university spent the last few months frantically reviewing Flat World's available textbooks to see which ones to adopt, as part of a curriculum review that was already under way.

If the experiment goes well, the business school will hope to add more courses next semester. Ms. Martin says her hope is to give away e-books for students in about 30 courses by about 18 months from now.

Elizabeth City State launches mobile giving campaign

Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) has partnered with The Elizabeth City State University Foundation to launch a new program designed to capture donations via text message. To power its mobile platform, ECSU through The ECSU Foundation has partnered with Denver based Mobile Accord, Inc., the premier provider of mobile technology to the non-profit sector. The mobile giving channel is supported by AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile and US Cellular representing the vast majority of US mobile users.

ECSU is one of several universities in the United States to embrace the mobile giving channel allowing donors to connect with the organization and contribute funds through text messaging. Cell phone users will have the opportunity to instantly react to fundraising appeals and confirm their donation by simply sending a text message. The donation is charged to the donor's regular monthly cell phone bill and is separated from other transactions and identified as a non-taxable donation.

"Virtually anyone using a privately owned mobile phone can make a $10 donation to the university by sending the text message ECSU to 50555. This new technology will allow ECSU to connect with constituents, acquire new donors, and dramatically extend our overall reach through this vital new channel," said William Smith, vice chancellor for the Division of Institutional Advancement.

Elizabeth City State University and The ECSU Foundation representatives will launch the mobile giving program on August 28, 2010 during the halftime of the home, football game against Johnson C. Smith University. University and The ECSU Foundation representatives will repeat this mobile giving request at future games and fundraising events.

NCCU students want new Union bldg.

Students at N.C. Central University want a new student union.

"What we have now is too small. It's just not big enough for us anymore, not in the year 2010," said Dwayne Johnson, the NCCU Student Government Association president. "We really need a new union."

The current Alfonso Elder Student Union was built in 1968 and last renovated in 1992, it has one main floor, a lower level and a total of 39,575 square feet.

That's not nearly enough, Johnson says.

"We have about 130 student organizations now, and there are about seven to nine rooms available in the union," he explained. "There's not enough places for everybody to meet. And there's nowhere to hold events or to just hang out with friends. The place is just too small."

On the lower level, there's a bookstore, a post office, a game room, a small snack bar, a billiards room and even a small meditation room. An annex with bowling lanes, built more than 40 years ago, adds another 5,800 square feet.

NCCU already has more than $100 million in construction projects under way on campus, including construction of a massive parking deck, a new residence hall and a new nursing school building.

Johnson said he understood that the push for a new student union is unlikely to bear fruit in the immediate future.

"But I think we can begin to make progress," he said. "We need to get people talking about this. We need to set the groundwork. Whether this takes five years or 10 years, we need to get this started."

Housing crunch leaves student homeless at Southern

More than a few Southern University students say arrived on campus last Thursday to find they didn't have a dorm assignment.

Ashton Bush has a lot on his mind as he heads back to class. He didn't think finding a place to sleep would be one of them.

"I've been paying $8,500 every semester," said Bush. "This is gonna be the eighth time staying in an apartment, a lot of time it's a struggle."

Bush, who is originally from Houston, arrived at Southern with a car full of belongings, but no place to put them. He says that he filled out the housing applications and paid the fee on time.

Larry Harvey found himself in a similar situation. He says he doesn't have family in Baton Rouge to help him out and really needs a dorm room.

"So, the only I thing I could do was pay my fees, go to housing and figure out if something could be done, if I could get into something," said Harvey.

What he found was a 15-page waiting list.

"There's nothing we can really do," said Harvey. "Just get your name on the waiting list and we'll call you and let you know what's going on."

The seniors took their concerns to Southern's Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Mwalimu Shujaa. Shujaa says as of today, there were 117 open slots for housing, but it was just a matter of sifting through the wait-list.

"Now in addition to that we are making contact with a housing complex very near the campus," he said. "We worked with them before to accommodate students we were not able to house on campus," said Shujaa.

Bush says he and Harvey were told the school is trying to get them a place to stay.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Bush says he had not yet heard anything from the provost. If he doesn't get a room tonight, he's relying on friends to help him out.

NCCU to welcome 1,400 freshmen this fall

N.C. Central University is expecting to welcome 1, 400 freshman this fall -- among the largest freshmen classes the school has ever had. The new class begins moving in this week, and the university apparently has enough on-campus housing space to accommodate them all.

"We have reserved enough spaces," said Kevin Rome, NCCU's vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management.

"Right now, we're at capacity, but we should be fine. The only problem would be if we have a large number of students in the next day or two who haven't already confirmed that they are coming. We don't expect that, but there's no way to predict that now."

The 1,400 first-year students would tie the record set last year as the largest entering class. Those figures are about 30 percent higher than any previous classes.

NCCU, traditionally shy of on-campus housing, had to struggle with the size of the class last year. The university ran out of on-campus options and had to house around 300 students for the first semester at the Millennium Hotel.

There are no plans to do anything similar this year, even if more students do show up this week, Rome said.

"We are no longer in the business of providing off-campus housing," he said.

"We've decided not to house any students off-campus. We will make every attempt to keep them here based on what vacancies we have. If we can't accommodate them here, if we have 20 or 30 students we didn't anticipate, we will work with the students to identify off-campus housing possibilities."

The university was able to meet its enrollment goal and keep the Class of 2014 at the record-setting number of 1,400 students despite tuition increases totaling $548 a year for undergraduates who are North Carolina residents.

"I don't think the increases have had a major impact on enrollment here," Rome said. "It is, of course, a significant increase for some students, but when you factor in financial aid, the impact is not as great as it is at, say, UNC Chapel Hill."

At the end of its session this summer, the state Legislature agreed that the additional funds brought in by tuition increases at UNC system campuses could remain with the schools and be used for financial aid.

At NCCU, around 90 percent of students receive some kind of financial aid and more than 50 percent are eligible for the need-based federal Pell Grant financial aid program.

Tuskegee upgrades architecture department to stand alone school

On the eve of his departure as president, Tuskegee's Dr. Benjamin F. Payton announced that the Board of Trustees approved his recommendation to elevate the Department of Architecture at Tuskegee University to School status.

The new school was given the name the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture, in honor of the first black to graduate in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Taylor set up the architecture program at Tuskegee in 1892, at the invitation of founder, Booker T. Washington.

"This move reinforces the University's efforts to increase visibility and strength in that area (architecture)," Payton said. "The action should also serve as a strong statement of the University's commitment to the program over the long haul."

Current architecture department head, Dr. Richard Dozier, has been named the first dean of the new school.

Architecture was a department within the College of Engineering, Architecture and Physical Sciences. The dean of the College, Dr. Legand Burge, stated that he is "fully supportive of the action of the trustees and the president. It is the right direction in which we should be going."

Tuskegee University began offering certificates in architecture under the Division of Mechanical Industries in 1893. The four-year curriculum in architecture leading to the Bachelor of Science degree was initiated in 1957 and the professional six-year program in 1965. The program is fully accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Enrollment up Albany State works through growing pains

The largest incoming freshman class in Albany State University history is causing on-campus housing problems, forcing school officials to boost dorm room occupancy from two to three students. The housing crunch is temporary and will be alleviated next fall with the construction of two new residence halls.

Incoming freshmen at ASU are required to live on-campus unless they live within 50-miles of the university.

“Over the last five years we have experienced enormous growth at Albany State University,” ASU President Everette Freeman said. “The Board of Regents has asked that we open wide our doors. Perhaps 1,000 freshman will be on campus this fall, and our growing pains are causing housing problems.”

ASU will break ground on two new dorms on Aug. 20. Construction is scheduled to be complete by Aug. 18, 2011. In addition, the school is also building a new student center. Total cost for the three buildings-- $48 million. Students will pay for part of the costs with a $100 fee to fund the new construction. The remainder will be paid for with grant money.

“Tripling up the freshmen is not an easy decision, but we really don’t have any other choice,” VP for Fiscal Affairs Larry Wakefield said. “A year from now we will have the new residence halls. We hope this is a temporary problem.”

“Many of the incoming freshmen had their own single rooms at home. They will now have the opportunity to meet more of their classmates. We think they will gel, for community and learn to live together, ” said Freeman

“Some may ask ‘what’s in it for Albany?’” Freeman said. “Not only will three new buildings add to the local economy, but studies have shown that our students contribute roughly $52 million a year to the local economy.”

NC A&T faculty member charged with inappropriately touching teen

A N.C. A&T faculty member was arrested Saturday in Raleigh on a charge he inappropriately touched a 15-year-old girl while attending the Omega Psi Phi fraternity convention.

Javelin Hall, 36, of Greensboro, was arrested about 1:45 p.m. in the 300 block of Fayetteville Street, said Jim Sughrue, a spokesman for Raleigh police.

Sughrue said officers were working a street festival in the area that was part of a convention for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which Hall was attending.

Someone who witnessed the alleged incident approached police and identified Hall as a suspect, and he was taken in to custody, Sughrue said.

Hall was charged with felony indecent liberties with a minor and placed in the Wake County jail on a $25,000 bond.

According to N.C. A&T, Hall had been employed at the university as an adjunct faculty member teaching writing from August 2009 through May. His contract was set to be renewed at the university on Aug. 11.

Architecture school at Southern could fall to budget ax

Kofi Lomotey, the Chancellor of Southern University Baton Rouge said, he faces the prospect of having to close the school of architecture next fall because of further state budget cuts. Campus spokesman Ed Pratt said the university is still exploring methods to keep it open, including reaching out to alumni for financial help.

Lomotey said he would have to give a year's notice to faculty before ordering the closure of the architecture school so they and students can shop around for other universities. The school of architecture averages about nine graduates a year. Sixteen of the campus' 88 programs have been recommended for termination or merger.

In the past two years, the campus has seen its budget reduced by 22 percent -- roughly $19 million, including the $4.8 million reduction the school took this year. The cuts resulted in layoffs last year and possibly lead to another 50 staff and administrative job cuts this year, the chancellor said.

Southern University Baton Rouge faces a loss of $7 million in federal stimulus money next year and probably more reductions in state money.

Southern U gets its own "app"

Students at Southern University can access news, sports scores or even financial aid information on their iPhone using the new “Jag App” the university recently launched. The app is available for download for free.

Southern has made the next step in social networking by putting the app in its mix along side Facebook and Twitter.

Southern Student Government Association President Demetrius Sumner said many students get most of their news through their phones.

“It’s a great attempt by Southern to meet students where they are,” Sumner said of the brand-new Southern University System iPhone app.

Schools in the Southern System, including those in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport, are the first public colleges in the state to unveil an iPhone app.

Tulane University released a similar app in March and LSU plans to go online with its own by early September.

New Southern President Ronald Mason Jr. said the Jag App will be a great way to communicate with Southern constituents — parents, students, alumni, faculty and staff.

“We’re out front,” Mason said, joking that he is “a little too old” to be an expert on iPhone apps.

Southern has started out with just the iPhone app, but could still move beyond to programs for BlackBerry and Android smartphones as well.

Heath Price, LSU assistant vice chancellor of finance and administrative services, said LSU’s plan is to release iPhone and BlackBerry apps nearly simultaneously for the start of the fall semester.

“That’s the model now — it’s all going toward the apps,” Price said. “It’s amazing how many kids on this campus use iPhones or iPod touches.”

The $40,000 LSU app programs completed by the Blackboard software company will feature LSU news, videos, directories, maps and even GPS tracking for campus bus services.

The only thing missing will be LSU sports news. Price said LSU athletics has a contract with Verizon, which is a competitor of the AT&T-based iPhone.

“We’ve run into some of those little quirks,” he said.

Southern and Tulane have similar iPhone apps created by Tulsa, Okla.-based Straxis, which has done apps for more than a dozen colleges.

Rachel Hoormann, Tulane’s director of web communications, said the Tulane app is already very popular, noting that the only complaints are from BlackBerry users upset that it is only available for iPhones.

“We wanted to give people easy access to frequently read info … in your pockets,” Hoormann said.

Southern’s Jag App came a lot cheaper, costing less than $5,000 that was paid with private funds, according to the university.

Former Southern interim President Kassie Freeman said Straxis offered quality service at an affordable cost with a quick turnaround time.

“It’s big for us to release it in the summer,” said Freeman, currently the Southern System’s vice president for academic affairs.

She said the unveiling of the new app coincides with new student orientation and last week’s national alumni conference.

Hampton cancer center lauded as a "jewel"

The new Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute doesn't open until next month, but already area leaders are lauding it as a jewel.

On a recent tour U.S. Sen. Mark Warner marveled at the treatment that will be offered at the 98,000 square foot, $225 million center.

The center piece of the building is a three-story 90-ton machine which will be used to precisely target and kill cancer cells.

Cynthia Keppel, the institute's scientific and technical director, showed them the main control room, where technicians will work to monitor the dose of the proton beam to cancer patients.

There are five treatment rooms and the capacity to treat 170 patients per day, Keppel said. Unlike traditional radiation therapy, proton therapy directly target tumors, doesn't affect surrounding healthy tissue, and minimizes side effects, she added.

Typical treatments are given once a day for 39 days and take about 20 minutes each, she added. Actual radiation time is a minute.

HU has been awarded $9.4 million in federal funds for the center since 2008 for equipment, research and high-level staff, said Bill Thomas, associate vice president of governmental affairs.

In April, Gov. Bob McDonnell restored $510,000 in state aid for HU that was originally cut by state legislators. Restoring that amount for a full $1 million over two years honors the commonwealth's commitment to support the institute and the resulting economic benefit it brings to Hampton Roads, he said.

Warner applauded HU President William R. Harvey for his "audacity" to have the grand vision of creating the center. Seeing it go from idea to construction to patient treatment within six years is amazing, Warner said, adding that the institute adds one more jewel to the crown of HU.

The center is the first of its kind in Virginia and one of eight in the United States.

Hampton launches online campus

Hampton University just launched a virtual campus that offers a myriad of associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

The web-based courses can be taken through HamptonU Online beginning Aug. 2, and are targeted to working adults who need the flexibility of online courses.

Offerings include three doctoral degrees, two master's degrees, eight bachelor's degrees, two associate degrees and two certificate programs. Undergraduate courses are $425 per credit hour and graduate courses are $600 per credit hour.

"We are trying to take the expertise and strong programs found on campus and make them available to people which Hampton University hasn't touched yet," said Cassandra Herring, dean of the College of Education and Continuing Studies.

HU's online doctoral degree program has also expanded from its existing doctorate in nursing. It now offers doctorates in business leadership and in educational leadership and management.

Student support services such as admissions, financial aid, registration and IT help desk will be offered 24/7. The online campus is led by Cristi Ford, director of distance education.

Ford said bachelor's degrees can be achieved in as little as three years if a student completes his or her required course work every term.

Five academic sessions will be held throughout the year, two in the fall, two in the spring and one in the summer.

Board hurting SC State

from the State Newspaper
They have hired and fired presidents with head-rolling dispatch. They have publicly feuded. And they have passed the chairman’s gavel like rolls at a Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Along the way, South Carolina State University’s board of trustees has damaged the university in the eyes of key supporters in the General Assembly and some disappointed and embarrassed alumni. The trustees also have raised a new set of questions about the school’s leadership just months before the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools launches its re-accreditation examination.

“I have consistently fought for resources for S.C. State,” said state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg. “They make it tougher and tougher to convince people that we are worthy of assistance.”

While Cobb-Hunter and others have been vocal about their frustrations with the university, there was an eery silence from the school’s most prominent graduate, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., as the board decided against renewing the contract of President George Cooper and then, two weeks later, reversed that decision.

Clyburn has offered no public comments about the goings-on at S.C. State despite several requests for comment.

As the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Clyburn is well-positioned to direct federal money to S.C. State. And he has. But Clyburn was furious with the board’s decision in 2007 not to renew the contract of Cooper’s predecessor, Andrew Hugine. The congressman has been equally frustrated with how the university has proceeded with plans for a new transportation center that bears his name and not accounted for millions of dollars it has received.

Board members, prompted by questions raised by The (Charleston) Post and Courier, voted last week to review spending on the transportation center. State Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, said Friday that he had the required five signatures from lawmakers to launch an audit by the state’s Legislative Audit Council, the investigative arm of the General Assembly.

Meanwhile, legislators, who already have imposed large budget cuts on S.C. public colleges and universities, said next year could bring even bigger cuts. That would make S.C. State’s financial situation – it was one of the few schools in the state to order faculty and staff furloughs to deal with budget cuts and an unexpected drop in student enrollment last fall – even more strained.

Into this vortex again steps Cooper, the fired and rehired president.

Thursday’s vote may have extended Cooper’s stay at S.C. State, but board members – even those who initially voted to renew his contract – have been far from effusive in their praise of the president they hired two years ago.

SC State rehires president it just fired

The South Carolina State University Board of Trustees has agreed to reinstate Dr. George Cooper as its president, officially revoking the appointment of Interim President Judge Merl Code.

The board voted not to renew Cooper's contract on June 15, and on Monday appointed Merl Code as interim president.

School officials say the addition of two new board members, attorney Robert L. Waldrep Jr. and alumna Patricia Lott, changed to the vote to reinstate Cooper, 8-5. Previously, the board had voted 7-4 not to renew Cooper's contract which expired yesterday.

Cooper had an earned a D+ on his performance evaluation
Cooper had earned an average score of 2.56 on a scale of 1 to 5 on his more recent performance evaluation. The evaluation required trustees to rate Cooper on 15 aspects of his performance including whether he: maintains a professional image in state government; is prepared and informed when making budget and program requests to the state legislature; and has a positive influence on employee morale and performance.

Judge declines to serve as SC State interim prez

Merle Code, the South Carolina Municipal Judge that SC State officials recently appointed to serve as the schools interim president has decline to take the position.

With several new board members in place, the SC State is seeking to reinstate George Cooper who was fired last month.