The writing may be on the wall for S.C. State University President Thomas J. Elzey to soon be known as “ex-president.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s sole Democratic congressman and most well-known graduate of the Orangeburg institution, sent a letter Wednesday with his wife Emily that essentially suggested it was time for Elzey to move on.
That’s a big deal because Clyburn, a cautious politician, had to have tested the waters a bit to see how the letter would be perceived. With the Clyburns’ thumbs down, Elzey’s days would seem to be numbered.
In a missive entitled, “Our fellow ‘Loyal Sons and Daughters,’ Her Friends and Supporters,” the Clyburns argued that closing S.C. State “would not remove the stain or lessen the shame of closing South Carolina’s only state supported HBCU” (historically black college or university). They called for “immediate and dramatic action,” including a new five- to seven-member governing board; a “highly qualified Chief Executive Officer,” which obviously wasn’t Elzey; and a law on qualifications for trustees on the board.
- Read the letter.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!