South Carolina State University today named Board of Trustees Vice Chairman James Clark as president. He will replace interim president W. Franklin Evans.
In a statement, Board Chairman Charles Way, who had been rumored to be a candidate for the position, said that time revealed the former Benedict College trustee as the ideal choice to lead the institution.
“James Clark did not seek the job of president,” Way said. “But it became increasingly clear to our board that we had in our midst the ideal individual to lead S.C. State at this critical time. This was a decision made unanimously and with great enthusiasm.”
Critics of the appointment called into question the integrity of the university’s search process. From the Times & Democrat.
After Wednesday’s decision, Rep. Jerry Govan said “We have protocols in place in terms of a search process. Considering the history, why not follow that search process?
“What you have done is create a cloud of suspicion.”
An MIT graduate, Clark has held executive positions at General Electric, Gillette, Exxon, and AT&T.
