“The board of trustees disregarded the opinions and feelings of over 80% of the faculty, staff, and students when they decided to select Glenn McConnell as the next president of our college.”
FITSNews / Via fitsnews.com
On March 22, Lieutenant Governor Glenn McConnell was selected to be the next president of the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. The decision, made by the college's board of trustees, has been a controversial one.
Not only have community members expressed concern about McConnell's lack of experience when it comes to higher education, but students and faculty at the College of Charleston also take up an issue with his close ties to neo-Confederates. In addition to protests on campus and alumni threats to stop donations to the school, both the student government and the faculty senate unanimously voted that they have no confidence in the board.
Here's what 12 College of Charleston students think about Glenn McConnell's recent appointment:
Brandon Upson, class of 2013
"We are living in a never-ending episode of House of Cards. In this episode, the corrupt state legislature used the college's board of trustees as a tool to shove Glenn McConnell down our throats. I feel as though they had the process rigged from the beginning. They are playing a devious game of politics with the future of higher education, and I'm afraid that they will destroy my alma mater in the process. But, this is not an isolated problem. State legislatures across the country have too much power over public colleges and universities even though they are making enormous cuts in funding. The board of trustees is supposed to serve the best interest of the university, not the will of the legislature."
Ryan M. Milner
Stefan Koester, class of 2014
"If you visit our postcard-perfect campus, it would be difficult to know that troubles lurk below the surface, but the reality is that our college is being used as a barraging chip in a political deal gone bad. The state legislature has made it clear that they run the college now. First, they slashed our funding because the college assigned Fun Home, a book that explores gay and lesbian themes, then they began pushing an unwanted merger with another institution down our throats, [and] finally they pressured our board of trustees to elect a thoroughly unqualified and divisive man, Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell, to be our next president. The system of political cronyism and good ol' boy politics is alive an well in South Carolina."
Abby Tennenbaum
