The College of Charleston Board of Trustees on Saturday named Glenn McConnell, a career politician currently serving as lieutenant governor, the 22nd president of the school, Inside Higher Ed reported.
"I am confident we can create a transformational future for the College of Charleston that will be our generation's greatest legacy not only to the students now assembled on this historic campus but also for generations yet to come," McConnell wrote in his letter to the presidential search committee, according to The Herald.
McConnell, a 1969 graduate of the College of Charleston in South Carolina, will arrive on campus with opposition from some faculty, students and community leaders opposed to his support of Confederate Civil War causes and his lack of academic experience.
In his legislative career, McConnell was a strong supporter of flying the Confederate flag on state ground. He has also offended many black people in the state when he posed as a Confederate general in war re-enactment photos, including one photo in particular showing him with people playing the part of enslaved black people.
The state's NAACP has asked the board to pick someone other than McConnell for the position.
"We believe that Glenn McConnell is the best person to lead the College of Charleston, and we expect to quickly conclude the contract negotiations and formally introduce Lt. Gov. McConnell to the campus and the community, Greg Padgett, chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, said in a statement.
McConnell has pledged to build legislative support for the college and its economic development role.
However, many at the institution fear that "at a time that some legislators want to turn the college into a research university, McConnell will not defend its current mission," Inside Higher Ed reported.
The college has a strong reputation as a liberal arts institution.
