<p>Two of the best past presidents at CofC have come from non-academia backgrounds. The advantage that McConnell brings to the table is the influence with the South Carolina legislature and the ability to raise private funds for the college - something he has done on a statewide scale for our universities and for other South Carolina projects, such as the Hunley. The article, linked above, is quite a hit piece on McConnell. If you have a child considering CofC, I urge you to actually research the man before taking this article at face value. </p>
<p>Living in Charleston, I have a bit of a front seat view of it all. The biggest issue, even if they won’t voice it, is that McConnell is a Republican. That’s the REAL issue. However, his history is one of bipartisanship and advocating for the poor in our state (he actually began his career as a legal service for the poor). He is well known through the area as a huge fan of history. I think that’s been somewhat overemphasized by some of these articles. The man isn’t a “Confederate sympathizer”. He’s a person that is interested in the history of our area, which is steeped in the Civil War. As a by the way, he’s also one of the strongest supporters of the Gullah community in our state as well. When he was in the state legislature, he was the committee chair of monuments in our state. He was the guy that helped get the only African American monument on state grounds - in any state - on the grounds of the state capital. He was instrumental in getting the Gullah and their trade craft - sweetwater baskets - to be a protected practice, including the ability to have the roadside stands they have had for years and years to be considered protected.</p>
<p>He is an alum of CofC and has a child there. Given that, I would think he would want to make CofC as strong as possible. So, I would urge everyone to do their research before jumping to any conclusions based on a biased article.</p>