Former president of S.C. State University dies

The former president of South Carolina State University has died.

George E. Cooper, who served as the school’s tenth president from 2008 until 2012, passed away Sunday, according to officials with the university.

“Today, we honor and remember Dr. Cooper for his unyielding service to our illustrious institution,” S.C. State’s interim president, Dr. W. Franklin Evans, said in a statement released Sunday. “...Under his leadership, he was instrumental in advancing progressive initiatives that served as the framework to strengthen the university and reaffirm its mission as a public land-grant university committed to enhancing the quality of lives for all citizens. He also envisioned the university as a formidable model amongst the best institutions of higher learning in the world.”

Cooper was a Senior Fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, where he reviewed key federal legislative initiatives of significance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), according to the U.S. Department of Education’s website.

Prior to his HBCU service, Cooper spent 17 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. He has also served in administrative and faculty roles at Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University. In addition, Cooper served on a number of boards, including the Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the HBCU and Limited Resource Institution Academic Advisory Group, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the USDA/1980 Task Force.

He received a B.S. degree in Animal Husbandry from Florida A&M University, an M.S. degree in Animal Science from Tuskegee University, and a Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois – Urbana.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni of SC State University, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mrs. Diane Shaw Cooper, and their daughters during this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Evans said.

From staff reports

This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 8:23 PM.