SC’s McMaster praises ex-USC President Caslen, who resigned amid plagiarism scandal
Gov. Henry McMaster praised Bob Caslen who resigned Wednesday night as president of the University of South Carolina, just days after he failed to attribute a quote to another author in his commencement speech and accidentally referred to the graduating class as the latest alumni from the “University of California.”
“I think that Gen. Caslen, President Caslen did a splendid job in the two years that he was here,” McMaster told reporters during a press conference Thursday outside the State House. “He expanded the influence of the university in a number of areas.”
It was the governor’s first public comments since Caslen’s resignation, which the university announced late Wednesday, adding former USC President Harris Pastides would fill in as interim. But Thursday, the university clarified that Pastides is not officially the school’s interim president yet and will require a vote by the board to commence in that role.
McMaster said Wednesday that he spoke to Caslen before and after his decision to step down.
“I told him that I was sorry to hear that that’s what he wanted to do because I have enormous respect for him,” McMaster said. “I think he’s done great work for the people of our state through the university. I am very appreciative to what he did in two short years, and I think as the university continues to grow, particularly in some of these new areas, we’ll realize more and more how important the efforts that he launched are and will be to our state.”
In an email through a spokesman, Caslen apologized for letting down the university and said he submitted his resignation to the university’s board of trustees, which accepted it.
Over the weekend, a video of Caslen went viral after he mistakenly congratulated the 2021 graduates of the “University of California” before correcting himself. It was later reported that a portion of Caslen’s commencement speech was pulled from another commencement speech by retired Navy Admiral William McRaven.
Caslen, a retired U.S. Army officer, did not attribute the quote to McRaven.
“I am sorry to those I have let down. I understand the responsibilities and higher standards of senior level leadership. When those are not met, trust is lost. And when trust is lost, one is unable to lead,” Caslen wrote.
The university says the search to find Caslen’s successor will start “immediately.”
But the search could prove harder for the state’s flagship school.
For starters, a handful of what could have been internal candidates — including the outgoing Provost William Tate, who will soon become Louisiana State University’s first Black president — have left or are leaving the university.
Caslen’s hiring was protested by students and faculty, who were critical about his lack of an academic background — Caslen was a former superintendent at military college West Point, but lacks a doctoral degree — his involvement in the Iraq War and comments he made about “binge drinking” and campus sexual assault.
The influence the Governor’s Office had in Caslen’s hiring gave the process another black eye, leading to a review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which found that McMaster’s involvement in the university’s hiring process, during which he made it clear Caslen was his favored candidate and urged the board to take a vote, amounted to “undue influence.”
The association, which accredits degree-granting higher education institutions, did not formally sanction the university but did require additional monitoring.
McMaster is an ex officio chair of the university’s board, which lasts as long as he is governor.
“I think the university is going to be just fine,” McMaster said, when asked whether, moving forward, it’s appropriate for the Governor’s Office to be so involved. “I think that it is growing in strength, and I’m sure they have processes in place now to make it very clear as to what is happening, should eliminate some of the questions that came up before.”
Without an interim in place, a university spokesman said, “all areas of university operations, including academics, student affairs, athletics and administration, will continue uninterrupted under the leadership of respective vice presidents or senior administrative officials.”
A board meeting to approve Pastides, who says he will take the job, has been scheduled for May 21.
“I think Harris Pastides is a fine choice for almost anything,” McMaster said. “He is quite a stellar man.”
SC lawmakers react
State lawmakers were split on their reaction to Caslen’s exit.
Hours after Caslen resigned, and right before the Legislature’s regular work calendar wrapped up, a handful of state House budget writers filed legislation to reform the university’s board, reducing its membership to 12 from 20 members.
House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, and Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, and Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland — members of the Ways and Means panel that handles college and university spending — filed a similar bill before the COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively killed dozens of bills for the year.
Simrill said problems are still prevalent on the board, and the purpose of the legislation is to “make the board more effective and efficient in what they do.”
“South Carolina is very fortunate to have great universities, and we want those universities to be the best they can be,” Simrill said. “And part of that is to have the most effective boards we can and the legislative oversight process all involved.”
Cobb-Hunter was more blunt.
“We did it again this (Thursday) morning to send a signal that the board, once again, is taking steps that may or may not be in the best interest of the university,” said Cobb-Hunter, who added the timing of the original bill was in response to Caslen’s hiring.
“The bungling of his hire, the heavy handedness that Gov. McMaster used in bringing him here, he was doomed to fail. I’m sorry to see it happened,” Cobb-Hunter said. “He seemed like a really decent guy and a good man.”
Finlay, who has been critical of the university in the past, said other issues surrounding the university, including hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance and athletic contract buyouts also were motivations behind the bill.
“It is one problem after another. No one understands what the plan is,” Finlay said. “We’ve seen a university that behaves, charitably, disconnected from the state, uncharitably, recklessly, whether it’s expanding stadiums, long-term contracts for coaches, extending those contracts at the end of losing seasons, a law school that continues to go down in the rankings.”
Other lawmakers were gentler in their responses.
State Rep. Seth Rose, a Richland Democrat whose district includes the university, has criticized the process that led to Caslen’s hiring, but added, “I will say that he was very responsive to my calls and questions on behalf of my constituency.”
State Rep. Nathan Ballentine, a graduate of the university, said he is hopeful the university can move on.
“People make mistakes. Some bigger than others,” the Richland County Republican told The State in a text message. “I’m hopeful the Board works together to find the best candidate with the best credentials to lead us. We’ll be fine and I love having Harris back in the interim.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 12:49 PM.
