From Dropout to President
by Mollie Gore
"This is a second-chance success story,” said Dr. Jairy C. Hunter, Jr., president of South Carolina's Charleston Southern University.
A nationally known speaker and consultant on higher education leadership and strategic planning, Hunter still remains true to his passion: teaching, mentoring and helping individuals achieve their full potential. Hunter is a faculty member at the Snowmass Strategic Management Institute for CEOs in Colorado. He also teaches professional development courses at the Summer Management Institute at the University of Kentucky and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Hunter is frequently invited by college presidents to assist their organizations in developing a strategic plan in preparation for an accreditation visit.
There was a time, though, when Hunter couldn't even get into college, let alone a college president's office.
It was 1966, and Hunter had just made perhaps the most foolhardy decision of his young life. He was attending college classes at night while holding a stressful, full-time position during the day. So he quit his day job, planning to enroll full-time at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster in the fall.
Hunter's college career had been slow in starting. He first enrolled at Wingate in 1960, fresh from high school and planning to try out for the football team. The college entry was a last-minute decision, so he didn't take the typical college preparatory courses as a high school student. Then, he didn't make the football team. Unprepared and uninspired, Hunter dropped out after his freshman year with a mere 1.2 GPA and joined the military.
Some years later, Hunter found himself on the fast track at Clark Controller Manufacturing Co. in Lancaster, SC. He received several promotions and ended up in a professional position in the order department. However, his boss advised him that without a college degree, growth opportunities would be minimal. Hunter returned to school, taking night classes as a probationary student at the nearby USC-Lancaster.
Impatient with the slow pace of night school, Hunter made the fateful decision to resign his position at the company and attend school full-time during the day. But USC-Lancaster denied him admission. His academic provisional status ended with a 1.94 GPA, which was just short of the 2.0 GPA he needed.
Out of work and out of luck, Hunter – at the advice of his wife Sissy – decided to travel to Wingate and make a personal appeal to Wingate president Dr. Budd E. Smith and Mr. John A. Cox, Jr., director of admissions. “These two men listened intently and encouraged me to put my case in writing to the admissions appeals committee,” said Hunter. The appeal worked, and he was admitted for one semester on a probationary basis. Hunter promised Smith and Cox they wouldn't regret giving him a second chance.
Hunter passed the probationary period, attending Wingate during the day and working in the evenings at an auto body shop. He and Sissy added a son to the family with the birth of Jairy III that November. He also attended tutoring sessions in math and science classes, and after a year and a summer of classes, he graduated with honors from Wingate in 1967, earning an associate's degree. Dr. Smith even invited Hunter to share his story at commencement.
That fall he was admitted into Appalachian State University's bachelor's degree program, receiving a full academic scholarship. He and his family moved to Boone, and in his typical fashion, Hunter pursued his degree while operating several small businesses. In 1969 he graduated from ASU with a bachelor of science in business, earning magna cum laude status. In 1970, Hunter earned a master's degree in student personnel and counseling. The following year daughter Jill was born, and he received a second master's degree – this time in business.
That year, in fact, was a pivotal one: Hunter accepted the position as assistant to the president and full-time faculty member at Blue Ridge Community College in Hendersonville, NC. He kept his businesses in Boone – but returned the following year to prepare them for sale. He had found his calling in higher education – encouraging and developing students to reach their full potential, just as Dr. Smith, Mr. Cox, and the Wingate family had done for him. “I realized that God's plan for my life is to help individuals like myself find purpose and a profession that they enjoy,” Hunter said.
In 1972, Hunter accepted a position at Appalachian State University as director of student support services and assistant professor of business. He enrolled in a doctoral program at Duke University in 1973, and earned a Ph.D. in educational administration in 1977. His career path took him to Fort Lauderdale, where he was vice president for administration at Broward Community College, and to University of North Carolina at Wilmington to be vice chancellor for business and development, as well as assistant professor of accounting.
Hunter accepted the position of president at Charleston Southern University in 1984, at a point when the Baptist College at Charleston, as it was then known, was on the verge of closing because of financial difficulties. Applying principles he learned in his own businesses – and those he learned in the classrooms at Wingate and other institutions – he successfully steered the University through those most difficult times. The institution's name was changed to Charleston Southern University in 1990, which signaled a rebirth. CSU has continued to grow, enrolling nearly 3,000 students today—almost double the number enrolled when Hunter began his presidency.
Hunter credits his success at least partially to the influence of several Wingate professors, in addition to that of former president Smith and Mr. John Cox. Dr. Marian Hume taught math and calculus, and “if you really wanted to learn, she'd stay and help you as long as needed,” he said. “For one calculus course, I met with her 15 minutes before class and 15 minutes after class for the whole semester. She was a dedicated teacher who helped me achieve an ‘A'.”
Professors Larry Bishop and Sanford Broome “encouraged me to major in accounting,” Hunter said. “In fact, they dared me to do it, and then they put the time necessary into making sure I succeeded. In addition to their time, I really valued their practical experiences in the field.”
Professor Harry Sherwood, who served as director of housing, also taught math. “He was a great source of encouragement when the road got difficult to navigate,” Hunter said.
And then there was Professor Donald Haskins, who taught economics.
“Haskins gave essay exams and challenged students to see how many blue books they could fill,” Hunter recalled. “For my final, in the middle of one blue book I wrote: ‘Professor Haskins, if you read this bull, I'll buy you the biggest steak in Monroe.' He called me at 11 o'clock at night, long distance. I answered the phone and he said, ‘Hunter, get your billfold out, your bull is gonna cost you.'“
There is no doubt that the personal interest shown by Wingate faculty and staff, from the president to the professors, equipped him for a profession of leading and serving. They also convinced him of the value of faith-based education, to which he remains committed today.
