Thomas J. Elzey was named the 11th president of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. The selection was controversial and the board of trustees approved the appointment by a vote of 6 to 5. Interim president Dr. Cynthia Warrick received the other five votes despite the fact that she was not one of the three finalists that the university had identified earlier this month. Elzey will take over as university president on June 15.
“Elzey has handled billions of dollars. He has worked in the federal office. He has worked at an HBCU. He has worked at a large university and he has worked here in the state of South Carolina,” stated Dr. Walter Tobin, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “We hired him because we think that this university can move forward.”
Elzey has been serving as executive vice president for finance, administration, and operations at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the former senior vice president for finance, chief financial officer, and treasurer at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has also been the chief financial officer at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Elzey is a graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and holds a master’s degree in public management and policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He holds the rank of brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia.
