South Carolina State University Provost Frederick Evans recently announced his abrupt resignation an internal email to colleagues, according to a report from The Post and Courier Columbia. Dr. Evans did not give a reason for his departure.
Dr. Evans served as the HBCU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs for nearly five years. He was first appointed to the leadership position on an interim basis in November 2021 and assumed the role permanently in 2023. Before serving as provost, Dr. Evans, a former faculty member in educational leadership, was dean of the university’s College of Graduate School and Professional Studies.
Dr. Evans holds a bachelor’s degree in social science/political science and a master’s degree in secondary education/history. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Sarasota.
As the HBCU searches for its next chief academic officer, Louis Whitesides has been selected to serve as interim provost. Dr. Whitesides currently serves vice president for public service and agriculture. Earlier in his tenure at the university, he was executive director of the 1890 Research and Extension program. As a scholar, he focuses on how to access international markets for rural limited-resourced small farmers.
Dr. Whitesides is an alumnus of South Carolina State University, where he majored in computer science and minored in mathematics. He holds a master’s degree in management from Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina and a doctor of business administration degree in international business from Argosy University.
