Glenn F. McConnell

Glenn McConnell
22nd President of the College of Charleston

McConnell is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Secession Camp #4. ^[11] The Sons of Confederate Veterans were charged in 1906 by Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General of the United Confederate Veterans, with "the vindication of the cause for which we fought." ^[12]

During a 1999 appearance on ABC News' Nightline , ^[13] then-Senator McConnell made the following statements about the flag:

• I see honor, courage, valor. I see the red, white and blue and the blood of sacrifice that ran through that battle and the people that carried that flag. I don't see black and white. I don't see racism.
• It hurts us to see groups like the Klan holding that flag. You want to talk about a sick feeling? Our group, our historical groups, we are disgusted when we see it. But we're equally disgusted and sickened by the political rhetoric and people say it's an emblem of racism, it's an emblem of hate, it's shameful and all of this. How do they think we feel when it's the emblem of our ancestors? They hurt our feelings.
• We will teach generations to come about the honor of these people and if they are going to choose the road of trying to stereotype us as racists and as hate mongers, then we are forever divided.

In 2000, when the Confederate flag was brought down from atop the dome of the State House, Senator McConnell successfully advocated for flying another Confederate flag from a flagpole in the front of the Statehouse, on the grounds, near the Confederate Soldier Monument. ^[14] He rejected the suggestion that the Confederate flag be placed in a glass case by saying, "Encasement represents entombment," and by saying that he wanted "no part in symbolically burying the Confederate banner." ^[15] The resulting bill that was passed in 2000 was called a compromise. ^[16]

After the 2015 shooting at a historically black church, McConnell condemned the shooter's motives, in which he said that he does not represent the Confederate flag or the South. He also supported the decision of Governor Nikki Haley to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House. ^{[ citation needed ]}

• 
  Flags Atop the Dome, 2008
• 
  Confederate Flag Behind Confederate Soldier Monument, 2008

Committee assignments

• Senate Rules Committee (previous chairman)
• Senate Judiciary Committee (chairman) ^[4]
• Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
• Senate Ethics Committee
• Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
• Senate Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee

Lieutenant governor (2012–14)

Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard resigned his position in March 2012 because of ethics violations. At that time, the State Senate President Pro Tempore, became the lieutenant governor when the position became vacant, leading to McConnell resigning his senate seat to become the lieutenant governor. ^[17]

Presidency of the College of Charleston

On June 18, 2014, McConnell resigned his position as lieutenant governor to become president of the College of Charleston on July 1, 2014. McConnell assumed the presidency of his alma mater in July 2014. He is a former student body president at the College of Charleston, where he earned his undergraduate B.S. degree in political science in 1969. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Charleston as well as other honorary degrees. ^[18]

In 2016, following reports of sexual assault, McConnell temporarily banned alcohol from Greek activities. He also oversaw the implementation of the Collegiate Recovery Program, an initiative that supported students in recovery from addiction. ^[19] In the Summer of 2016, the College of Charleston stopped considering race a factor in student enrollment. ^[20]

On January 29, 2018, McConnell announced his retirement from the College of Charleston citing health issues. ^[19]

References

1. "South Carolina Legislature Online". Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
2. Lt. Gov. Ken Ard resigns; McConnell to replace him thestate.com March 9, 2012 Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
3. Ry Rivard, Charleston Divided Archived 2014-03-28 at the Wayback Machine , Inside Higher Ed , March 26, 2014
4. "Meet Glenn McConnell". Senatormcconnell.com. 2001-01-09. Archived from the original on 2011-12-27. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
5. "Confederate sympathizer named college prez, students rebel". msnbc.com. 2001-01-09. Archived from the original on 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
6. "Member Biography". South Carolina Legislature Online. 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
7. "Candidate - Glenn F. McConnell". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
8. Wenger, Yvonne (January 10, 2010). "Who's in charge?" . Post & Courier. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
9. Bartelme, Tony (2017-12-10). "Power Failure: How utilities across the U.S. changed the rules to make big bets with your money". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
10. Kuker, Amanda (Fall 2011). "An Analysis of South Carolina's Incentives to Boeing Company". South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business. 8: 165–202. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
11. "South Carolina Legislature Online". Archived from the original on 2007-07-29. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
12. Stevens, Dean. "Home". Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
13. The Confederate Flag: "A Controversial Symbol", ABC-TV's Nightline, July 26, 1999.
14. "Confederate Soldier Monument-www.scstatehouse.net-LPITS". Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
15. The Confederate battle flag: America ... - Google Books. Harvard University Press. 30 June 2009. ISBN   9780674029866. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
16. "Online NewsHour: The Confederate Flag - May 29, 2000". PBS . Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
17. Phillips, Patrick. "McConnell resignation postponed as state senate adjourns before electing successor". live5news.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
18. "Andrew T. Hsu - College of Charleston". Archived from the original on 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
19. By, Paul Bowers and Deanna Pan. "College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell cites health, age as reasons he's leaving this summer". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
20. Bowers, Paul (July 29, 2018). "Affirmative action comes to a quiet end at College of Charleston". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2019-04-25.

External links

• South Carolina Lieutenant Governor's website Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
• South Carolina's Office on Aging website Archived 2010-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Glenn F. McConnell (SC) profile
• Follow the Money - Glenn McConnell
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 1996 campaign contributions
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by John Drummond	President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate 2001–2012	Succeeded by John Courson
Preceded by Ken Ard	Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina 2012–2014	Succeeded by J. Yancey McGill