COLUMBIA, S.C. – A University of South Carolina benefactor ousted from the school’s Board of Trustees shrugged off the snub late last week and promised to give the school $5 million for a new aerospace research center.
Gov. Nikki Haley removed Wall Street financier Darla Moore and replaced her with a campaign donor two weeks ago, saying the board needed a new perspective. The university’s business school is named for Moore, who has pledged $70 million to USC since 1998. She has served on the board as the governor’s appointee since 1999.
Moore’s announcement came a day after roughly 150 students and alumni rallied at the Statehouse to call on Haley to re-instate her. Haley made clear she would not, responding that no one is entitled to public office, regardless of their record of service or philanthropy. A Republican legislator has introduced a proposal to create another seat on the board that legislators could fill.
“I don’t need a title or position to speak out. I just need a voice, my vision and a forum to be heard, just like you did this week,” Moore told several hundred students gathered at the university last Thursday.
