LC board names South Carolina VP as ninth president

PINEVILLE — Rick Brewer says his top priorities as Louisiana College's new president are the school's accreditation process, its physical plant and its image.

The college's Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday to name Brewer, vice president of student affairs and athletics at Charleston (S.C.) Southern University, as the school's ninth president on Thursday. Brewer, who received a five-year contract, will take office April 7.

After a divisive tenure of previous president Joe Aguillard, alumni and community members have voiced the need for healing at the school. Brewer believes that already has started at what was called a "very harmonious" meeting of the LC board.

"It has begun today with the unanimous vote," he said. "That was a statement. We believe God brought the right man at such a time as this. ... We're going to learn from the past, but not dwell there."

'Raising the profile'

Brewer, 58, said changing the "image and messaging" of the school is important in reaching all stakeholders, whom he challenges to "leave the past in the rear-view mirror." He committed to listening to all constituents, both inside and outside of the college, for input when it comes to strategic planning.

"A lot of people out there are pulling for Louisiana College," he said. "They want to see it succeed — the business community, education community, church community."

That translates into support through partnerships as well as fundraising, which would be used to improve the campus, programs and scholarships. He plans to build a donor program to fund scholarships to help close affordability gaps for students.

"My No. 1 job is going to be raising the profile and raising the revenue of this school," he said.

Brewer has been at Charleston — a Christian liberal arts university similar in mission to LC — for 28 years, serving as director for external relations, assistant to the president and interim director of athletics and holding vice presidential roles for planning, student affairs and athletics. He has been a member of the president's cabinet at the school since 1989.

During his tenure at Charleston Southern, he helped to double enrollment from 1,600 to more than 3,400 students, increase unrestricted giving and endowment support and improve freshman retention from 50 to 78 percent, according to an LC statement. He also has served as an evaluator for the accrediting body the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the NCAA.

His SACS experience will be of use moving forward with Louisiana College's process toward reaccreditation. The school was placed on probation in June, six months after the agency reaffirmed its accreditation. LC had been on warning with SACS for two years prior.

"Let's get off probation and get reaccredited," Brewer said. "The school deserves it. We are going to do all we can — and do all they (SACS) ask us to — to be successful."

Brewer will meet with the accrediting body's visiting team on campus this month.

'Relational, relevant, rigorous'

Moving forward, Brewer said his driving focus will be the three "Rs" that he believes make a great private college — it is relational, relevant and rigorous. He wants to see nurturing relationships among students, faculty, staff, coaches and administration as well as partnerships with local businesses, the community and alumni.

The same goes for working with Louisiana Baptists. There would be a strong relationship, but there would be a balance at LC between "scholarship and devotion."

"Louisiana College is a college, not a church," he said. "Obviously we would partner with Louisiana Baptists."

He wants LC to be relevant, which would mean improving technology and continually investing in faculty for scholarship and research. And he expects the liberal arts education that LC provides to be rigorous and applicable to a variety of job fields.

"We're preparing students for the 21st century," he said. "...We're about critical thinking, analytical reasoning and problem-solving."

Brewer said he knows that none of this will be easy, but plans to build upon his track record and foundation of leadership from his 28 years in Charleston.

"There's a gargantuan task ahead of us," Brewer said. "It's God-sized. That's good because God can handle it."

The South Carolina school's Student Government Association president described Brewer as passionate, committed and hard-working.

"If he desires to see change happen and there's a job to get done, he's going to get it done," Dylan Gunnels said. "... Maybe his worst quality is that he works too hard."

Gunnels has worked with Brewer for two years, often serving as a liaison between the student body and administration. He sees Brewer as an asset to whatever school he has a part in leading. He expects great things to come from Brewer at Louisiana College.

"He's definitely going to come in — if he's the next guy (at LC) — he will come in with a vision, he will join forces with a team and come up with a unified vision and get it done. I can guarantee that," he said.

As a vice president at a small college, Brewer wears a lot of hats, Gunnels said.

"I just saw a guy who took ownership (when shifted into athletics as well)," Gunnels said. "I saw a man who tries his best to have good relationships with his team. ... He always answers emails, always answers calls."

'Right door'

During his tenure at Charleston, Brewer was considered for president of Mars Hill College, now a university, in 2003, but was strongly opposed. After meetings with faculty, students and some alumni, the faculty voted 72-0, with two abstentions, in favor of a resolution opposing his candidacy, according to an April 2003 article in the Biblical Recorder.

Some reasons for opposition cited in the article were his limited experience, how conservative Charleston Southern was compared to Mars Hill and that an agreed-upon search process had been violated.

"That was an interesting time," Brewer said. "For some reason, the Lord just closed that door. I think He had more to teach me at Charleston Southern."

He said he's grown in that time through CSU President Jairy C. Hunter's style of participation management. It has allowed Brewer to be involved in almost every area of management at the school, preparing him for a job such as this. He said this experience of connecting with Louisiana College has been a combination of "the right place, right time, right door."

Brewer is a native of New Orleans but was raised in North Carolina. He has a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policies from the University of South Carolina, a master's in business administration and a Bachelor of Science in history from Charleston Southern University, where he has taught and held administrative roles for 28 years. He also has several certificates.

He also is an ordained Baptist minister and completed the South Carolina Baptist Convention transitional pastor training in 2012.

Brewer succeeds Joe Aguillard, president of the college from January 2005 until the board voted in April to approve an agreement to remove Aguillard from the position effective May 31, 2014.

The vote on April 16 ended two years of controversy and turmoil on campus. Aguillard is on sabbatical this academic year and will return to the college in the fall as a tenured professor in the school's graduate teacher education program.

The 109-year-old school has seen eight full-time presidents before Brewer and three interim presidents, including Argile Smith, former dean of the LC divinity school. Smith has been interim president since June 1. When he was named interim president, Smith said he would not be a candidate for the job on a permanent basis.

Aguillard narrowly survived an attempt to oust him as president in April 2013. The last two years of his tenure were marked by whistle-blower complaints; allegations of misappropriating funds and misleading the LC board; and strong statements made publicly both in defense of Aguillard and calling for his removal.

Tommy French, chairman of the LC board and its Executive Committee that served as presidential search committee, said the board was "convinced" Brewer was the man for the job from the time members read his resume. The committee interviewed three candidates but "never wavered" from the conviction that Brewer was the right choice, he said.