Jairy Hunter, a Lancaster native with a Ph.D. degree from Duke, left the University of North Carolina system, where he had been vice chancellor for development and business at UNC’s Wilmington campus since 1978, began duties on July 15, 1984, as the second president of what then was Baptist College at Charleston and what now is Charleston Southern University.
Board of trustees member Gloria Thiem, right, presents Jairy and Sissy Hunter with the proclamation from Mayor Keith Summey declaring July 15, 2009, as Dr. Jairy and Sissy Hunter Day.Keith Summey, mayor of North Charleston, set aside July 15 of this year as “Dr. Jairy and Sissy Hunter Day in North Charleston,” declaring that the city is “grateful for the Hunters and looks forward to the continuing success of Charleston Southern University.”
The day marked the official start of a yearlong celebration of accomplishments and future endeavors of the school, which was established in 1964.
William Seals, an attorney from Marion, led the search committee which recommended Hunter, who was a unanimous choice of the board of trustees.
Prior to his six years at UNC-Wilmington, Hunter spent a year as vice president for business and administration at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Hunter graduated from Wingate College, at that time a two-year school, and from Appalachian State University, where he also earned two master’s degrees. While at Appalachian State, he was employed by the university as director of student support services.
Working his way through college, he operated several businesses, including an automobile garage and body shop.
Hunter received his doctorate from Duke University in educational administration and management.
During Hunter’s presidency, Charleston Southern has expanded its degree programs, including graduate offerings in business, education, criminal justice and nursing education.
Enrollment at Charleston Southern under Hunter’s leadership has doubled since 1984. CSU ranks as one of the largest accredited universities in South Carolina.
In the past 25 years, CSU’s budget has increased sevenfold, alumni giving has increased by 500 percent, and several new buildings have been added to the campus.
Hunter’s wife Sissy, also a Lancaster native, has worked closely with him to enhance Charleston Southern’s visibility and to raise scholarship support for its students. She also has played a key role in the growth of CSU’s Women’s Council, a significant fund-raiser for student scholarships.
Along with their work on behalf of the university, the Hunters also continue to be actively involved in the greater Charleston community.
They have two children- Jairy and Jill – and four grandchildren. Their son and daughter are medical professionals living in the Charleston area. The Hunters are members of Summerville Baptist Church.
Travien Capers, the senior pastor of St. Luke Baptist Church in Fairfax, is a 2004 graduate of Charleston Southern. Capers, a Columbia native now working toward a doctor of ministry degree at Erskine Seminary, recalled Hunter’s influence on his life.
The CSU president, he noted, was frequently on campus talking with students and having lunch with them in the cafeteria. “It was just incredible,” Capers said. “That’s true leadership. He literally changed the course of my life.”
Hunter’s leadership as president is widely regarded as a key element in the development of the university’s vision “to be a Christian university nationally recognized for integrating faith in learning, leading and serving.”