Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees consists of 17 members; two members from each of the congressional districts in South Carolina and three at-large members all elected by the General Assembly for terms of four years each, one member appointed by the Governor, and one member who shall be the Governor (or his designee).

The final authority and responsibility for the governance of the College of Charleston is vested in the Board in accordance with the statutes of the State of South Carolina. Although the Board of Trustees delegates the administration of the campus under its authority to the President of the College, its right to intervene in all matters pertaining to the College is not abrogated by this delegation of authority.

Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, the College of Charleston is the oldest institution of higher education in the state of South Carolina and the thirteenth oldest in the United States. The founders of the College, who sought "to encourage and institute youth in the several branches of liberal education," included three signers of the Declaration of Independence and three signers of the United States Constitution. By April 1790, students could demonstrate their excellent training in the liberal arts at a public examination presented to the board of trustees. The State Gazette of South Carolina praised their knowledge of the "Greek and Latin languages, as well as their extraordinary proficiency in the liberal arts and sciences." In 1836, the College of Charleston became the nation's first municipal college when the city of Charleston assumed responsibility for its support and mandated that the College be "a Popular institution, intended for the great body of the people." These two early principles, a commitment to the liberal arts and a responsibility to the citizens of the region, have guided the College throughout its history. The admission of women students in 1918 and black students in 1968 demonstrates that the College's definition of "the people" has expanded. In 1970 the College became a state-supported public institution.

The Trustees Named in the Charter of 1785

Gov. William Moultrie
Lt. Gov. Charles Drayton
Joseph Atkinson, Thomas Bee, Richard Beresford,
Daniel Bourdeaux, Daniel De Saussure, Thomas Heyward, Jr.*,
Richard Hutson, Ralph Izard, John Lloyd, Gabriel Manigault,
John Matthews, Arthur Middleton*, David Oliphant,
Charles Pinckney**, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney**,
David Ramsay, Edward Rutledge*, John Rutledge**,
Robert Smith, William Loughton Smith,
and Arnoldus Vanderhorst.

* Signed Declaration of Independence
** Signed U. S. Constitution