Morris College to celebrate inauguration of President Dr. Leroy Staggers on Friday

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Morris College will celebrate the inauguration of its 10th president, Dr. Leroy Staggers, at 11 a.m. Friday, April 12, in the Neal-Jones Auditorium. The public is invited to the ceremony, after which a luncheon will be held at 1 p.m. in the Garrick-Boykin Human Development Center.Sumter Mayor Joseph T. McElveen Jr.; state Sen. J. Thomas McElveen III, D-Sumter; Sumter County Council Chairman James T. McCain; and Claflin University President Dr. Henry N. Tisdale will address the crowd followed by faculty and staff, alumni and the student government association president.

The Presidential Charge will be given by President and CEO of the United Negro College Fund Dr. Michael Lomax.

By unanimous decision, the Morris College Board of Trustees named Dr. Leroy Staggers as president-elect until July 1, 2018. The board of trustees identified a presidential search committee and initiated a search for a permanent president in May of 2017 following the late Dr. Luns C. Richardson's retirement after 43 years of devoted leadership. Staggers served as interim president from July 1, 2017, to present.

Joining the Morris College family in 1993, Staggers' passion for students' intellectual growth has provided dedicated service to Morris College for nearly 24 years. Most recently, he has served 16 years as academic dean with the responsibility for the supervision of all academic programs, all full-time and part-time faculty members as well as all academic support instructional programs. He worked closely with Richardson on all aspects of Morris College's reaffirmation of accreditation efforts.

Before joining the Morris College family, he served as vice president of academic affairs, associate professor of English and director of faculty development for Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina. Additionally, he has served as instructor of English and reading at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, and chairman of the Division of Humanities and assistant professor of English at Voorhees College in Denmark.

This event is expected to reach capacity in the auditorium, but there will be an overflow viewing area with a live stream in the O.R. Reuben Chapel and Religious Center. Interested persons can follow the inauguration ceremony online by using the following hashtags: #MorrisInauguration #MOCOInauguration #MOCO10thPresident.