Historic gathering of university leaders
All five of Coastal Carolina University’s living chief executives were on hand for a recent dedication ceremony on campus. Collectively, this group of chancellors and presidents led the institution for a total of 48 consecutive years—from 1963 to the present.
The occasion was the dedication on April 15 of three campus buildings that have been renamed in honor of three of the former leaders. Residence halls were named in honor of Ronald Eaglin and Ronald Ingle, and the campus dining hall was named for Fred Hicks. The University's board of trustees passed a resolution in 2010 to rename these student buildings to honor these three leaders in recognition of their dedication to the students of Coastal Carolina University.
Waccamaw Hall was renamed Ronald R. Ingle Hall; Santee Hall is now Ronald G. Eaglin Hall, and The Commons dining hall is being called the Fred W. Hicks III Hall. All three of the former president/chancellors were present at the ceremony, along with CCU President David DeCenzo and Edward Singleton, one of the original founders of the university.
Hicks, of Savannah, Ga., was chancellor of Coastal Carolina College from 1983 to 1985. He was previously the president at Wesleyan College in Georgia. He served as a professor of history at CCU from 1985 to 1998. Since his retirement, he has served as consultant for museums on issues of governance, marketing and advancement. He has endowed a scholarship in finance for women at Coastal, and has also supported the University's Visiting Writers Series and the Lackey Chapel.
Eaglin was chancellor of Coastal Carolina College from 1985 to 1992 when it was part of the University of South Carolina system. He went on to become president of Morehead State University in Kentucky until he retired in 2005 and moved to Pawleys Island.
Ingle, of Murrells Inlet, was the first president of Coastal Carolina University. He served as president from 1993, when the institution became an independent, public university, until 2007. He previously served as vice chancellor of academic affairs at CCU from 1988 to 1992, when he was named interim chancellor. Since his retirement in 2007, he has worked as consultant for educational institutions and currently serves as provost at Young Harris College in Georgia.
