ORANGEBURG, SC - White House Initiative on HBCUs Executive Director and Former South Carolina State University President, Dr. George Cooper passed away on Sunday (July 19th).

Dr. Cooper served as the 10th president of SC State from 2008 until 2012. And he most recently served as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.

SC State Interim President Dr. W. Franklin Evans issued this statement:

The SC State University Family is deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely death of Dr. George Cooper, our 10th president.

Today, we honor and remember Dr. Cooper for his unyielding service to our illustrious institution. He served as president from 2008 until 2012. Under his leadership, he was instrumental in advancing progressive initiatives that served as the framework to strengthen the university and reaffirm its mission as a public land-grant university committed to enhancing the quality of lives for all citizens. He also envisioned the university as a formidable model amongst the best institutions of higher learning in the world.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni of SC State University, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mrs. Diane Shaw Cooper, and their daughters during this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

A native of Tallahassee, FL, Dr. Cooper received his B.S. degree in Animal Husbandry from Florida A&M University, his M.S. degree in Animal Science from Tuskegee University, and his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois - Urbana. He was a Senior Fellow with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, where he reviewed key federal legislative initiative of significance to HBCUs. Prior to serving four years as President of South Carolina State University, Dr. Cooper spent 17 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. He also served in administrative faculty roles at Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University. Additionally, Dr. Cooper has served on a number of boards, including the Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the HBCU and Limited Resource Institution Academic Advisory Group, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the USDA/1980 Task Force.

President Obama released a statement saying, "George spent the majority of his life ensuring that students at our nation's HBCUs were receiving a quality education and had the necessary resources to succeed and make their communities and our country better," he said. "George's passing is a great loss for my Administration, the HBCU and higher education communities and for everyone that knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Diane, family and friends during this difficult time."

The D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign Fund organization joins the SC State, President Obama and the White House and the HBCU Nation in extending our deepest condolences and thoughts to Dr. Cooper's wife, family and friends during this sadden time.

D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign Fund President and Founder Demetrius Johnson Jr., released a statement on Dr. Cooper's sudden death:

"We at D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign Fund joins the HBCU Nation in extending our condolences and prayers to Dr. Cooper's family and friends in the lost of an tremendous leader and outstanding advocate for HBCUs. Dr. Cooper share his light for students and HBCUs through variety of ways and organizations to ensure that our HBCUs remain those institutions that serve and give students a quality and affordable education with the resources needed. Dr. Cooper's death is a sadden lost to the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the SC State Bulldog family, HBCUs, other educational organizations he served for and everyone who came connected in Dr. Cooper's life. He will be missed and his life will always be part of our HBCU community."