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ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Loyal Bulldog alumnus James Salley recently contributed $60,000 to establish a scholarship at South Carolina State University.
The gift took him beyond the threshold for membership in the revered Thomas E. Miller Society, SC State’s organization honoring donors who have contributed $100,000 or more to the university.
“I’m immensely grateful for Dr. Salley’s demonstrated commitment to SC State University,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said. “As a student, former employee and alumnus of the university, his level of commitment has been continuously unparalleled.
“This generous gift will go a long way in educating the next Jim Salleys -- students who will become change agents for our world,” Conyers said.
A member of the SC State Class of 1973, Salley is the associate vice-chancellor for Institutional Advancement for Africa University in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe and President/CEO of Africa University Tennessee Inc. He is the chief advancement officer and fundraiser for the institution.
He recently answered five questions about his experiences at SC State and reasons for giving to the SC State University Foundation.
Q: What inspired you to make your most recent contribution to SC State?
Salley: A good friend and mentor, Joe Sanders, took me by the hand a few years ago and escorted me to the SCSU development office to determine where I was in my giving to the university. Joe encouraged me, as he had done with other matters related to our alma mater.
He was the first Life Member of the SCSU Alumni Association to give at the level for induction into The Miller Society. I was the fifth. Encouraged by the leadership of President Alexander Conyers, I felt it was time to endow scholarships in memory of my mother, Marie, and father, James Salley, and my sister and brother-in-law Gussie and Rev. James Tucker.
We need more Joe Sanderses of the world. We need more persons who will show us the way and cheer us across the finish line. We need our alumni and friends to give all they can. If we do that, God will do the rest.
Q: What has been your most rewarding experience in life?
Salley: One of the most rewarding experiences was graduating from SCSU as the first member of my family to finish a four-year institution and having my mother and father witness the commencement exercises. Another was participating in and congratulating the Alpha Class of Africa University as they received their degrees from the institution that I helped birth and now serve.
It is very rewarding, and I’m humbled to be on the cover of Giving Magazine.
Q: What memory or memories from SC State stand out the most and why?
Salley: The most prominent memory was when The Henderson Davis Players won the Yale Drama Festival and became the first African American institution to accomplish that. We were invited back and won for the second time. We did not get a third invitation. Other prominent memories were, participating in The American Theatre Festival and touring England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. We also performed in Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and Labrador during a USO Tour in 1972 at the height of the Vietnam War. The time spent and degree received from SCSU prepared me for what I do today. I had exceptional experiences that could only be gotten at one of the best institutions of higher learning in the world.
Q: Who at SC State helped drive your journey and why?
Salley: President Maceo Nance was an exceptional leader, who knew me by name. Dr. Oscar Butler provided a model for leadership. Dean Henry Hammond allowed me to stay part time with friends in Bethea Hall without paying. Mr. Bobby Evans (Bossman) allowed us to eat whenever we were hungry and sent food to White Hall when the Henderson Davis Players were practicing.
Dr. Nettie P. Parler and Mrs. Eloise Belcher provided expert and compassionate guidance and advisement. They both threatened to send me away from school if I didn’t take the broadcasting job offered by WTND radio. H.D. Flowers, Henderson Davis Players director of theatre and fine arts, was a genius.
Q: What advice can you offer to students at SC State?
Salley: You are in the best years of your life at SCSU. Don’t take this time for granted and do the best you can with the gifts and graces that God has given you. Don’t waste time and the money your benefactors are committing to educate you. Education does you no good if you keep the knowledge in your own brain. Help somebody and honor God and your family who are helping you.
It’s not unfashionable to pray and give homage to God. Always respect yourself and others. When you help others, you help yourself. God is able!
About James Salley
Under Salley’s advancement leadership, Africa University has grown from 40 students to 3,600 with more than 10,000 graduates. The university’s endowment has grown from $300,000 to $110 million with a combined total of campaigns and capital projects at more than $126 million.
Salley is a native of Orangeburg, educated in the public schools of the county and graduated from Wilkinson High School and South Carolina State University. He has done additional studies at Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities in Nashville, Tennessee and holds certificates in management and business studies and institutional advancement.
He spent 15 years in the broadcasting industry and was the executive producer, host, and road manager of the South Carolina State University Football Television Show for 14 years and doubled as the Bulldog Football stadium announcer.
Salley was the first African American to serve as the President of The South Carolina Associated Press Broadcasters Association and The Radio and Television News Directors Association of the Carolinas.
He was employed as the first director of institutional advancement at South Carolina State University. He was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus and included in the 2016 Alumni Calendar.
He is a member of Edisto Fork United Methodist Church and formerly served as the church Lay Leader.
Salley was elected to the Orangeburg District Five School Board of Trustees for seven years. He is a member of numerous civic and community organizations and a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., BMCR of the UMC and the NAACP.
In 1998, Claflin University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. In 2008, Gammon Theological Seminary and The Interdenominational Theological Center of Atlanta, GA bestowed a second Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
In 2015 he was recognized by AT&T and the University of South Carolina as an honoree of the 2016 African American Black History Calendar.
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Sam Watson
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swatson2@scsu.edu
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About South Carolina State University
Founded in 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to the citizens of the state, South Carolina State University has evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major University center of learning and research. Located in Orangeburg, S.C., South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of study on the undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools.
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