"When Coastal became independent, there were challenges that had not been there when we were a branch campus," says Ingle. "Fortunately the challenges have been outnumbered by the opportunities. With the support of the board, the students, faculty and staff, we have been able to respond to the sudden circumstances that are normal in the launch of any enterprise."

The University Place residence facility and the arena project are two examples of this approach. Both involve collaboration with private enterprise as a means to overcome the scarcity and delay that characterize the state funding process. "The way the arena project is structured is probably unique in this country," Ingle says. "I don't know of another case where you have a private developer, a public institution, a nonprofit agency and a county government joining together to make something like this happen."

Promoter: Ingle proudly introduces Coastal's personalized license plates.

Ronald Ingle was born in Shelby, N.C., in 1940, and he majored in English at Wofford, graduating in 1962. After getting his master's in higher education administration from Florida State University he served in the Army as an active duty officer for two years. Then he was head of admissions at Kennesaw State in Georgia for three years before moving on to an administrative position with Ohio State, earning a doctorate in psychology there in 1972-the year he joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina as an assistant dean. He and his wife Judy, also a career educator, have two sons: David, assistant editor of "The Georgia Review", and Stephen, an actor and performer.

Ingle says he didn't start out with the intention of becoming a college president, although college life appealed to him. "I didn't want to leave college, or maybe I didn't want to grow up," he says. Although he is a bit nostalgic for the days when undergraduates did not feel compelled to view the college experience solely in terms of career preparation, he understands the reality of today's higher education environment.

Nobel Laureate: Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited CCU in 1999.

"When I was in college, my friends and I were 100 percent college students. Now if you are a full-time college student, you are probably 20 percent college student. Their relationship is different than it used to be. They have jobs, and it is a means to an end for them. I think we have to realize that when we look at how we build our institutions."

Two major areas of emphasis during Ingle's presidency have been student success and community involvement. Several programs have been initiated in the past 10 years that have helped students make the transition to collegiate life and that have improved Coastal's retention rates.

The Presidents: Ingle greets candidate George W. Bush at CCU in 2000.

"He's always there for students," says Janet Shokal, a senior psychology major who is president of Coastal's Student Government Association. "During my first year at CCU he stopped by our booth on Club Recruitment Day and I remember thinking, 'Wow, that's the president!' But that's the way he is. As SGA president, I feel he's always been very accessible, open and communicative regarding student issues. I've met other college presidents and I think Dr. Ingle is different. With him there are no hidden agendas." Shokal says that working with Ingle has inspired her to pursue a career in higher education and ultimately to become a college president.

Ingle's concern for student achievement extends beyond the boundaries of the institution he leads. "The huge number of drop-outs we have in our pubic schools, the low graduation rates this is something we all need to be worried about," he says. In response to his anxiety, Ingle, together with former CCU Provost Peter Barr, initiated a broad-based mentoring program linking Coastal students with kids in Horry County public schools. Although the progress of the program, now in its third year, has been encouraging, Ingle, a great believer in accountability, is keeping his focus on the ultimate goal. "If the students in the mentoring program drop out at the same rate as those not in the program, we will have to rethink what we are doing. But it is essential that we do something."

One of Ingle's most oft-quoted saying is that "it should be hard to tell where Coastal ends and the community begins." One of his proudest accomplishments as president is the 2001 visit of the Freedom Schooner "Amistad" to Georgetown, a project he initiated and organized. A replica of the cargo ship that was the scene of a historic slave uprising, the Amistad attracted more than 18,000 visitors and, more importantly, engaged the community in an event combining education with meaningful and lastingly productive dialog on race and cultural understanding.

At the helm: Ingle aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad

"Dr. Ingle saw that this was something that would be important to the people of the area, and it was," says David Drayton, an esteemed Georgetown County educator and co-chairman of the Amistad project. "He fought for it, pushed it, cranked it up. It was his foresight and his effort that drove that project, and I don't know of anything we've had in Georgetown to compare with it. Dr. Ingle is an unusual person: you can depend on him."

Fred DuBard of Florence, the longest-serving chair of Coastal's board of trustees, has been closely involved with Ingle's presidency since the day it began. The two men knew each other at Wofford and developed an effective rapport as the university's two top leaders. "Coastal in 1993 was like a start-up company," recalls DuBard. "Ron had never been a college president before but he had gotten a lot of training and insight while he was interim chancellor. He proved to be the right man. His understanding of academics, financing and governance is amazing. He listens well, doesn't shy away from problems, makes decisions and carries them out in a way that doesn't make people mad. He's earned the respect of his peers all around the country. I hope he's going to hang around a long time, like Dick Singleton has. Coastal is going to miss him."

Fundraiser: Coastal benefactor Bob Brooks and Ingle announce the naming of Brooks Stadium.

"We'll add academic programs as needed," he says. "We'll also continue to foster the faculty-student interaction that makes Coastal so special. I don't think
we will find a cure for cancer, but we will produce quality, top-notch teachers and help protect our coastal environment for future generations," says Barr. "If we can continue to be interactive with our community and serve students, we are doing our job."