2017
Lee Higdon (Honorary)
Former President Lee Higdon led the College of Charleston from July 2001 to June 2006. He was a dedicated supporter of CofC Athletics and is credited with doubling the athletics budget in his time, which provided the needed support and resources to become a top-flight NCAA Division I program. Higdon was also instrumental in the building of Carolina First Arena (now renamed TD Arena) and the CofC Tennis Center. Facility upgrades and enhancements of the baseball and softball stadiums at Patriots Point were also under his watch and direction. The former Wall Street executive and his wife, Ann, famously hosted teams at their home and were vociferous fans from the stands traveling in-state and out-of-state with all sports teams at CofC. The most memorable trip – traveling with men’s basketball as the Cougars defeated Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Villanova to win the Great Alaska Shootout title in 2002 in Anchorage, Alaska. President Higdon’s legacy lives on at The College with the dedication of the Ann and Lee Higdon Student Leadership Center on campus in March of 2007. Prior to CofC, he served as the Dean of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and president of Babson College. He currently teaches and serves on corporate boards after retiring as president of Connecticut College in 2013.
