FLORENCE -- Francis Marion University President Dr. Fred Carter was granted a sabbatical from the school to serve as chief of staff in Gov. Mark Sanford's administration.

The university's board of trustees voted in a special meeting Wednesday to allow Carter to take the sabbatical through June 30. At that date, the sabbatical would be renewable through Dec. 31
at Carter's request.

After a 13-minute executive session, the board voted 11 to one in favor of approving the sabbatical. The no vote was from W.C. Stanton, who offered no explanation or discussion of his
decision.

The arrangement will allow Carter to serve as Sanford's chief of staff while still carrying out some duties as university
president.

"This seemed like the best way to achieve what we wanted to do," trustee Ken Jackson said. "We wanted to keep Dr. Carter on as president, but also give him this opportunity to work in the governor's administration."

Carter will continue to collect his salary of $136,000 as university president while working in Sanford's office. He will also continue to live in the presidential residence on campus.

"He will continue to be paid by the university, just as any other faculty member on sabbatical would be," said Robert E. Lee, FMU's board chairman. "In most sabbaticals, a professor goes off to another university to study his field. Dr. Carter's field is government administration and policy. He's going to be studying it an hour's drive away in the governor's office."

University Provost Richard Chapman, with the support of other FMU vice presidents, will be charged with carrying out he day-to-day operations at the university while Carter is working in Sanford's administration.

Carter said he will work for Sanford for only one year at the most, and will be busy helping the governor establish his administration.

"I am committed to working in the governor's office no more than through Dec. 31," he said.

Carter said his staff at FMU is fully capable of carrying out the daily functions of a university.

"I think the way that the alignment of responsibility has developed will allow me to keep up with the affairs of the university while I work in Columbia," he said.

Carter has held the post of president at FMU since 1999.

Prior to coming to FMU, he served as executive director State Budget and Control Board starting in 1991. As director of the Budget and Control Board, Carter was responsible for overseeing and reviewing about $1 billion annually and coordinating the activities of 1,500 employees in the administration of all state central management functions.

Carter worked as senior executive assistant to former Gov. Carroll Campbell from 1987 to 1991, and before that served as chairman of the political science department at the College of Charleston from 1981 through 1987. A recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, Carter received the 1999 Distinguished State Executive Award from the National Governors' Association.

Most recently, the American Association of University Professors named him as the national recipient of the 2002 Ralph Brown Award "or significant contributions to shared governance in American higher
education."

Carter earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Central Florida, and Master of Arts and doctorate degrees from the University of South Carolina.

He also is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve colonel.

In addition to Carter, Sanford named nine other people to his senior staff including deputy chiefs of staff, legal counsels and budgetary advisors.

The governor also named directors of education and health and human services who will advise the governor on policy matters in these areas, as well as naming his constituent services director and executive assistant.

"The ultimate goal of this administration is change," Sanford said. "In addition to being folks I trust, respect and value in terms of their professional abilities, each one of these individuals is committed to that underlying notion of change so that we raise income levels and quality of life in South Carolina."