Even though more than 57 percent of the university's student body is made up of women, decision-making for the school will be left up to a group of 16 men and one woman once Harvey's four-year term expires June 30.
Harvey, a Beaufort resident and wife of former Democratic Lt. Gov. Brantley Harvey, will be replaced by Bluffton attorney William "Wes" Jones, who was voted to the board by the General Assembly on Wednesday.
The 13-year board member said Wednes-day's Senate and House votes were a reflection of the state's majority-Republican General Assembly.
"The board serves at the will of the legislature and I imagine the vote that was taken reflects the views of the legislature -- reflects the makeup of the legislature," Harvey said Thursday. "That's the way it is."
Jones, an attorney with Jones, Patterson, Simpson and Newton, said he was "very pleased and very humbled" by Wednesday's election results. Jones actively supported the University of South Carolina Beaufort's move to a four-year school and is on the building advisory committee for the new campus near Sun City Hilton Head.
"I have the highest regard for Mrs. Harvey and have told her so on many occasions," he said. "I look forward to continuing to work with her."
Some Democrats on Wednesday accused Republicans of politicizing the typically nonpartisan trustee race. Jones was backed by House Speaker David Wilkins, a Republican. Harvey won in the Senate, but was voted down in the House.
When asked if he thinks more women should be on USC's board, Jones said "the board should be composed of those individuals who are the most qualified, and that should include both men and women."
The General Assembly voted 94-68 in favor of Jones over Harvey.
The area's local legislators were split.
Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, and Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, voted for Harvey. But Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head, and Reps. JoAnne Gilham, R-Hilton Head, Walter Lloyd, D-Walterboro, and Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, voted for Jones.
Harvey said she holds no ill will toward Jones, and will continue to support the university. She graduated from USC in 1954 and has supported the school for many years. In 1998 she and her husband gave $1.4 million to the university.
Some criticized Harvey's removal because it leaves USC with just one female-voting trustee. Financier Darla Moore, one of two gubernatorial appointees on the board, is now its sole female member.
"This is really a shame," said Sally Boyd, vice provost of USC's continuing education program. "This is a public institution, and it needs to be guided by a vision that represents the diversity here."
The university has about 25,300 students; 14,468, or 57.2 percent, are women. The school's bylaws seem clear on the issue: "The Governor shall ... strive to assure that the membership of the Board is representative of all citizens of the State of South Carolina."
But the board of trustees' lack of women isn't an oddity. Clemson University's 13-member board includes just one woman while the College of Charleston's 17-member board includes four women.
"It's indicative of a larger problem, which is that women in higher education are still dealing with a lot of inequities," said Ashley Carr, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of University Women.
Sixteen of the board's 17 voting members are voted on by the General Assembly with a representative coming from each of the state's 16 judicial circuits. The last voting member is appointed by the governor. The governor, the state superintendent of education and the president of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association are also nonvoting members of the board.
Trustee Herb Adams said women's issues at the university won't be forgotten, despite Harvey's absence.
"I've got three daughters of my own, and female representation is very important to them," he said. "I can tell you that the issues facing women at the university will not be ignored by this board."