S.C. Code Ann. § 59-123-40

The management and control of the university shall be vested in a board of trustees, to be composed as follows: the Governor or his designee, ex officio, fourteen members to be elected by the General Assembly in joint assembly and one member to be appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall make the appointment based on merit regardless of race, color, creed, or gender and shall strive to assure that the membership of the board is representative of all citizens of the State of South Carolina.