"I wish them well as they do wish me well," said McClaurin, who resigned from her position as president Tuesday.
Growing tensions between her and the faculty may have led to her resignation, according to ABC11 Eyewitness News sources.
Her chief of staff and the director of academic affairs also are out, leaving three vacancies and a lot of explaining to do before the start of classes next week.
University board of trustees chair, Willie Gary, is offering a message to students.
"Don't let the administrative changes and who's the president stop you," Gary said in a phone interview. "You have faculty members that are waiting with arms open to receive you. Go in those classrooms and get all that you can."
He says keeping the 145-year-old old school afloat is the goal and a challenging one.
Hit by a tornado in the spring, at least one building remains under repair, a sore spot for some critics. The school's insurance company is owned by Gary's brother, but he denies a conflict of interest.
"I think that's a bunch of hog wash," Gary said. "If you have people bidding on insurance, and it happens to be my mother, and she bids the lowest bid for Shaw and it's saving Shaw money, then you do it."
Money has long been a challenge for the embattled university. With more than $30M in debt, and multiple leadership changes, university leaders admit it doesn't look good.
"We're paying our bills, we're paying our bills, we're taking care of business," Gary added. "We're not perfect, but we're gonna get it right."
The search is on for a new president. Meanwhile, a team of administrators will run the university.
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