The board of trustees of the University of South Carolina shall be composed of the Governor of the State (or his designee), the State Superintendent of Education, and the President of the Greater University of South Carolina Alumni Association, which three shall be members ex officio of the board; and seventeen other members including one member from each of the sixteen judicial circuits to be elected by the general vote of the General Assembly as hereinafter provided, and one at-large member 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.