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Improving Communications - Expanding Our Reach
Student Grants and Scholarships Survive Another Round of Budget Cuts
DHEC Signs Off On Agreement
Student Financial Aid Update
2009 South Carolina Literacy Champions Program
Chief Academic Officers Meet |
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2008
November 20
Public Policy Committee Meeting (SCICU Office)
December 10
Career Services: Student Resumes Due to SCICU 2009February 12
Interview Day for College Seniors (Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center)
February 19
Student/Faculty Research Symposium (BMW Zentrum Visitors Center)
February 22-24
Board of Trustees Meeting and Retreat (Wild Dunes Conference Center, Isle of Palms, SC)
April 20-24
Independent Higher Education Week
April 21
Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner (Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center)
April 22
Independent Higher Education Day (State House) June 15-19
Guidance Counselor Campus Tour |
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Improving Communications - Expanding Our Reach
Notice something different? SCICU is dressing up the format of our episodic News & Notes while at the same time expanding the circulation beyond the Board of Trustees. We have added to our mailing list the various special interest groups that our campuses have in common plus close friends, donors, and sponsors. If you do not want to recieve future copies of News & Notes, please click on the SafeUnsubscribe link at the end of this e-mail.
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Student Grants and Scholarships Survive Another Round of Budget Cuts
 Last week the General Assembly slashed the State's budget for FY 2008-2009 by 7.7% or $488 million. Fortunately, individual student tuition grants and lottery scholarships were spared because of a statute passed last year that exempts student grants and scholarships from mid-year cuts.
This was the second round of cuts since the fiscal year began on July 1. In August the Budget and Control Board reduced the budgets of all agencies by 3%. In the latest action, the Legislature sliced almost 15% from public higher education institutions. The Tuition Grants Commission lost almost $47,000 (13.1%) from its operating budget.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman warned that the declining economy may require the General Assembly to address a continuing revenue shortfall when it returns in January. In addition, he mentioned that everything, including state scholarships, would be on the table when the House and Senate take up next year's annual budget.
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DHEC Signs Off On Agreement
SCICU and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control agreed on the terms and conditions of the Environmental Peer Audit Program just days before the first audit was to begin at Presbyterian College on October 21. The EPA agreement was approved in September.
Sixteen colleges and universities are participating in a three-year program that will subject each campus to an intensive health and safety environmental audit by a team of trained peer auditors and consultants. Both the EPA and DHEC have agreed to waive gravity-based fines and fees based on the good faith participation of the SCICU signatories in this voluntary compliance program. |
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Student Financial Aid Update
 At the September 30 meeting of the Board of Trustees, Chuck Sanders, president and CEO of the SC Student Loan Corporation, described the difficulties in the student loan market brought about by the collapse of the housing and credit markets. As a follow-up, SC Student Loan recently announced that it secured additional financing for the current year in order to meet the increased demand caused by the $2000 increase in unsubsidized Stafford Loans.
More importantly, SCSL is in the final stages of implementing the required mechanisms necessary to fund all Federal Stafford, PLUS, and Grad PLUS loans for the 2009-2010 academic year. In these uncertain financial times, this is extremely good news as students and parents often depend on loans to close the gap between the cost of college and other types of grants, scholarships, and family support. |
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SCICU's web site has been refreshed to include the 2008-2009 College Guide Book, updated statistics, and information about next year's Interview Day and Counselor's Campus Tour. In addition, we posted news releases announcing four new board members and the hiring of Eddie Shannon as executive vice president.
For those of you with children in middle or high school, we have provided a link to a new publication from the Alliance for Research on Higher Education. Planning for College: A Comprehensive Guide for S.C. Families charts a course for those whose destination is a post secondary education. The Guide is designed specifically for South Carolina families, keying on in-state schools (public and private, 2-year and 4-year) and financial aid. |
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2009 South Carolina Literacy Champions Program
 The SC Education Oversight Committee (EOC) created the South Carolina Literacy Champions Program to recognize successful service-learning programs focused on building reading skills among SC public school students. The annual award recognizes up to three service-learning programs within SC postsecondary institutions that have had a significant impact on increasing literacy among K-12 public school students. Each award will be acknowledged with a $10,000 grant to be used for expanding the awarded program and recognition at a meeting of the EOC.
SCICU members may obtain more information and an application at http://www.eoc.sc.gov/SCLC/. |
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Chief Academic Officers Meet
Dr. Danny Parker, Provost of Anderson University, convened the fall semester meeting of the SCICU chief academic officers on October 24. The meeting was hosted at Presbyterian College by Dr. Rob Holyer.
SCICU President and CEO Mike LeFever presented an update on the status of the state budget cuts and their impact on tuition grants and merit-based scholarships. LeFever also addressed the recently published Higher Education Action Plan and the planned SCICU response, the SC Course Alignment Project, and the future of PASCAL.
The CAO's benefited from discussions on the Commission on Colleges' decennial accreditation process with particular emphasis upon the Quality Enhancement Plan and the potential impact of the current economic crisis on the various institutions.
The spring semester meeting will be held at the SCICU office in Columbia on a date to be determined. | |
News & Notes is published by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. Please send all comments or questions to SCICU President & CEO Mike LeFever at mike@scicu.org or 803-799-7122. Mailing address: P.O. Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211 |
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