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2009
February 12
Interview Day for College Seniors (Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center)
February 13
Public Policy Committee Meeting
10:00 a.m. at SCICU Office
February 13
Institutional Research Directors Meeting
12:00 p.m. at CIU
February 19
Student/Faculty Research Symposium (BMW Zentrum Visitors Center)
February 22-23
Board of Trustees Meeting and Retreat (Wild Dunes Conference Center, Isle of Palms, SC)
February 27
Career Services Directors Meeting
10:30 a.m. at SCICU Office
March 4
Business Affairs Officers Meeting
10:30 p.m. at SCICU Office
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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Stimulus Package Inches Forward - Education Loses Ground
 Later today, the US Senate will vote on the Nelson-Collins bipartisan compromise to the Senate version of President Obama's economic stimulus package. The agreement cuts back on some of the spending in the Senate's original bill, particularly in state aid and education.
If the Senate approves the compromise amendment, final Senate approval of the bill is expected on Tuesday. The next step in the process is a House-Senate conference committee. The House version of the stimulus package strongly supports higher education.
An increase in spending on Pell Grants survived the compromise, but at a slightly reduced level when compared to the House version ($15.6 billion v $13.8 billion). At this level the Pell Grant maximum would increase approximately $400 over the next two years.
Money for renovations for higher education facilities was cut completely from the compromise amendment. The original Senate bill allocated $3.5 billion for renovation and repairs while the House included $6 billion in its version. It is expected that the House conferees will attempt to add money for higher education facilities.
The Nelson-Collins amendment includes $61 million for Perkins Loan capital contributions. The House bill did not include Perkins funding. All three versions of the stimulus package include funding for a $2500 expanded tax credit for college tuition and related expenses. The $100 million for Teacher Quality Enhancement included in both the House and Senate versions was reduced to $50 million in the compromise.
Both the House and the original Senate plans included $79 billion for state fiscal stabilization, an effort to help states manage growing budget deficits. The compromise reduces the figure by $40 billion.
If the final Senate bill resembles the bipartisan compromise, the total spending differences between the House ($819 billion) and the Senate ($827 billion) will be about $28 billion dollars. The conference committee should be able to agree on an overall spending level quickly before negotiating line item differences.
SCICU and our college and university presidents have been actively trying to persuade the South Carolina delegation to support the needs of higher education. In addition to letters and telephone calls, Mike LeFever and President Cleveland Sellers (Voorhees) and President Jairy Hunter (CSU) met last week with members of Congress to explain how the stimulus money would help South Carolina students and families. Once the members of the conference committee are appointed, there may be other opportunities to make our case one final time. |
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Critical Week for SC State Budget
 By the end of the week, the disturbing budget picture for FY 2009-2010 should become clearer. On Monday, the Board of Economic Advisors will meet to set the expected revenue levels for the next fiscal year and to adjust this year's projections. The next day the full Ways and Means Committee will begin a series of meetings to allocate next year's scarce resources.
A continued drop in this year's revenues as determined by the BEA could force the House and Senate to order more mid-year budget reductions. Over $1 billion has been cut since the July 1 start of the fiscal year, and some fear that another reduction in the neighborhood of $50 million may be needed to balance the FY 2008-2009 budget. Tuition Grants and merit-based scholarships are protected from mid-year reductions.
Efforts to maintain next year's funding for Tuition Grants and other scholarships at this year's level are ongoing. In addition to the hands-on work of the SCICU government relations team, an active student letter campaign is underway. Moreover, the state's higher education librarians have organized an extremely thorough and high-energy grassroots campaign to save PASCAL, a partnership between public and private institutions of higher learning to share resources.
If you want to get more personally involved in securing higher education funding and resources for students and families, contact Mike LeFever. |
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2008 Annual Report Available
 The 2008 SCICU Annual Report was mailed to donors, sponsors, trustees, friends and supporters last month. Electronic copies are available at www.scicu.org. The 2008 report was expanded and redesigned to recognize more completely the many donors and supporters of independent higher education in South Carolina. In addition to the annual fiscal statement, the report also describes in detail the many projects, programs and activities supported by SCICU. Additional hard copies of the report are available by contacting Jennifer Sturdwick at Jennifer@scicu.org. |
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Don't Forget to Check Out the Calendar of Events
 Interview Day, Research Symposium, Board Retreat, Higher Education Week, consortia meetings, and more will be taking place during the next several months. Don't miss your opportunity to participate in a SCICU event or program. Check out the Calendar of Events, and call the SCICU office if you need more information. | |
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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