|
Calendar of Events
Prospective Donor Reception
5-7 p.m. at Devereaux Restaurant
Greenville, SC
May 3
Public Policy Committee Meeting
10:00 a.m. at SCICU Office
May 18
Prospective Donor Reception
5-7 p.m. at Capitol City Club
Columbia, SC
May 25
Student Affairs Officers
10:00 a.m. at SCICU Office
August 5
Development Committee
10:30 a.m. at SCICU Office
August 26
Finance Committee
9:30 a.m. at SCICU Office
September 24
Institutional Research Directors
12:00 p.m. at Furman University
October 5
SCICU Board of Trustees
10:30 a.m. at Columbia College - Breed Leadership Center
October 20
Human Resource Directors
10:00 a.m. at SCICU Office
February 27 - 28
Biennial Board of Trustees Retreat
Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms
To view more info about these meetings and events, click here |
|
|
|
|
|
|
South Carolina Celebrates Independent College and University Week
Governor Mark Sanford and the South Carolina General Assembly recognized the week of April 12-16 as Independent College and University Week and April 14 as Independent College and University Day. The independent college community celebrated the week in several ways.
|
|
Recognizing a Legacy of Teaching and Learning
 On April 13, faculty from each of SCICU's 20 institutions of higher learning were honored at the 5thAnnual Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner held in Columbia. Selected for their ability to teach and inspire, these outstanding facultywere recognized with a certificate and a $3000 stipend for professional development. According to Sara Fisher, chair of the SCICU Board of Trustees, "This year's award recipients demonstrated a remarkable blend of scholarship, passion, commitment, and the ability to motivate students to new heights, hallmarks of a liberal arts education."
SCICU thanks the following sponsors for their support of teaching and learning: AT&T, BB&T of South Carolina, Duke Energy, NBSC, TIAA-CREF, and Vulcan Materials. |
|
State House Day
 On Independent College and University Day, 90 students and staff from 13 member colleges and universities gathered in Columbia. Rep. Phil Owens from Easley welcomed the students to Columbia and the State House and spoke to them about the importance of higher education in moving South Carolina forward and the significant role that private colleges play in this journey. Rep. Owens is chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee and sponsor of the 2010 Concurrent Resolution.  Following their meeting with Chairman Owens, the students visited the State House where they met with members of the House and Senate. The students personally thanked their local legislators for their support of student financial aid such as the needs-based Tuition Grants program and the Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE and Tuition Assistance merit scholarships. Last year students attending South Carolina's independent colleges and universities received over $73 million in state financial aid. The students also asked the legislators to fund the Partnership Among South Carolina's Academic Libraries with $1 million in unclaimed lottery prize money. PASCAL allows all of the state's public and private colleges, universities and technical schools to share resources through a central catalogue and lending program.
Presbyterian College student Edwin Breeden participated in the rally and observed, "The tuition grants that the state makes available to students at independent colleges like PC are an indescribable boon, and I know many people, including myself, who could not afford to be here without this and other forms of assistance. Traveling to the state house and actually speaking with lawmakers in person helps to put a human face on the money they're allocating by showing them the very students they are supporting through school."
|
|
Notes of Thanks
Prior to the celebration at the State House, students attending SCICU's colleges and universities wrote almost 2500 personal letters to their local senators or representatives. Each letter thanked the legislators for supporting the Tuition Grants program and encouraged them to continue funding this and other programs that make it possible for many students to attend the independent college or university of their choice. Over 90% of the Tuition Grant recipients at North Greenville University wrote nearly 1000 letters to lead all SCICU schools. Spartanburg Methodist College placed second with a participation rate of 47%. |
|
Senate Finance Committee Protects Scholarships
 Higher Education Tuition Grants and Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE and Tuition Assistance scholarships survived another round of budget cuts as the Senate Finance Committee reduced the House version of the FY 2010-2011 state budget by $126 million. The latest shortfall was caused by two separate accounting and reporting errors. The committee wrapped up their deliberations late Thursday night less than 36 hours after being visited by independent college students during SCICU State House Day.
In order to bring the state budget into balance, the Finance Committee reduced appropriations to a number of program areas including $10.1 million in higher education. To avoid reducing the merit-based scholarships, the Finance Committee shifted $7.7 million in general fund appropriations to excess unclaimed lottery prize funds as a first priority. PASCAL, which was designated to receive $1.0 million in excess unclaimed prize funds as a second priority in the House budget, was moved down to the fourth position, but the amount of funding was increased to $1.5 million.
The first $8.4 million collected from unclaimed prizes is designated for use by the Department of Education and for technology enhancements at public colleges and universities. Unclaimed prizes collected in excess of the $8.4 million certified amount are awarded in priority order until all available funds are spent.
Based on the average for the past six years, there should be sufficient excess unclaimed prizes to fund fully the Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, and HOPE scholarships. Funding for PASCAL is less certain, but still a possibility depending on how many prizes go unclaimed.
Senators will probably take up the budget during the week of April 26. The budget is far from settled, so SCICU will continue to promote the interests of independent college students. |
|
Student Faculty Research Awards Top $1 Million
 Realizing that students at small, liberal arts schools do not always have an opportunity to engage in individual research projects, the SCICU Board of Trustees in 1996 initiated the Student/Faculty Research Program. In the past 15 years, SCICU has awarded more than $1.1 million to almost 400 students.
Each year SCICU issues a call for proposals to students and faculty at our member institutions. A multi-disciplinary panel of academicians evaluates the proposals and awards one year stipends to selected students and their faculty research advisors. The field of study ranges from the sciences to the liberal arts. In addition to documenting their findings and preparing a final financial statement, the students make a capstone presentation at the annual SCICU Research Symposium.
For 2010, more than $85,000 was awarded to 27 students at 9 SCICU institutions. These students will present their findings at the 2011 Research Symposium.
Generous contributions from friends and sponsors of independent higher education make the Student/Faculty Program a reality. Equally important are the faculty volunteers who read, score, and rank the many outstanding proposals submitted to SCICU each year. We thank all who have helped us reach the $1 million milestone. |
|
Board Approves New Governance Policies
The SCICU Board of Trustees approved three new operations policies aimed at strengthening the Board's management and oversight of the organization. Responding to recent events and government mandates, both for-profit and non-profit corporations have placed an increased emphasis on governance issues such as transparency and accountability. Following the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Board voted by mail on April 9 to approve new policies addressing Conflicts of Interest, Reporting Improper Conduct (Whistleblowing), and Records Management. Copies of the policies are available by contacting Mike LeFever at mail to: mike@scicu.org. |
|
Biennial Retreat Scheduled for 2011
Based on a recent survey of the Board of Trustees, SCICU will hold its biennial board meeting and retreat on February 27 and 28, 2011 at the Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms. A significant majority of the trustees responding to the survey voted to continue the two-day event which includes topical speakers and expanded discussions on higher education issues in addition to the annual spring business meeting. |
|
Torrence Suffers Injury
Brenda Torrence, SCICU's vice president for business affairs for over 20 years, suffered a severe beak to her right ankle in a household accident the day before Easter. Although her injury has limited her time in the office, Brenda has continued to be the driving force behind SCICU's events such as the recent Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner and State House Day and the day-to-day financial operations of the organization. Anyone wanting to share get-well wishes with Breda may send them to the SCICU office at 1706 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201 or by email to: brenda@scicu.org. |
|
Business Partners Program Takes Off
Since launching the SCICU Business Partners Program less than a month ago, seven businesses have joined SCICU's on-line network of providers offering goods and services to the independent higher education community in South Carolina. We proudly recognize and thank the following companies for their support:
|
|
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 |
|
|
