News & Notes

A legislative conference committee reconciling the differences between the FY 2010-2011 appropriations bills passed by the House and Senate agreed on Thursday to maintain funding for Higher Education Tuition Grants and Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, and other scholarships at the current year's levels. Working to narrow a $50 million gap caused by the Governor's veto of a bill to increase court fees, conferees agreed on compromised spending reductions in areas of the budget that included social services, health programs, law enforcement, and the courts.

Funding for PASCAL (Partnership Among South Carolina's Academic Libraries) is now in the third priority position for funding from excess unclaimed lottery prize money. PASCAL officials will not know until later in the fiscal year whether they will qualify for up to $1.5 million.

Both the House and the Senate must agree on the changes before the bill can be sent to the Governor. By law, the legislature must adjourn on June 3. Both chambers will return to Columbia on June 15 to address vetoes by Governor Sanford. Primary elections statewide will be held on June 8 with run-offs scheduled for June 22.

Erskine Board of Trustees Selects New President

Dr. David A. Norman was chosen as the 15th president of Erskine College and Seminary by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees.

Norman, 34, was presented with unanimous support for election by the Presidential Search Committee, which was appointed in August when current President Dr. Randall T. Ruble announced his plans to retire on June 30.

"I am very pleased to be joining the Erskine College and Seminary family and I'd like to thank the search committee and the Board of Trustees for putting their confidence in me," Norman said. "My wife K.D. and I have been eagerly anticipating this moment." The Normans have three children - Noah, Asher and Ezra.

The new president received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University. While Norman was a student at Auburn, he married K.D., his high school sweetheart. They will be celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary on June 14.

After earning his master's degree in Christian Thought from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Norman went to the University of Edinburgh and was awarded the Ph.D. for his work in Philosophical Theology.

Norman served several years as a professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina in Lancaster. The Normans became members of First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. Their two oldest sons were baptized in that church and Norman was ordained as a deacon there.

He then became executive director of the prestigious Trinity Forum Academy, a highly selective graduate program in Applied Philosophy and Theology. In his role, Norman was responsible for recruitment, finances, board relations, student development, managing staff, teaching, fund-raising, and all operational responsibilities.

Norman stayed at Trinity Forum until he was recruited to join Best and Associates, a Dallas-based higher education consulting and service organization. During his association with Best, Norman has continued to develop his experience and knowledge in the business and best practices of higher education.

Norman will take office July 1 and his inauguration will take place this fall.

CIU Library Heavily Damaged by Fire

The G. Allen Fleece Library at Columbia International University was heavily damaged by an intense early morning fire May 8. The Columbia Fire Department was called to the scene about 6 a.m. after a student noticed smoke coming from the building and alerted a security guard who called 911. The library was closed at the time and there were no injuries, but there was heavy fire damage to both floors at the rear of the two-story library, and heavy smoke damage throughout the library.

The library is part of the larger Ridderhof Building that also houses Hoke Auditorium, classrooms, offices, a computer lab, and WMHK Radio. While the fire did not go beyond the library, smoke could be smelled throughout the building.

The cause of the fire was an electrical problem in a fluorescent ceiling light. Damage is estimated at $1.5 million.

CIU President Bill Jones came to the campus to view the damage, and to lead fellow CIU administrators and staff who were on the scene, in a prayer for strength and encouragement. He also personally thanked Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins and his firefighters.

At the May 15 commencement exercises, CIU President Bill Jones announced that the library will not just be restored, but will undergo a $2 million renovation.

The fire was concentrated in a vital section of the library. Many rare Bible translations, Bible commentaries dating to the 1800s, and other theology books were a total loss. All other books have smoke or water damage and are being restored by a company that specializes in book restoration.

CIU Library Director Jo Ann Rhodes is hoping the library will be back to normal by the fall semester, but no official target date has been set.

No donations of books are being accepted at this time because the library does not have a climate-controlled space to store them. The library is still in the process of determining what has been lost from its collection. Bob Kallgren, CIU vice president for institutional effectiveness says that when actual losses are evaluated, the library will better know what it needs.

"We are deeply touched by the hundreds of offers of donations and other assistance," Kallgren said. "We will make an announcement when we are able to process offers of donations in the future."

In the meantime, monetary donations designated "Library Restoration" are being accepted.

Board Approves New Investment Policy

The SCICU Board of Trustees approved on May 21 two new policies to guide the investment and use of the organization's endowments. Members of the Finance Committee spent several meetings revising the single existing policy in order to provide the investment consultants the flexibility to diversify the asset allocation in an effort, over full market cycles, to lower the volatility of the current portfolio. The policies were edited to provide more consistency, clarity, and a distinct definition of responsibilities.

The General Endowment Investment Policy Statement addresses the well-established $2.4 million endowment. Earnings from the general endowment fund the Excellence in Teaching Awards and a portion of the student research grants.

The Scholarship Endowment Investment Policy Statement controls the investment strategy for the $1 million endowment established several years ago by the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation.The earnings from scholarship endowment may be used to fund scholarships at member institutions. Previously, there was not a separate policy for the scholarship endowment.

Career Directors Adapt to Changing Economy

For sixteen years, SCICU Career Directors planned and conducted an interview day where seniors at SCICU colleges and universities met face-to-face with recruiters from some of the nation's top businesses. Two years ago, more than 40 employers and 243 students took part in the annual event. Last year, as unemployment moved steadily upward, only 27 employers participated in the interviews.

In spite of an intensive recruiting effort by the Career Directors and SCICU staff, there was not sufficient interest from the business community to justify the expense associated with sponsoring the event in 2010. Employers cited a lack of employment opportunities, a surplus of qualified applicants, and a need to reduce travel expenses as reasons for not coming to Columbia for in-person interviews.

Adapting to the changing economy, the Career Directors transformed the 17th Annual SCICU Interview Day into a "virtual job fair." The Career Directors recruited employers to submit employment or internship positions to a special SCICU website using the resources of the internet-based College Central Network. Students were encouraged to respond to the employers by posting their resumes to the website. Neither the employers nor the students were charged for sharing employment information.

In February, 57 employers submitted 93 jobs to the site. In response, over 600 students from 18 SCICU schools uploaded 445 resumes. Many of the students who did not post their resumes either e-mailed their resumes directly to an employer or used an employer's on-line application system.

Career Directors are still evaluating the results of this employer-student matchmaking service, but it is clear that the virtual job fair gave more students exposure to a greater number of job vacancies from a large variety of employers at little or no cost to either party.

The downside is that the students did not get the immediate opportunity for personal interviews and the Career Directors did not get the kind of personal feedback from both students and recruiters that they normally receive during an interview day.

Developing a new program like the virtual job fair requires a tremendous amount of innovation and coordination among the SCICU members. In particular, Linda Jameison and Lynn Downie of Presbyterian College were extremely instrumental in creating the process, enabling the website, and managing the flow of information.

As the economy improves, the Career Directors hope to bring back the traditional Interview Day in 2011 and possibly supplement it with another virtual job fair in order to expand the employment opportunities for graduates of South Carolina's independent colleges and universities.

Congratulations, Jennifer

Jennifer Strudwick, SCICU's part-time administrative assistant for more than 3 years, graduated from Columbia College on May 8. A communication major with a 3.4 GPA and an outstanding employee, Jennifer deftly juggled school, work, and family to reach her goal of obtaining a bachelor's degree.

In addition to daily administrative tasks, Jennifer helps Brenda with the coordination of major events such as the Guidance Counselor Campus Tour and the Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner. She also is responsible for coordinating the publication of the annual report, college guide, and monthly newsletter.

While Jennifer searches for a full-time position, she will continue to work at SCICU. She also welcomes opportunities to interview for employment with any of our SCICU corporate or college friends.

Statistical Abstract Published

The SCICU Statistical Abstract 2010 was published and distributed recently. This report highlights relevant information for the 20 private non-profit colleges and universities that are members of SCICU. Areas of interest include admissions, enrollment, retention and graduation, tuition and fees, student financial assistance, and advancement and business affairs.

The report was prepared with the assistance of the institutional research directors at SCICU member institutions, the Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission, and the Commission on Higher Education.

Number of Business Partners Grows

SCICU's on-line network of providers offering goods and services to the independent higher education community in South Carolina grew by 5 partners in the last month. The Business Partners program provides a convenient marketplace where SCICU member colleges and universities can preview offerings from some of the top companies in the country.

We proudly recognize and thank the following companies for their support:

For more information about the Business Partners program, contact Eddie Shannon at [email protected] or click on the Business Partners link at the top of the SCICU home page.

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 [email protected] or 803-799-7122. Mailing address: P.O. Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211