This means that qualified students attending one of South Carolina's private non-profit colleges or universities will not see their state financial aid reduced for the academic year beginning this fall. Independent college students receive more than $70 million in state financial assistance each year.

Debate on the FY 2012 Appropriations Bill begins on the House floor during the week of March 14.

In Washington, the budget picture is more muddled. On Wednesday,the President signed a stop-gap bill to keep the federal government operating for the next two weeks. Unfortunately, as part of that compromise package, the long-standing Leveraging Education Assistance Program is eliminated.  LEAP provides important seed money for state need-based grant programs, including $350,000 to the Tuition Grants Commission.

Prior to the latest Continuing Resolution, the House passed a budget proposal that reduces the maximum Pell Grant by $845, making the maximum grant $4,705 as of July 1.  This would kick 1.7 million students out of the program and would drastically reduce grant aid for the remaining 7.5 million students. 

The House's action eliminates all funding for the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, meaning that 1.3 million students would lose an average grant of $736, while the poorest students would lose up to $4,000 in additional grant aid.  In addition, the spending proposal also zeroes out the Leveraging Education Assistance Program.

During the next two weeks, the House and the Senate will try to agree to a spending plan for the fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2011. Expect to see many of the same program reductions surface again.

SCICU member schools, students and families, and advocates for independent higher education must continue their efforts to make sure our representatives in Columbia and Washington understand the importance of student aid not only to the future of our students, but also to the economic future of our state and country. Continue to check the Advocacy Section  on the SCICU website for the latest news and suggestions on how you can help.

Dr. David Spittal was recognized for his 17 years of outstanding leadership as president of Southern Wesleyan University and a lifetime of leadership in education by the SCICU Board of Trustees at their recent retreat. In addition to a very successful tenure at SWU, Dr. Spittal served as Chair of the Council of Presidents of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Chair of the Council of Presidents of the Southern States Athletic Conference, Co-Chair of the Pickens County Vision 2025 Project, and was the recipient of the Rotary Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence.

Dave Spittal and his wife, Donna, will leave Central, SC at the end of the semester and return to Indiana to be close to their children and grandchildren.

Because so few employers registered for last year's traditional senior interview day, the event was scaled back to an on-line version that matched student resumés with possible job openings.

What a difference a year makes. On Monday, February 28, more than 300 seniors from SCICU member schools met with 55 employers for Career Connections, a job fair and interview event. Held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, the event was coordinated by SCICU staff and career service directors from independent colleges and universities across the state.

Independent colleges are widely known in the business community for graduating exceptional students with the knowledge, skills, and values that make them outstanding candidates for employment. As the economy slowly improves, so will the job prospects of our graduates.