Two days before the July 1 start of the 2011-12 fiscal year, the House and Senate overrode 25 of Governor Haley's 35 line-item vetoes and passed a state budget. The $5.7 billion spending plan is $300 million more than the current year's budget, but $1.3 billion less than the general fund budget in 2007.

 

The new state budget includes a total of $329 million in student financial aid consisting of revenues from the Education Lottery and general fund appropriations. Funding for both need-based and merit scholarships mirrored the levels of the past three years and has avoided the devastating cuts imposed on other education and social programs.

 

Under the legislative plan, the Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission will be able to fund grants to a maximum of $2600 for the 2011-2012 academic year. The Tuition Grants Commission estimates that more than 15,000 resident students will be awarded grants to attend a South Carolina private non-profit college or university. 

Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, and Tuition Assistance scholarships will be awarded at their full statutory levels. PASCAL, the academic library partnership for public and private colleges and universities, may receive up to $1.5 million if there is sufficient unclaimed lottery prize money available.

 

Based on the figures from the previous year, students attending independent colleges and universities in South Carolina will receive more than $75 million in state financial assistance.

We are thankful that each year members of the General Assembly realize the importance of financial assistance for students attending a SCICU member institution. And we are thankful for the campus advocates, students and parents, trustees, and friends who continue to remind lawmakers, in very real terms, the individual and collective impact that grants and scholarships have on our students, our institutions, and on South Carolina's economy.

Seventeen high school and middle school counselors hit the road on Monday, June 13 for a week-long tour of 10 SCICU member colleges and universities. This annual event is designed to provide guidance and career counselors with an opportunity to experience personally the diversity and outstanding educational opportunities available at South Carolina's independent colleges and universities.

 

The theme of this year's tour is Independent Higher Education: Unmatched Value, Incomparable Experience. The participants started the tour with an orientation program at Columbia International University. Mr. Steve Auld, Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, extended a warm welcome to the group and gave a brief explanation of the history and mission of CIU.

 

Mike LeFever, president and CEO of SCICU, provided an overview of SCICU and its member institutions.  Sandra Rhyne, director of Admissions and Student Financial Services at Columbia International University, made a presentation on federal student aid. State student aid was covered by Katie Harrison, deputy director at the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission.

 

Public school counselors can qualify for 3 credit hours of continuing education with the successful completion of the tour and an accompanying project.  Ms. Joan Dickinson, interim director of Guidance Services at the South Carolina Department of Education, outlined the program requirements and provided the participants with the course syllabus and scoring rubric.

 

Shortly before noon, the counselors and their tour guides-Toby Frierson (Erskine College), Wes Daniels (Coker College), and Monique Richardson (Coker College)-boarded the bus for a 5-day tour that took them from the coast to the foothills. Along the way they visited Columbia College, Benedict College, Claflin University, Charleston Southern University, Voorhees College, Presbyterian College, Erskine College, North Greenville University, Southern Wesleyan University, and Furman University.

 

The annual Guidance Counselor Campus Tour alternates each year between two sets of 10 private non-profit liberal arts institutions that are members of SCICU.

 

With the end of SCICU's fiscal year just 60 days away, the Development Committee is closing in on its goal of achieving 100% giving by members of the SCICU Board of Trustees. Committee Chair Russell Cook encourages all Board members to make their donations or fulfill their commitments by August 31.

 

Please contact SCICU Executive Vice President Eddie Shannon for more details.

Mike Brenan, chair of the SCICU Nominating Committee, invites current Board members to nominate candidates for membership on the Board of Trustees for terms of office that begin on September 1, 2011. Candidates should have an appreciation for the important contributions that a strong and vibrant community of independent colleges and universities brings to the state and a willingness to advocate for strengthening the opportunities for students to attend the independent institution of higher learning of their choice.

 

Please send you nominations by July 10 to SCICU President and CEO Mike LeFever.

South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities has partnered with McAfee and ScholarBuys to reduce the cost of Security and Data Protection Solutions. 

Program Details: SCICU members are now eligible to receive:

·         62% discount on McAfee End Point Protection Suite(s)

·         45% discount on McAfee Email and Web Security Appliances

 

Term:  Present - 06/30/12

 

Many SCICU member institutions are already enjoying huge savings on Microsoft products as provided through our premiere business partner ScholarBuys. Similar savings are now available from McAfee. ScholarBuys will be calling on each campus to provide more details.  In the interim, if you have any questions, please contact Chris Sawicki @ 877.999.9294 or chris.sawicki@scholarbuys.com.

            

McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation, is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse, and shop the Web more securely.

 

Because of their membership in SCICU, all of our member schools have access to CCCS's national contracts and services. We are pleased to offer all of the resources of CCCS to our members. Links to the CCCS website can be found in this newsletter and on the Business Partners pages of the SCICU website.