News & Notes 
Information for South Carolina's Independent Colleges & Universities  
Volume 5 Issue 5                                                                       May 2012


In This Issue
Excellence in Teaching Banquet
Budget Update
Independent College & University Week
Student Letters Underscore Need for Aid
Student Research Grants Announced
Trustee Challenge Receptions
Calendar of Events
2012-2013 

May 4 
College Campus Tour Planning Meeting at SCICU Office, 10:30 a.m. 

May 17  
IT Directors Workshop at It-oLogy, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

May 18
Campus Tour Registration Closes

May 28
Memorial Day, office closed

June 5
Student Affairs Directors Meeting at SCICU Office, 10 a.m.

June 8
Career Service Directors Meeting at SCICU Office, 10:30 a.m.  
 

 

June 18-21

SCICU College Campus Tour for High School Professionals 

 

To view more info about these meetings and events, click here

Our Colleges:


Business Partners:

   

ABM Building Services, LLC 

Affinity LTC, LLC

Aramark
AT&T

Bank of America
Benefit Controls of the Carolinas

Benefit Controls of the Midlands, Inc.

Blackboard Connect

CapinCrouse LLP Carroll Campus Development

Catastrophe Services, Inc.  

Chase

CMD Outsourcing Solutions
Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc.
Daniels Group - Greenville SC Office 

Delta Dental
Edvance360 LMS-SN (Formerly Scholar360)
Elliot Davis, LLC

First American Education Finance (FAEF) 

Ford & Harrison LLP
Frank A. Casagrande Consulting, LLC  

Genworth Financial 

Gillis Specialty Advertising
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. 
HRP Associates,Inc.   

Learning House 

Liberty Mutual 

Live2Create

MXN Corporation
Myers McRae 

Nelnet Business Solutions

Palmetto Electronics, Inc. 

Pollock Company

PrimeTRUST Advisors

Provista

Sallie Mae

ScholarBuys

Sodexo

Total Comfort Soluions
The Wyche Law Frim

 

Click here to view a full listing of SCICU Business partners...

 

Private College Purchasing Coalition:
CCCS
The Coalition for College Cost Savings is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping SCICU members reduce and contain costs through collaboration.
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South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Awards 2012 
The hallmark of South Carolina's private non-profit colleges and universities is their emphasis on individualized learning and student achievement. This can only be accomplished by a faculty of the highest quality working in a supportive environment that encourages and fosters serious inquiry, critical thinking, and a broader understanding of the world in which we live.

Each year, SCICU recognizes and celebrates the best of the best with its Excellence in Teaching Awards. A member of the faculty from each of twenty institutions of higher learning is nominated for the award according to rigorous guidelines. The award recipients are honored at a special awards dinner and presented a $3,000 professional development grant.

 

We are pleased to present the 2012 Excellence in Teaching Award honorees as announced in a ceremony on April 10, 2012. This group of teacher-scholars represents many different academic disciplines and brings a rich diversity of education, experience, and interests to our campuses.

 

There are common threads, however, that weave their way through this distinguished group of academicians. They first and foremost are teachers who come to our liberal arts institutions to work one-on-one with students whom they also serve as advisors, mentors, and friends. They are dedicated and committed individuals who have worked long and hard to be the best in their particular academic disciple in order to instruct and guide future generations as their life's work. They are value-centered, passionate, creative, and caring.

 

SCICU gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their support of the Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner for 2012:  ABM Solutions, AT&T, BB&T, Benefit Controls of the Carolinas, Chase Bank, Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., NBSC, TIAA-CREF, Total Comfort Solutions, Vulcan Materials, Wyche Burgess Freeman & Parham, P.A.

 

SCICU campuses are filled with outstanding instructors, and we are pleased and proud to recognize the following individuals with Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2012.

 

To see the complete listing of all the winners, click here.  

 

Budget Update

Statehouse

The Senate Finance Committee completed its second week of deliberations without approving a spending plan for FY 2012-2013. The full committee spent several sessions considering provisos while various subcommittees continued working to finish their recommendations.

 

Once the Senate Finance Committee adopts the budget, the bill must be printed and made available to the members of the Senate and public for a period of at least one week. The Senate must pass a bill, reach an agreement with the House, and then, along with the House, address any vetoes issued by the Governor before the appropriations act becomes law.

 

With only 15 legislative days before the June 7 adjournment deadline, there is some speculation that the General Assembly may return for a special session after the June 12 primaries. Last year, the Governor signed the State budget on June 30, the day before the beginning of the fiscal year.

 

The House funded the State's merit scholarships at their full statutory levels and the S.C. Tuition Grants program at the current year's level. PASCAL is the #2 priority for up to $1.5 million in excess unclaimed lottery prize money.

 

At the level of funding approved by the House, next year's maximum tuition grant will be increased from $2,600 to $2,700. The addition of unobligated awards to the annual appropriations will make the $100 increase possible.

 

To support student financial aid programs for the fiscal year beginning July 1, the House allocated more than $313 million. While lottery proceeds make up the bulk of the allocation, general tax revenue in the amount of $96 million is needed to complete the funding.

Independent College and University Week
More than 100 students and staff from 16 SCICU member colleges and universities celebrated Independent College and University Day with a rally at the State House on April 18.

The day's events started  with remarks by Rep. Chandra Dillard (Greenville) who also presented the group with a  Concurrent Resolution of the House and Senate. The resolution "recognizes and honors independent colleges and universities in South Carolina for their outstanding contributions in educating the youth of our State and nation." Rep. Dillard is the Director of Community Relations for Furman University and has served in the House since 2009.

 

Following pictures with Rep. Dillard, the students received a briefing on the importance of Higher Education Tuition Grants, merit scholarships, and PASCAL before going to the State House to meet with officials from their home districts. The main purpose of these meetings is to thank the members of the General Assembly for supporting student financial aid, to explain in personal terms how tuition grants help the students attend the college of their choice, and to encourage legislators to continue funding the programs to the greatest extent possible.

 

At a noon rally on the State House steps, SCICU presented Sen. John Courson with the  SCICU 2012 Legislative Champion Award. Sen. Courson has been a staunch supporter of higher education and independent colleges and universities since being elected to the State Senate in 1985. As chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Courson is a strong voice and a leader on those issues most important to SCICU and its member institutions. In March, he was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

 

Before leaving Columbia, the students were presented with a  Proclamation from Gov. Nikki Haley declaring April 16-20 as Independent College and University Week and April 18 as Independent College and University Day. Deputy Chief of Staff Ted Pitts made the presentation on behalf of Gov. Haley. Ted, a former member of the House from Lexington County, is a graduate of Presbyterian College.

Student Letters Underscore Need for Aid

More than 4,200 students attending an independent college or university on a Higher Education Tuition Grant wrote personal thank you letters to members of the General Assembly. In a campaign that started when the students returned to campus in January, students were encouraged to send handwritten letters to their district House member or Senator.

 

The students thanked the legislators for funding the Tuition Grants Program and explained how important the grants are to students and their families. Many mentioned that state merit scholarships are also an important part of their financial aid package. Through their letters, the students were able to put a personal face and story behind each grant and make a plea for continued funding.

 

The letter campaign coincides with the State's appropriations process. Members of the House and Senate received letters prior to considering the budget bill for 2012-2013. The House passed an  appropriations bill in March that continues funding the Tuition Grants Program at the current year's level and fully funds Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, and Tuition Assistance scholarships. The Senate will be acting on the House bill in the coming weeks.

 

Over 6,600 letters were mailed to members of the General Assembly. Students from North Greenville University sent more than 1,800 letters, and 82% of the grant recipients at Spartanburg Methodist College wrote letters to their House and Senate members.

 

The letters are an important part of SCICU's advocacy campaign and provide a prelude to  State House Day when students come to Columbia to meet with their legislators.

Student Research Grants Announced

Thirty-six students from 14 SCICU member institutions will share in more than $100,000 in awards for independent student-faculty research. A panel of 6 academicians labored most of a day earlier this month to select 32 top-quality projects from 55 applications with a value of almost $236,000.

 

The students, under the guidance of their faculty sponsors, will complete their research this year and present their findings at the annual SCICU Student-Faculty Research Symposium early in 2013. Through this annual program, undergraduate students compete for funding and research scholarship opportunities not often available at small liberal arts colleges. The experience that the students gain through participation in this program often pays rich dividends when the students apply to graduate or professional school or any employment where there is a high value on original thought, critical thinking, analysis, and presentation.

 

The SCICU Student-Faculty Research Program is made possible through generous donations from the Belle W. Baruch Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of SC, F. Lee Bryan III, Charles W. and Elizabeth H. Coker Foundation, The Daniel-Mickel Foundation, Mills B. Lane Memorial Foundation, and the SCICU General Endowment.

SCICU Trustee Challenge Receptions 

The Unrestricted Funds Campaign at SCICU has been a very popular program over the years, and millions of dollars have been raised for the member colleges. Funds received through the Unrestricted Program are distributed each year based on a formula that considers enrollment size and the amount of state financial aid dollars received by the college. Colleges find the unrestricted program attractive because the funds may be used at their own discretion.  This past year, almost $100,000 was raised and distributed to the colleges; however, with the recent poor economy, giving to the unrestricted campaign has declined by almost 50% since 2006.  In an effort to enhance the unrestricted campaign and develop new donors to SCICU, the Development Committee approved the 2012 SCICU Trustee Challenge whereby each SCICU trustee was challenged to bring in one new donor to SCICU.

 

To assist the trustees in their efforts, SCICU was able to secure a $5,000 grant from the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) to hold a series of receptions throughout the state. Trustees were encouraged to attend the receptions and to invite potential donors to SCICU to learn more about SCICU and our 20 member independent colleges. Receptions were held in Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach. Over 100 potential new donors attended the receptions.

 

The SCICU Trustee Challenge receptions were a big success that we hope will result in an increase to the Unrestricted Giving Program at SCICU. In addition, top business and community leaders from every part of the state were introduced and/or updated on the activities going on at SCICU and our member colleges. Many "thanks" to the SCICU trustees and college presidents that participated in the five state-wide receptions.
SCICU Business Partners
SCICU's on-line network of providers offers goods and services to the independent higher education community in South Carolina. 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 new companies for their support:


In addition, the following companies have renewed their partnership: 


 

Because of their membership in SCICU, all SCICU 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.

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