The Senate Finance Committee completed work on the FY 2013-14 Appropriations Bill late Friday afternoon. The bill now goes to the Senate floor where the full Senate will debate the measure during the week of May 14.

 

In the area of higher education, the Finance Committee approved a spending plan consistent with the recommendations of the South Carolina House of Representatives and Gov. Nikki Haley's executive budget.

 

At this point in the long budget process, the Tuition Grants Commission is slated to receive an additional $1.6 million in recurring state appropriations.  This will allow the Commission to raise the maximum award to $2,900 for the 2013 -14 academic year. 

 

The budget adopted by the Finance Committee also fully funds the Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, and Tuition Assistance scholarship programs. PASCAL, the Partnership Among South Carolina's Academic Libraries, is first in line to receive $1.5 million if there is a sufficient excess of unclaimed lottery prize money at the end of the year. Last year, PASCAL received $1.25 million from the same funding source. 

 

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 dinner and awarded a $3000 professional development grant.

 

We are pleased to present the 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award honorees as announced in a ceremony on April 16, 2013. This group of teacher-scholars represents many different academic disciplines and brings a rich diversity of education, experience, and interests to our campuses. They are dedicated and committed professionals who have worked long and hard to be the best in their particular academic discipline in order to instruct and guide future generations as their life's work. They are value-centered, passionate, creative, and caring.

 

SCICU is pleased to recognize the following with Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2013. Please click HERE for the name and biography of each award recipient.

 

SCICU gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their support of the Excellence in Teaching Awards Dinner for 2013: ABM Solutions, Aramark Higher Education, AT&T, Bank of America, BB&T, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., NBSC, Provista, Sodexo, TIAA-CREF, Total Comfort Solutions, and Vulcan Materials Company.

 

More than 100 students and staff celebrated Independent College and University Day by visiting the State House on April 17. The student representatives visited with House and Senate members throughout the morning to thank them personally for funding student financial aid programs.

 

The celebration at the State House capped a coordinated effort to let state legislators know how important need-based Tuition Grants and merit scholarships are to students attending private non-profit colleges and universities. More than 7100 individual "thank you" letters were mailed to members of the General Assembly by grateful students.

 

Rep. Garry R. Smith (R-Simpsonville) welcomed the students to Columbia and presented a  Concurrent Resolution designating April 15-19 as Independent College and University Week and April 17 as Independent College and University Day. The resolution also recognized SCICU's 60 years of exceptional service to the state's independent institutions of higher learning.

 

The day's activities concluded with a ceremony on the State House steps. Ted Pitts, Gov. Haley's deputy chief of staff, read the Governor's Proclamation, and Rep. Chandra E. Dillard (D-Greenville) was presented with the 2013 SCICU Legislative Champion Award. 

 

Funding for this year's program was provided in part by the SCICU General Endowment and from the following generous donors: Belle W. Baruch Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina, Lee Bryan III, Charles W. and Elizabeth H. Coker Foundation, Daniel-Mickel Foundation, Mills B. Lane Foundation, and Duke Energy. 

SCICU features some of its member colleges and universities' news on our website each month. Here are some of the articles we featured this month:

• Anderson University receives recognition for Interior Design Dean and Major   
• Wofford students, professors, high school faculty energize learning Ceremony for Athletics Center 

To have your school featured in the "Member College News" section, please send your press releases to Stephenie Bergen at stephenie@scicu.org. 

 
To see all of our Member College News, please click here. 

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.  

 Casagrande Consulting, LLC
HRP Associates, Inc.
Pollock Company