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Volume 9, Issue 7 - October 2017


In This Issue:


BoardMeeting
(L-R) SCICU Board Of Trustees Awards Luncheon (Younts Conference Center at Furman University, September 26, 2017)



SCICU Board Honors Student of the Year 
And Elects New Officers and Trustees


Honoring the SCICU Student of the Year and electing new officers and trustees highlighted the 2017 Fall Board of Trustees meeting on September 26 at Furman University.

The Council of College and University Presidents started the day-long event with a breakfast meeting hosted by Furman University President Dr. Elizabeth Davis at White Oaks, the official residence of the Furman University president.

At the Board of Trustees meeting that followed, the Board elected new officers and trustees, recognized retiring trustees, and approved the FY 2017-18 budget.  Committee chairs presented updates in the key areas of finance, development, and advocacy.

The annual Awards Luncheon followed the business meeting.  Pamela Rutledge of Morris College was honored as the SCICU Student of the Year.  Dr. Walt Griffin, President of Limestone College, was also recognized and honored for 25 years of leadership upon his retirement at the end of 2017.  A panel discussion on educating non-traditional students led by Dr. Walt Griffin and Columbia College President Dr. Carol Moore rounded out the day's events..

Please read the following articles to learn more about SCICU's Student of the Year, new officers and trustees, as well as those trustees recognized for their service and the many sponsors who support the work of SCICU.


 Rutledge
(L-R) Mike LeFever, SCICU President & CEO; Pamela Rutledge, SCICU Student of the Year; and Russell Cook, Chair, SCICU Board of Trustees


Morris College Senior Named SCICU
Student of the Year


Pamela Rutledge, a senior sociology major at Morris College, was named the McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year at the SCICU Fall Board meeting on September 26, 2017 at Furman University.  

Ms. Rutledge, a non-traditional student, is a native of Camden, SC and the mother of four children.  Upon her May 2018 graduation, Rutledge intends to pursue a Masters degree in counseling and abnormal behavior at the University of South Carolina.  Her award acceptance speech and bio can be read here.

Rutledge was selected for SCICU Student of the Year honors from among nominees submitted by SCICU's member colleges and universities. The Greenville-based Center for Scholarship Administration independently conducted the nomination process and submitted the name of the award winner to SCICU.

The McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year award includes a $3,000 scholarship.  The award honors the legacy of J. Lacy McLean and Sterling L. Smith, two leading advocates of independent higher education in South Carolina.  McLean advocated for independent higher education in South Carolina for over 34 years, while Smith was instrumental in the development of the SC Tuition Grants Program.

The award recognizes students who perform well academically and who demonstrate commitments to public affairs, community service, and leadership.

Full-time rising seniors attending SCICU member colleges and universities are eligible to be nominated for the combined scholarship award. The recipient must be a South Carolina resident and a SC Tuition Grant recipient. Rising sophomores at SCICU two-year institutions are also eligible for the award.


 
Griffin
(L-R) Russell Cook, SCICU Board Chair; Dr. Walt Griffin, President, Limestone College; Mike LeFever, SCICU President & CEO



Dr. Walt Griffin Recognized for Significant Achievements at Limestone College


Dr. Walt Griffin, President of Limestone College, was recognized at the SCICU Board of Trustees Awards Luncheon on September 26 for his 25 years of achievement and service at Limestone College.

Limestone College experienced significant growth under Griffin's leadership, including a dramatic increase in enrollment (900 to 3,300), tripling the size of full-time faculty, significant growth in endowment funds, and a ten-fold increase in the college's operating budget.

Russell Cook, SCICU Board Chair, and Mike LeFever, SCICU President and CEO, presented Dr. Griffin with a resolution at the September 26 awards luncheon.  The text of the resolution may be read here.

 Reynolds
(L-R) Mike LeFever, SCICU President and CEO; Jim Reynolds, Past Chair, SCICU Board; Russell Cook, SCICU Board Chair


Reynolds Honored for Service as SCICU Board Chair

At the SCICU Awards Luncheon on September 26, outgoing Board Chair Jim Reynolds was honored by the SCICU Board for his two years as Chair.  

SCICU President Mike LeFever and Board Chair Russell Cook presented Reynolds with a framed print of Swilken Bridge at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.




 
NewTrustees



SCICU Announces New Board Chair
And Elects Eleven New Trustees

Comporium Ventures Managing Director Russell Cook was elected new Board Chair for SCICU at the Board's September 26 meeting.  Jerry Cheatham, Director of Financial Analysis at Hartsville, SC-headquartered Sonoco, was named chair-elect. Profiles for SCICU's new Board leadership may be read here.

The SCICU Board also elected eleven South Carolina business and education leaders as new trustees. The profiles of the eleven new trustees may be read here.

The newly-elected Class of 2020 trustees are as follows:
  • LaJoia Broughton (SC Retirement System Investment Commission)
  • Christian Corts (BB&T)
  • Ted Gentry (Wyche PA)
  • Lou Kennedy (Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation)
  • Brad Love (Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA)
  • James McFadden (Interstate Turbine Management)
  • Chakisse Newton (Cardinal Consulting Company)
  • Walter Shealy (Shealy Consulting Group)
  • David Smalls (Colleton County Legislative Delegation)
  • Patricia Whitener (Whitener and Wharton PA)
  • Dale Willis (Milliken & Company)
The following trustees were approved for a second three-year term:
  • Henry Barton (SCANA Corporation)
  • Clyde Bess (Bess & Associates)
  • Jay Lasater (South State Bank)
  • Lucy Grey McIver (Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC)
  • Kevin Short (TD Bank)

The Board also recognized the following outgoing trustees for their invaluable service to independent higher education in South Carolina:
  • Dr. JoAnne Anderson (Retired, SC Education Oversight Committee)
  • Paul Bopp (BB&T Scott Stringfellow)
  • Steven Bryant (SYSTEMTEC)
  • Lonnie Emard (Tech Differential)
  • Laura Hart (Duff White & Turner)
  • Neil Jones (Colliers International SC)
  • Kathy McKinney (Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA)
  • Larry Watt (SCISA)



 
Sponsors



SCICU Recognizes Furman University, Bon Appetit, and Luncheon Sponsors for Meeting Support

SCICU would like to recognize Furman University for hosting the September 26, 2017 Board meeting.  Dr. Elizabeth Davis, President of Furman University, graciously provided her residence for the Council of College Presidents breakfast and the Younts Conference Center for the business meeting and awards luncheon.  Additional Furman team members who contributed to the success of the meeting include the following:
  • Cindy Alexander, Executive Assistant to the President
  • Tony McGuirt, Director of Younts Conference Center
  • Rebecca Caccamise, Director of Furman Catering / Bon Appetit
Special thanks are also extended to Bon Appetit for providing the meal at the awards luncheon.  Chef Chris Harris presented the significance of the Bon Appetit Eat Local Challenge to luncheon attendees, and detailed the locally-sourced menu components.  SCICU also thanks Bon Appetit's Michael Aquaro (Regional Manager) and David Connolly (Director of Business Development) for their participation in the awards luncheon.

SCICU also thanks the following Business Partners and sponsors for their support of the September 26 Board Meeting events:


Staffing 
SCICU Announces Staff Realignment
To Prepare for the Future

Earlier this year, the SCICU Board of Trustees approved a Strategic Vision and Succession Plan that was the product of two years of study involving Trustees and other stakeholders. The Plan identifies the organization's program priorities, and in light of the impending retirement of three senior staff, creates an organizational structure that will attract and retain employees who will advance the Board's agenda.
 
In terms of staffing, the plan calls for continuing with 3.5 positions and re-centering benefits and salary ranges to bring them in line with SCICU's member colleges and the SC non-profit industry. The plan also calls for an increase in communications and marketing efforts aimed at promoting the intrinsic values of independent colleges and a liberal arts education.
 
The staffing plan approved by the Board includes continuing the full-time positions of president and executive vice president with a focus on advocacy, fundraising, and collaboration. Responding to a changing higher education environment, the full-time finance and administration position was restructured as a part-time position and the part-time communications position was elevated to a full-time position.
 
During the past year, two major events, Career Connections and the Campus Tour, were cancelled, and a third was determined to be no longer relevant. Planning these events was a primary responsibility of the finance and administration position. In addition, an increased emphasis on communications, marketing, database management, website maintenance, and content curation added new responsibilities to the communications position.

As a result of the realignment of duties, Brenda Torrence , who retired from her full-time position after 30 years of service, begins a new career chapter in the part-time position of Director of Finance and Administration, and Shay West moves up to the new full-time position of Director of Communications. Both moves were effective on September 1.
 
Brenda and Shay are valued and respected members of the SCICU team and are eminently qualified for their respective positions. For those who are not familiar with their professional backgrounds, please visit the   Meet Our Staff  section of the SCICU website.  
 
The completion of Phase I of the Succession Plan provides organizational continuity, preserves institutional memory, and creates increased capacity to address the critical program priorities of advocacy, fundraising, collaboration, and communications and marketing. 
 
Planning for Phase II, hiring a president and CEO, will continue through the current fiscal year (September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018). Transition details will be announced at a later date. 



MemberNews
 
Member College News

SCICU curates news from its twenty member colleges and universities. Click here to read college news on the SCICU website.

The following is a sampling of recent member college news:

Allen University

Claflin University

Coker College
Columbia International University

Converse College

Limestone College
Newberry College

Spartanburg Methodist College
SMC to Host Rev. Rob Lee for Discussion on Repairing Race Relations


 


Events

Upcoming Events

BusPtrs



The Business Partners program provides a convenient marketplace in which SCICU member colleges and universities can preview offerings tailored to the needs of the higher education community in South Carolina.

SCICU welcomes the following new Business Partners:


SCICU recognizes the following Business Partners for their renewals:



Directory - Click  here  for a complete list of Business Partners, or access information on individual Business Partners via the links shown below.

ABM Building Solutions, LLC  | Acumen IT, LLC | Affinity LTC, LLC (Genworth Financial) |  American Student Assistance |  Aramark Higher Education | Blackboard Inc.  | Cantey Tech Consulting |  CapinCrouse LLP | Church Mutual Insurance Company | Coleman Lew + Associates | Collegiate Financial Services |  Craig Gaulden Davis | CSI Leasing, Inc. |  e-Procurement Services, LLC | e2Campus |   eBridge Business Solutions LLC | eDocHome.com | Elliott Davis Decosimo | ETC Consulting, LLC |  Find Great People, LLC | First American Education Finance | Gillis Specialty Adverstising | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA | Howard Techonology Solutions |  HRP Associates, Inc.  | Hypersign, LLC |  INSITE |   McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture | Metadata IT LLC |  Metz Culinary Management | Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting | National Mangement Resources Corporation | P2Ops, LLC | Paymerang (fka AP Advantage) | Pioneer College Caterers |  Pollock Company | Professional Insurance & Investment Associates | Purple Briefcase | S2K | SC Student Loan Corporation | ScholarBuys | Sodexo | Spirit Communications | Stalwart Systems Group | STEM Premier | The Learning House | The Payments Company |  Total Comfort Solutions | UnitedHealthcare Student Resources | Verizon | Vulcan Materials Company | Walsh Consulting Group LLC |  Wells Fargo Insurance Services |  Winthrop Resources IT Leasing | Wyche, PA | 
 
 



 
 
SCICU is a member of the Coalition for College Cost Savings (CCCS). This organization, comprised of 33 member organizations in 30 states, serves more than 900 higher education institutions and over 3 million students across the United States. The organization and staff are dedicated to helping private higher education institutions improve processes and reduce costs through collaboration.

All SCICU member colleges and universities have access to CCCS's national contracts and services. More information on this important benefit may be found here.
 
 
 

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: PO Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211.