CoastalScience@Work
Updates from the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium - Issue 19
February 6, 2020
S.C. Sea Grant Consortium Receives High Marks by National Sea Grant Review Panel

On August 6-8, 2019, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium was evaluated by a six-member National Sea Grant Site Review Team (SRT). The SRT was in Charleston to evaluate the agency and its programs spanning the years 2014 through 2017, focusing its attention on the Consortium’s (1) organization and management, (2) stakeholder engagement, (3) collaborations and partnerships, and (4) program performance.

We are very pleased to report that the SRT found the Consortium meets the “standards of excellence” expected of all Sea Grant programs, and recommends that the Consortium remain certified as a Sea Grant College Program.
South Carolina State University President Clark Elected Consortium Board Chair

South Carolina State University (SCSU) President James E. Clark has been elected chair of S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Board of Directors. Clark began his one-year term on January 1, 2020.
 
Clark replaces University of South Carolina President Emeritus Harris Pastides, who served three terms as board chair. The Consortium’s board consists of the chief executive officers of its eight member institutions: Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, College of Charleston, Medical University of South Carolina, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina State University, The Citadel, and University of South Carolina.
Stormwater Ponds State-of-Knowledge Report Available

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium established the South Carolina Stormwater Ponds Research and Management Collaborative in 2014, with support from the State of South Carolina and the National Sea Grant College Program, bringing together scientists, engineers, and community planners to address issues and opportunities emerging from the increasing use of ponds for stormwater management.
 
Early on, the group recognized the need for a comprehensive report on existing research and management practices, and a team of 24 researchers was assembled by the Consortium to undertake this task. Stormwater Ponds in Coastal South Carolina: 2019 State of Knowledge Report provides those details in eight chapters covering nearly 200 pages.
Consortium Marks 40 th Anniversary in 2020

This year marks the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s 40 th anniversary as a state agency, and celebrations are in the works.
 
The National Sea Grant College Program Act was passed in 1966, encouraging states to initiate and support education and research related to maritime resources. The effort took root in South Carolina in 1972, when the Sea Grant program began within the S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (SCWMRD). In 1978, the state passed legislation creating the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, which drew together resources from a consortium of six state universities and SCWMRD. State funding for the agency was approved in the next budget cycle for the 1980 fiscal year.
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