Volume 11 | Issue 10 - December 2019
December 2019 News and Notes
December 2019 news highlights include:

  • Holiday conversations - Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez
  • Gearing up for the 2020 Session of the S.C. General Assembly - Campus legislative coordinators kick off the 2020 SCICU student letter-writing campaign
  • Federal update
  • New! SCICU College Guide - Best ONE-STOP resource for college admissions, scholarship, and financial aid info
  • January 2020 events at SCICU colleges and universities
  • Save the date - SCICU Spring Board meeting Feb. 25, 2020 at Columbia International University
  • Member college/university news
  • 2020 upcoming events
  • Business partners
Holiday conversations

Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez
Jeff Perez, Ph.D.
SCICU President and CEO

I bet we’ve all seen posts online about how to handle difficult topics that are raised during holiday parties.

In that vein, you should be prepared to engage someone with strong, but misplaced, opinions regarding higher education.

Gearing up for the 2020 Legislative Session
Campus legislative coordinators rally and kick off the 2020 SCICU student letter-writing campaign
SCICU President Dr. Jeff Perez (left) presents Andrew Beckner (right) the award for Anderson University students writing the most letters to members of the S.C. General Assembly during the 2019 legislative session.
SCICU President Dr. Jeff Perez (left) presents Andrew Beckner, Anderson University executive director of public relations, (right) the award for Anderson University students writing the most letters to members of the S.C. General Assembly during the 2019 legislative session.
SCICU campus legislative coordinators from across the state gathered on December 6th in Columbia for a legislative brief and kick-off of the annual letter-writing campaign, in support of the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Program.

Last year a record-setting 9,000-plus letters were sent to members of the S.C. General Assembly by SCICU students who received tuition grants. The campus leaders are charged with the goal of having every tuition grant recipient write letters to their respective state representatives and senators, thanking them for making it more affordable for South Carolina residents to attend the independent college or university of their choice in the state.

Federal Update
Capitol Hill is busy with issues impacting higher education, including:

  • FUTURE Act passes
  • House passes $1.4 trillion spending bill
  • Earnings data now on the College Scorecard website
  • Executive Order signed to combat anti-Semitism
  • Justice Department reaches antitrust settlement with NACAC

Click on the College Guide cover for your ONE STOP best source for admissions, scholarships, and financial aid information for South Carolina's independent colleges and universities!
January 2020 events at SCICU colleges and universities
Ready to bring in 2020 with concerts, plays, and some basketball at your favorite SCICU college and university?

SCICU member colleges and universities have all that and more going on now. Click on the school links below to find events scheduled at your favorite college or university.

Columbia International University to host SCICU Spring Board Meeting Feb. 25, 2020
SCICU's next board meeting will be held Feb.25, 2020 at Columbia International University. Dr. Mark Smith, CIU president, will welcome college and university presidents, along with our at-large trustees, at the new William H. Jones Global Business and IT Center.

The first registration email was sent to presidents and at-large trustees on Oct. 31. If you have not already registered for the board meeting, please email Shay West (shay@scicu.org) and she will send you the link for online registration.

Member College News  

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

The following is a sampling of recent member college / university news:

Allen University

Anderson University

Benedict College

Charleston Southern University

Claflin University

Coker University

Columbia College

Columbia International University

Converse College

Erskine College

Furman University

Limestone College

Morris College

Newberry College

North Greenville University

Presbyterian College

Southern Wesleyan University

Spartanburg Methodist College

Voorhees College

Wofford College

Click below to access important information from each of the SCICU member colleges and universities:

2020 Upcoming Events

The SCICU 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 thanks 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  |  Affinity LTC, LLC (Genworth Financial)  |  Aramark Higher Education  |  Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC | Cantey Tech Consulting  |  CapinCrouse LLP  | Cherry Bekaert, LLC |  Coleman Lew Canny Brown  |  Colonial Life | Craig Gaulden Davis  |  Diligence, LLC | Dominion Energy |  Duke Energy | Elliott Davis  |  Enterprise Holdings | Find Great People, LLC  |  First American Education Finance  | Gillis Specialty Adverstising  |  Giraffe Web Design  |  GMK Associates | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA  |  HRP Associates, Inc.  |  Hypersign, LLC  | Immedion LLC  |  MB Kahn Construction Company, Inc.  |  McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture  |  Metz Culinary Management  |  Nephron Pharmaceuticals | P2Ops, LLC  |  Paymerang (fka AP Advantage)  |  Pioneer College Caterers |  Pollock Company  |  Purple Briefcase  |  PVC Fittings Online | Regions Bank | Resource Financial Services | S2K Group, Inc.  |  SC Student Loan Corporation  |  ScholarBuys  |  SEGRA (formerly Spirit Communications | Sodexo  |  Spinx Company | Tallo (formerly STEM Premier) | Timely MD | Total Comfort Solutions  | UnitedHealthcare Student Resources  | VEMO Education | Vulcan Materials Company  |  Walsh Consulting Group LLC  |  Williams & Fudge | Wyche, PA  | 


SCICU is a member of the Coalition for College Cost Savings (CCCS). This organization, comprised of 33 member organizations in 32 states, serves close to 900 higher education institutions and 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 Jeff Perez at jeff@scicu.org or 803-799-7122. Mailing address: PO Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211.