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Volume 8, Issue 6  June 2016


In This Issue:




 


Allen University to Host SCICU
Fall Board Meeting October 12


The SCICU Board of Trustees will hold its Fall 2016 Board Meeting at Allen University on October 12.  The Council of Presidents will start the day with breakfast at 9 a.m. College/University Presidents will join the full board to convene the business meeting at 10:30. 



 


 

      
FY 2016-2017 State Budget Moves One
Step Closer to Adoption


House and Senate conferees reconciled their chambers' differences over the weekend of May 28 regarding the $7.5 billion state budget for FY 2016-17 and sent their report back to their colleagues for final consideration.

The Conference Committee agreed to increase funding for the Tuition Grants Commission by $2.53 million. This amount, as requested by the Commission, will allow the maximum need-based Tuition Grant to increase from $3,100 to $3,200 for the 2016-17 academic year.

No changes were made to the previous recommendations by both chambers to fully fund the State's merit-based student financial aid programs-Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE, and Tuition Assistance scholarships-by appropriating more than $300 million in lottery funds. In addition, the Conference Committee ratified an increase in the Higher Education Commission's need-based grant program by $4.54 million. The Tuition Grants Commission receives between 16%-17% of the total need-based appropriation based on the percentage of students attending independent colleges and universities. If funded at the new level, it is estimated that more $5 million will be distributed to the Tuition Grants program.

The House members on the committee agreed with the Senate recommendation that PASCAL be included as the first priority in Unclaimed Lottery Prizes in Excess of $18 million. The $1.4 million recommended for PASCAL will only be available if the total amount of unclaimed prizes exceeds $18 million.

Leaders in the House and Senate expect their bodies to ratify the Conference Committee's report and send the budget to Gov. Haley before they adjourn on June 2. The General Assembly will return to Columbia on June 15 to address any vetoes issued by the Governor.

  
 
  
 

SCICU College Guide Earns
Award of Excellence 

The 2015-2016 SCICU College Guide was selected for an Award of Excellence at the 2016 Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) Awards Banquet in Concord, NC on April 16, 2016. This year marks the 50th awards competition for PICA, which continues to be one of the largest printing contests in the United States.

Shay Shealy West, SCICU Media and Communications Specialist, worked with Colonial Printing, Inc. of Columbia in the design and printing of the sixty-seven (67) page 2015-2016 SCICU College Guide.

More than 270 industry professionals were in attendance at the 2016 PICA Awards Banquet. The 2016 PICA Awards attracted more than 630 entries from 47 printing companies, along with more than 125 entries from 5 graphic arts high schools and 7 college graphic arts programs from across the Carolinas.

Each entry was judged on its own merit in a category with similar printed pieces. The judging criteria included overall visual impact, registration, crossovers, clarity and neatness, sharpness of halftones and line drawings, richness and tonal qualities of color, paper and ink selection, ink coverage, difficulty of printing, effective contrast or softness, finishing, and bindery.

The SCICU College Guide promotes the benefits, advantages, and affordability of a liberal arts education at an independent college or university in South Carolina. In addition to information about scholarships and financial aid, the Guide provides admissions information on each of SCICU 20 member institutions. Print copies of the book are distributed to counselors in public and independent high schools throughout the state, to students and parents, and to state legislators and other public officials. The on-line version receives thousands of hits every year.




   
 



Benedict College Service Learning Team with SC Commission on Higher Education Chair Tim Hofferth

Benedict College Receives SC CHE
2016 Service Learning Award
 
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education presented <a Benedict College with its 2016 Service Learning Award at its monthly meeting on May 4, 2016. The B.C. Cares Flood Relief Project collected, organized, and distributed cleaning and personal care supplies, household goods, and clothing to more than 600 community members who were impacted by the devastating floods that hit Columbia in October.

Under the direction of Project Director Tondaleya Jackson, 55 students from Freshman Seminar I and II and 9 athletes worked with other campus offices and programs and community partners to collect donated goods and financial contributions for flood victims. Their efforts culminated in a massive one day give-away at Benedict College's Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

The B.C. Cares Flood Relief Project was coordinated through the Service-Learning and Leadership Development Program and implemented by freshman seminar instructors in the College's Freshman Institute.

Service learning is college student learning at any level and in any situation that is linked in a direct, hands-on fashion to the resolution of a problem or concern in a target community outside the institution. The service learning activity must reinforce or apply what is learned in the classroom. As such, all projects must be related to a college course, with some type of reflection on the activity performed or feedback discussion.

Service learning projects at Tri-County Technical College and the College of Charleston were also recognized for their outstanding efforts.

 
  



(L-R) Sen. John Courson, Chair, Senate Education Committee, and Wofford President Dr. Nayef Samhat

Wofford President Dr. Nayef Samhat
Visits State House 

Wofford President Dr. Nayef Samhat joined SCICU President & CEO Mike LeFever on May 25 for a series of meetings and introductions with members of the South Carolina General Assembly.

Samhat and LeFever attended a meeting of the Senate Education Committee which was considering legislation to establish a coordinating council for workforce development and training and the Tucker Hipps Transparency Act requiring additional reporting of investigations and violations occurring at fraternities, sororities and other social organizations at public institutions of higher learning.

Sen. John Courson, Education Committee chair, welcomed Dr. Samhat to Columbia and the Senate. In addition to his role as committee chair, Sen. Courson is the chair of the Higher Education subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee. He was honored as the SCICU Legislative Champion in 2012.

After the meeting, President Samhat met with Sen. Courson and several of the other members of the Education Committee including Sen. Nikki Setzler, chair of the committee's Higher Education subcommittee.

Meetings with members of the House were cut short by a Joint Assembly to elect the chief justice of the Supreme Court, chief judge of the Court of Appeals, and other judges. Before the Joint Assembly, Dr. Samhat met with Rep. Todd Atwater, a 1988 graduate of Wofford College and CEO of the SC Medical Association. Rep. Atwater was elected to the House from Lexington County in 2010 and is a member of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.

During lunch, Dr. Samhat met SC Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and Carl Blackstone, President and CEO of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

The day provided a great opportunity to promote the liberal arts and independent higher education with some of the friends that SCICU counts on for support.
  
  



Rep. Rita Allison presented the Order of the Palmetto
to Converse President Betsy Fleming at the Converse's commencement ceremony on May 14, 2016.

Order of the Palmetto Awarded to Converse President Betsy Fleming 

South Carolina's highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, was awarded to Converse College President Betsy Fleming during the College's commencement ceremony on May 14, 2016. It was Fleming's final commencement service as ninth president of the college, as her eleven-year tenure ends next month.

Governor Nikki Haley recognized Fleming for her impact at Converse and in higher education at the state and national levels, as well as her service to the arts, civic and business community locally and nationally.

"Your passion for advancing and expanding education opportunities has been an inspiration to many, and your hard work has resulted in a remarkable transformation at the college...Your contribution will have a lasting impact for years to come," said Governor Haley in her award letter. Representative Rita Allison presented the award on behalf of Governor Haley.

Fleming has served on the boards of the Women's College Coalition, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Council of Presidents for the Association of Governing Boards. She has chaired the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas, served on the board of South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities, and chaired the South Carolina Higher Education Tuition Grants Commission, among other roles.

Under Fleming's leadership Converse has also established several new academic programs, becoming the only women's college in the nation to compete at the NCAA Division II level, expanding from 5 to 12 sports programs, raising more than $76 million to support the college, constructing an apartment housing complex and an athletic field house, renovating academic and residential facilities, enhancing technology throughout campus, reorganizing the college's operating structure, and establishing the Converse International School to support new partnerships with universities around the world - with first-year enrollment of 58 Chinese students who will arrive on campus in fall 2017.
These accomplishments led to a 30% growth in the traditional undergraduate student population during her tenure, with this year representing the largest undergraduate enrollment in at least 25 years.

"The women's colleges in our state play a critical role through their distinct ability to help women discover their unique voice, value and vision for effecting positive change in the world," said Spartanburg businessman Benjamin Wall in nominating Fleming for the award. "Betsy Fleming's transformation of Converse over the last decade has solidified its future as one of our state's greatest resources for women and girls."
The award nomination received support from local and regional business leaders, higher education colleagues, arts community leaders, and elected officials.

Prior to coming to Converse, Fleming served as executive director of the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, where she grew admissions by 20%, annual contributions by 74%, and total membership dollars by 98%.

Beyond education and the arts, she has participated in the Liberty Fellowship South Carolina, and served on the Boards of Directors for the South Carolina ETV Endowment, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond - Charlotte Branch.

 
 
  
  




 
2016 SCICU Campus Tour June 13-17
 
 

Tour guides from Newberry College and Columbia International University will accompany high-school-level professionals on the 2016 Campus Tour of ten of the twenty SCICU's member colleges and universities. Tour co-sponsors include the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Counseling Association.

The tour is scheduled for June 13-17, 2016, and will give guidance counselors and other high-school level professionals wonderful opportunities to meet admissions and financial aid staff at the colleges. Additionally, participants will be eligible to earn SCDE, GCDF, or LPC credits.

This year's Campus Tour will visit the following ten colleges and universities:  Allen University, Anderson University, Coker College, Columbia International University, Converse College, Limestone College, Morris College, Newberry College, Spartanburg Methodist College, and Wofford College.
 

    

 


 
Member College News

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



   






June

August



 




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 is pleased to announce renewals with the following Business Partners:
 
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  | American Student Assistance Aramark Higher Education | Blackboard Inc.  | CapinCrouse LLP | Church Mutual Insurance Company | Coleman Lew + Associates | 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 | Genworth Financial | Gillis Specialty Adverstising | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA | HRP Associates, Inc.  | INSITE |   McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture | Metz Culinary Management | Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting | Pollock Company | Professional Insurance & Investment Associates | Purple Briefcase | SC Student Loan Corporation | ScholarBuys | Sodexo | Stalwart Systems Group | STEM Premier | Total Comfort Solutions | UnitedHealthcare Student Resources | Verizon | Vulcan Materials Company | Walsh Consulting Group LLC | 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 mike@scicu.org or 803-799-7122.  Mailing address: PO Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211.