Volume 12 | Issue 3 - March 2020
March 2020 News and Notes
News highlights include:

  • Our member institutions' bold and courageous response to COVID-19 - Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez
  • Federal update - President Trump signs into law the $2.2 trillion CARES Act
  • S. C. General Assembly update - State response to COVID-19 pandemic
  • SCICU colleges and universities change operations in response to COVID-19 pandemic
  • Columbia College names Dr. Peter Mitchell interim president; Dr. Carol Moore retires
  • CIU hosts SCICU Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 25
  • SCICU undergraduate student researchers present project findings at 2020 Research Symposium
  • SCICU College Guide - Best ONE-STOP resource for college admissions, scholarships, financial aid, and more
  • SCICU college/university campus news
  • 2020 upcoming SCICU events
  • Business partners
Our colleges and universities respond boldly and courageously to COVID-19 pandemic

Message from Jeff Perez
Jeff Perez, Ph.D.
SCICU President and CEO
Imagine a hurricane that covers the entire state of South Carolina and last for weeks, if not months. That is the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on South Carolina.

The bold and courageous manner in which SCICU institutions are responding to the unprecedented threat of COVID-19 proves the capacity and will of our campuses to innovate on behalf of their students and communities.


Federal Update
The big news — $2.2 trillion big   — is the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.” President Trump signed the emergency spending bill into law March 27th.

Thanks to a national advocacy effort of institutions and associations, independent higher education was included in the stimulus package.


S.C. General Assembly Update
As with everything else, state government has been impacted by COVID-19.

The General Assembly passed and the governor signed an emergency funding bill allocating $45 million to DHEC for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.


SCICU colleges and universities change operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
SCICU colleges and universities are changing operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic to protect students, faculty, staff, and their surrounding communities. See below for links to individual institution's preparedness for COVID-19.

Columbia College names Dr. Peter Mitchell interim president; Dr. Carol Moore retires
Dr. Peter T. Mitchell, president of Columbia College from 1988 to 1997, is returning to the institution as its interim president upon Dr. Carol Moore’s retirement announcement, effective immediately.

Dr. Moore served as president of Columbia College for four years and guided the school through significant transitions, including the recent announcement of coeducational day programs beginning fall 2021.

The challenges associated with transitioning to coeducational programs, combined with the need to provide a comprehensive response to COVID-19, convinced Columbia College trustees to select a familiar voice for their interim president.


CIU hosts SCICU Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 25
Columbia International University showcased their new William Jones Global Business and IT Center for SCICU’s spring board meeting on February 25.

Impressive undergraduate research presented at the February 2020 SCICU Research Symposium
Based on the professional knowledge, talent, and enthusiasm demonstrated by undergraduate researchers at this year’s SCICU Research Symposium, these students have promising futures in fields as diverse as biology, chemistry, music, public health, art, and environmental science.


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!

SCICU College/University Campus 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 news from SCICU campuses:

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 Advertising  |  Giraffe Web Design  |  GMK Associates | Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA  |  Hallmark Management Service | HRP Associates, Inc.  |  Hypersign, LLC  | Immedion LLC  |  Jenzabar | 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.