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Events 2015-16
2015 Events
October 14
Chief Academic Officers Meeting
SCICU
11:00 am - 1:30pm
October 15
SCICU Retirement Plans Advisory Committee Meeting
SCICU
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
October 22
Chief Financial Officers Meeting
SCICU
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
November 11
Public Policy Committee Meeting
SCICU
10:00 am - 11:00 am
December 3
Development Committee Meeting
SCICU
10:30am - 11:30am
December 4
Legislative Campus Coordinators Meeting
Capital City Club
Columbia
11:30 am - 2:00 pm
2016 Events
January 20
Finance Committee Meeting
SCICU
10:00 am - 11:00 am
January 22
Career Services Committee Meeting
SCICU
10:30 am - 12:00 noon
February 9
Career Connections Job Fair
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
February 18
Research Symposium
Milliken & Co.,
Spartanburg
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
To view more info about these meetings and events,
click here.
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Historic Midlands Flooding Forces Cancellation of Board Meeting
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| Congaree River and Columbia Canal Flooding at Gervais St Bridge in Columbia. |
The historic storms and flooding that raked South Carolina beginning October 2, 2015 forced the cancellation of the SCICU Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for October 6 at Newberry College.
The meeting will not be rescheduled, and the Board's Executive Committee will determine how to legally ratify a number of important action items on the Board's agenda. In the meantime, SCICU staff will move forward provisionally as directed by the Executive Committee in their recommendations provided to the Board in the detailed materials distributed prior to the scheduled meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be in the first quarter of 2016.
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SCICU Member Colleges Spared
Much of Storm's Wrath
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| Columbia Canal breached October 2015. |
According to early reports, none of the SCICU member colleges and universities suffered appreciable property damage from the recent rains and flooding, although at least 7 were closed from 1 to 5 days over concerns for the safety of their students, staff, and faculty. The SCICU office in Columbia was not damaged and opened for business on Monday. Unfortunately, there were numerous students, faculty, and staff who experienced personal losses. The college communities are rallying around their loved ones.
Multiple breaks in the area's waterlines and a breach in the Columbia Canal have disrupted water service and made what water is available unfit to drink. The Columbia and Sumter area colleges and universities (Allen University, Benedict College, Columbia College, Columbia International University, and Morris College) still are without potable water and are doing an admirable job supporting their residential communities with alternate water sources. There has been no prediction as to when normal water service will be restored.
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SWU and Upstate Friends
Lend
Helping Hand
To Allen University
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| Allen University staff and students unload water donated by SWU. |
Left photo: Geraldine Livingston, special assistant to Allen University President Dr. Lady June Cole, and Allen staff members welcome SWU's Joey Turner and Ken Alexander.
Right photo: Allen student assists SWU's Ken Alexander and Joey Turner in unloading donated water.
When Southern Wesleyan University President Todd Voss learned of the shortage of clean drinking water in Columbia, he immediately contacted Mike LeFever in SCICU's Columbia office to see how the SWU community could help. When Mike surveyed the 4 SCICU schools in the Columbia, Dr. Lady June Cole, president of Allen University, said her campus was in need of bottled water. AU's campus of 650 students is located in downtown Columbia just blocks from the SCICU office.
Two days after Dr. Voss offered his assistance, two SWU trucks filled with bottled water pulled up to the Allen University Student Development Center and Dining Commons. In a matter of hours, the SWU and greater Central communities collected 500 cases of water-more than 11,000 bottles--for their sister institution. In addition to donations from SWU students, faculty and staff, significant contributions were made by Baptist Easley Hospital, Greenville Health System / Palmetto Health, Walmart of Central, and churches and community organizations from as far away as Spartanburg.
Ms. Geraldine Livingston, executive assistant to President Cole, and a team of Allen students and staff met the trucks when they arrived on campus Thursday morning (October 8, 2015). With the weekend approaching and no end in sight for Columbia's water supply problems, SWU's timely donation is very much appreciated by all those living in Allen's residence halls.
According to Dr. Voss, SWU's helping hand is all a part the university's mission as a "Christ-centered, student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ."
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Sellers Announces Retirement From
Leadership of
Voorhees College
Dr. Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr., President of Voorhees College, has announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year.
Serious health challenges are cited as Dr. Sellers' reason for resigning his leadership position at the 119 year-old college.
Dr. Sellers, 70, is a native of Denmark, SC. He was appointed president of Voorhees College in April 2008.
Prior to his appointment as President of Voorhees College, Dr. Sellers served as director of the African American Studies program at the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Sellers is also widely recognized for his 50+ years of involvement in the civil rights movement. His civil rights activism began in 1955 following the murder of Emmett Till.
Sellers was convicted on rioting charges and jailed for seven months following the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968. Twenty-five years after his incarceration related to rioting charges, Sellers was pardoned.
Through his involvement in a march across Mississippi, Sellers formed a special bond with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sellers holds a doctorate degree in education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He also earned a master's in education from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Dr. Sellers' comments regarding his retirement and tenure at Voorhees College may be read on the
SCICU website.
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Reynolds to Lead SCICU Board
Columbia business executive Jim Reynolds will chair the SCICU Board of Trustees for a two year term ending August 31, 2017. Reynolds is CEO of Total Comfort Solutions and a past board chair for both the Greater Columbia and the South Carolina Chambers of Commerce. He was named the South Carolina Business Leader of the Year in 2010.
Russell Cook of Chapin will serve as chair-elect. Cook recently returned to the Board after six years of previous service which included chairing the Development Committee. He is the Managing Director of Comporium Ventures, headquartered in Rock Hill.
After successfully guiding the Board for the past two years, Kathy McKinney continues to serve on the Executive Committee as immediate past chair. A member of the Board since 2008, McKinney is a shareholder in the Greenville office of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd where her practice primarily involves serving as bond counsel in tax-exempt financing for 501 (c) (3) entities.
The Board's vice chair is Dr. Todd Voss, president of Southern Wesleyan University in Central. Dr. Voss is chair of SCICU's Council of Presidents. Prior to becoming president at SWU in 2011, Voss served as executive vice president at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Additional information on the 2015-2017 officers may be found here.
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Board Welcomes New Trustees
Twelve prominent business and community leaders have joined the SCICU Board of Trustees. The following individuals have been each elected to three-year terms:
Kin Britton
SVP, Upstate Commercial Executive-Capital Bank
Spartanburg
Holt Chetwood
Midlands Market President-Wells Fargo Bank
Columbia
Kevin Glass
Commercial Banking Manager-First Citizens Bank
Columbia
Ben Green
COO-DP Professionals
Columbia
Tyler Hudson
Director, Corporate Commercial Real Estate-Synovous Bank
Columbia
Mikee Johnson
CEO & President-Cox Industries
Orangeburg
Theo Lane
Manger of Government & Community Relations-Duke Energy Greenwood
Ray Lattimore
President & CEO-Marketplace Staffing Services
Greenville
David Parker
SVP, Growth Operations-Colonial Life
Columbia
Jason Richards
COO-NAI Earle Furman
Greenville
Natalie Ruggiero
Market President-BB&T Bank
Greenville
Chuck Sanders
President & CEO-South Carolina Student Loan Corporation
Columbia
Additional information on the Class of 2018 Trustees may be found here.
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Coker's Hailey Owens Named McLean Student of the Year
Hailey Owens, a senior at Coker College, is the J. Lacy McLean Student of the Year. This $2000 scholarship award is presented annually by SCICU to the most outstanding student from nominations by our member colleges and universities.
Mentoring and helping others are central to Owens' experience at Coker and her goals after graduation. Her interest in helping others was sparked in high school by her participation in the Youth Empowerment Academy, a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program. Originally from Pelion, Owens will graduate in December 2015 with a major in psychology and a concentration in counseling. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master's degree in public health with plans to develop her own leadership program to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse in schools. Her college accolades include membership in Phi Chi, the international psychology honor society, Dean's List (every semester), and the Susan Coker Watson scholarship for study abroad in Spain and Portugal. She currently works as a Resident Assistant at the nearby Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, where she enjoys mentoring high school students. She is a member of Coker's Christian student organization and vice president of the Chinese Culture Club.
In her free time, Owens loves to sing, kayak, and write. She also enjoys helping out events at her home church in Columbia and spending time with her family.
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Amy Burton, Junior at Erskine, Named
Sterling L. Smith Scholar
Amy Burton, a junior at Erskine College, is the Sterling L. Smith Scholarship recipient for 2015. The award is presented annually by SCICU to a student who qualifies for a Higher Education Tuition Grant and includes a $1,000 scholarship.
Burton is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in math and minors in physics and business administration.
A resident of Ware Shoals, Burton is a strong believer in community and campus involvement. She is in her third year as a color guard instructor at Abbeville High School and volunteers on the FFA Advisory Board of Ware Shoals High School. She also enjoys giving back to her community through Habitat for Humanity and volunteering with local Eagle Scout beautification projects on the Erskine campus.
Burton's campus involvement includes working as a Student Life Assistant for the residence halls and tutoring groups of students from different mathematics classes through the Supplemental Instruction Program. Amy Burton serves as chair of the Erskine Entertainment Board and is a member of the Executive Student Leadership Team and the Student Retention Committee.
Her many honors at Erskine include Garnet Circle (top 25 students ranked by GPA, regardless of class), South Carolina Palmetto Fellow, Kincannon Award in physics, and the Roy S. Smith Scholarship for Mathematics.
After college, Burton plans to continue serving others while working to instill a passion for involvement in all those she comes in contact wherever her academic or career path may take her.
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SCICU Helps Member Colleges
Meet Title IX Responsibilities
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| Title IX Investigator Training September 22, 2015 at SWU. |
Faculty and staff from SCICU member colleges and universities met September 22-23, 2015 at Southern Wesleyan University in Central for Title IX Investigator Training.
Attorneys Natasha Baker and Megan Farrell of Hirschfeld and Kraemer LLP led 100 classroom participants through two days of intensive lectures and interactive exercises. The training, specifically tailored for small liberal arts colleges and those with faith-based missions, was designed to assist members meet their obligations and responsibilities under Title IX and to maintain safe living and working environments for the students, faculty and staff.
Arranged and coordinated by SCICU, the collaborative training event allowed members to maximize their training budgets by sending teams to a specialized in-state event instead of to a large national conference. An added benefit was that team members were able and encouraged to interact with teams from other schools of similar size and circumstances.
Inter-school partnerships can expand the resources available on campuses.
In order to help hold down costs, Dr. Todd Voss at Southern Wesleyan University donated the conference space and the help and assistance of his staff.
SCICU will continue to work with Title IX campus coordinators to identify areas where the combined assets of the organization can best be used for the benefits of all 20 independent colleges and universities.
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SCICU Business Partners
We are pleased to announce the following new Business Partners:
The following companies have renewed their partnerships with SCICU :
A complete listing of all the Business Partners may be found in the left margin of this newsletter or on our
website.
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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: P.O. Box 12007, Columbia, SC 29211
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