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121st Session, 2015-2016 Journal of the House of Representatives
(Statewide Session)
The House assembled at 10:15 a.m.
Our thought for today is from 1 Kings 3:9: "Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" Pursuant to Rule 6.3, the House of Representatives was led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America by the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE. After corrections to the Journal of the proceedings of yesterday, the SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE ordered it confirmed.
Rep. FINLAY moved that when the House adjourns, it adjourn in memory of Representative Gagnon's mother, Ms. Claire Kolacz, which was agreed to.
The following was received:
FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES BOARD OF TRUSTEES
10:49 a.m. 1101 Pendleton Street Gressette Senate Building Columbia, South Carolina Committee Members In Attendance: SENATOR HARVEY S. PEELER, JR., Chairman SENATOR THOMAS C. ALEXANDER SENATOR JOHN L. SCOTT, JR. SENATOR ROBERT W. HAYES, JR. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM R. "BILL" WHITMIRE REPRESENTATIVE PHYLLIS J. HENDERSON Staff: Martha Casto Julie Price CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: If there's no objection, we're going to go ahead and get started, and I'd like to call the meeting to order. This will be for the Joint Legislative Committee to Screen Candidates for College and University Boards of Trustees. Please state your attendance and participation. I understand Senator Hayes is on the way here. He's here at the Salary Commissioners Meeting. He's on the way. We have a new member of the Committee, Senator John Scott. He's replacing Lieutenant Governor McGill on the Committee. You've got some big shoes to fill, but I know you can. I know you can. To my left is Representative Bill Whitmire and Representative Phyllis Henderson. They're both here.
I've got Representative McCoy and Mack. I think they're on the way. They're supposed to be here.
SCOTT WOODS CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Oh, okay. Representative McCoy won't be here, but Representative Mack is on the way I'm told. So if there's no objection, we'll go ahead and get started. First up, the College of Charleston, to fill Mr. Ravenel's seat. And first, we'll have Scott Woods from Charleston.
Good morning, sir. Would you make sure your microphone is burning.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
I graduated from the College of Charleston. I graduated from the College of Charleston. It has changed my life, and I would like to give back to the college. I believe the college has an important role in our State and in our region, and I believe that I am very passionate about workforce development. Of course, K through 12 is a key part of that, but I believe higher education also serves a very critical part of that, both in serving the needs of industries in our State, existing ones, from Boeing down in Charleston to Michelin in the Upstate and of all industries in between, but not just large industries, I believe it -- it, obviously, will help small businesses and also produce a new generation of entrepreneurs. I believe that the college will serve a large part of the future of our -- for our State. I believe that the college is good about staying in touch with the needs of the business community but also meeting the needs of the individuals that attend college under personal desires. As the president and CEO of South Carolina Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the State, I understand responsibility to other people's trust in you. I am responsible daily for $1.5 billion of other people's money. I am -- I have a $65 million annual operating budget that my team and I developed, approved by a board of directors, and I am accountable for ensuring that performance takes place every year. I have previous experience as a -- on a college board also as the two -- two terms as chairman. So I understand the needs of an institution of higher education and the needs of the staff, the faculty, and students, and I, of course, understand accountability to the people that put you there.
So, Senator, that's what I have to offer.
Under your personal data questionnaire, I see you -- I noticed that you served on a Board of Trustees for another university. What university was that?
This is -- this -- all the -- all five of the candidates we're screening this morning on -- for this one open seat?
Because I remember that we had talked to you not too long back, Mr. Woods, and that's why I was trying to make sure that I understood the situation. Okay.
Okay. Well, since we have, you know, five people running for this slot, tell us what your particular interest is, and what would make us say that you're the person to pick over the other four people we're going to talk to this morning? I think the particular skill set that I bring is a business perspective, not that every student that graduates from the college needs to be prepared to go around a corporation. Again, it's about meeting their personal needs, whether it's to run a personal shop or just to enhance their own personal education for general purpose for the sake of education. That's their individual needs. But I do believe that I have a unique understanding of the business community and how it does and should continue to work with the college to find out what their needs are. An example would be, the college under President McConnell has already started to expand the computer sciences degrees. Now, there is a huge demand for that in the business community right now, and if those are not produced by our in-state colleges, then they're going to -- then they're -- people are going to move to this State that have graduated from other colleges to fulfill those needs.
So I think that I would bring a perspective in helping to align the needs of the community, not just the Charleston community, but the State and the region and ensuring that the College of Charleston can fit those demands to ensure its success.
And so what's your opinion on the whole topic of accountability funding for higher-ed and the combination of -- how shall I ask this without stepping on any toes? -- moving your student population towards the degrees in areas where there are jobs? First of all, my perspective on higher education comes from having a workforce around 425, -35 employees. And so we have a real turn in the turnover rate in our organization, but we still are constantly bringing folks on. And we do assessment testing to make sure that folks have minimum skills for the job; that is, whether it's an entry-level position, whether it's a -- an executive level. And so workforce development is about preparing folks to -- when they apply for a job, to ensure they have a reasonable chance of getting it. So that's the crux for my interest. Having looked at the statistics of the exit, when the folks graduate, to find out that they're being placed, not just in a job, but in a job that they interviewed for, that they had declared that's where they want to spend -- what they believe to be at the time of graduation -- their careers.
So first of all, assess where we are in terms of placing students or meeting their needs, and if there's a gap, then we put together a plan to close that gap, whether it's changing curriculum, the instructions that they're being taught, or even something as simple as opening up to more folks coming here to -- bringing in other companies to interview for positions.
So it's not about taking away from the decreasing ones just because they're decreasing, but moving those resources to expanding areas.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
All right. Senator Scott, do you have a question?
Also, what you've done in the workforce -- And then on the third circle is the College of Charleston, where President McConnell says he doesn't really want to take that on without certain guarantees of the funding. And I -- without having all of the facts, I do think that there is a place where all three of these circles can come together and find a place of common interest.
I certainly -- as I said to the -- Representative Henderson, I do believe that the college should look at offering any position, meaning a course of study where there is personal positions to be had. So it should be looked at and studied. I don't have the inside information to give a solid opinion. I'm not going to dodge your question, but I am saying I do think it's absolutely worth looking into if there's a potential for it being a success at the College of Charleston. Second?
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you, sir.
Next, we have R. Michael Bryant, Dr. Bryant.
Good morning.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? So all through my career and undergraduate and graduate, it has been important for me to look for ways to give back. And as a matter of fact, while I was at the medical university, I was able to become the fellow of the Society of 1824 through deferred giving through a life insurance policy that my parents had taken out on me. I felt like it could begin a career of giving back. As I started my career and served nine years on the District 52 Board of Trustees, I started looking at how can I continue to give back and start marrying secondary education to graduate education, and having matriculated through the College of Charleston from '81 to '85 and then on through the medical university, I just started looking. And I was not aware, up until a year ago, how the process occurred that you could become a college board trustee, and this was the first opportunity that I had to make myself available. I'm at a point in my career where my practice is stable, and I can now take another step in having to use what I have learned as a District 52 School Board of Trustee and hopefully connect it with secondary postgraduate education.
So that is why I decided to make myself available to the college that gave me so much. But I noticed, when I was moving my daughter in, there's not any room down there to speak of, and, I mean, it's just -- everything is so compacted. I can't see how the college can grow, you know, population-wise very much.
Has there been any -- do you have any ideas how they can address that?
We have to be able to figure ways to acquire property in the vicinity of the college so that it does not negatively impact the historical significance of the downtown area and the tourism and see how we can marry that with outlying areas, as they have. And I think that would be an economically responsible decision that the colleges make. I wanted to attend a college that had an association with the degree that I wanted to pursue. I felt like I would have a leg up in getting into graduate school. And as I stated in my responses, I believe the college needs to look at where kids are wanting to go, what kids are wanting to do. A lot of times now, a four-year degree is not going to get you much more than what you would get out of high school. We need to be able to offer the things that kids want from start to finish. You can come to our institution, and the things that we can excel in and offer you, we can take you as far as you can go here. This is why you should come to us. I'm actually in favor in a cursory manner, not knowing the intricate details in an association with the law school and in association with the medical university. I believe it can enhance the College of Charleston's offerings.
I believe it can be the destination that our students from this State and others would be able to identify with and say, this is where I want to go because I can go there. I can put down roots. I can invest in the community, and I can get all that I need at the college or the University of Charleston, as it may become to be known. Thank you for your offering to serve.
So I was going to ask you about Piedmont Healthcare, but I've noticed that you're an M.D. So what kind of -- I'm just curious. What kind of practice?
We do have the resources to know where job markets are heading. And in each one of -- in each area, it does need to develop from, you know, computers, hardware, to where developing markets are. We should be able to expand in areas that our State needs.
I'm sorry? Repeat that, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And your wife is a school nurse?
But for the most part, I mean, it was a very small minority that we're still facing.
What's the desire of the Committee? Any discussion? Hearing none, then we'll vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you, sir.
MR. LOWELL: I do. Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to be here today and the opportunity to seek this position. I was born and raised in the Lowcountry, graduated from Summerville High School, went to the College of Charleston. I was there for five years. I got my undergraduate degree in four and then spent one year in the graduate school program as a grad assistant coach for the men's soccer team down there. I believe that service on the board is a privilege, and I believe it is a form of public service and a way for me to give back to the college that helped me get where I am today. I believe that my service on other boards -- I currently serve on the Humanities Council Board, the Board for Palmetto Richland Hospital and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce -- combined with the professional experience I've had as a lawyer as counsel for state agencies, businesses, and individuals will help give me a useful perspective and allow me to be a productive board member to help the College of Charleston navigate the challenges and opportunities now that are presented to it going forward.
And that concludes my statement. Questions or comments from members of the Committee?
Representative Whitmire. Well, I'm noticing on your question 5, you state that -- it was asking about the -- you know, the number of in state versus out of state. You state, "The college should also strive to maintain a diverse student body, which includes some percentage of out-of-state students that offer a different perspective."
I want to go with a little different approach on that. Minorities, what's your opinion on the college trying to attract a larger percentage of minorities? Because we do have a large minority population in this state.
Again, that's slightly up from last year, and I think that the college needs to continue to work to increase that diversity. You graduated from the Charleston Law School, and I'll kind of ask you the same question I asked before.
Do you think the college should establish a relationship with the law school in Charleston and/or with the medical university? When you start looking at -- this is a roundabout way to answer your question, Senator, so if you'll indulge me for a minute. But when you look at how universities have responded to some of the budget cuts -- I mean, the College of Charleston, their recurring appropriation in 2003, 2004 was approximately $26 million, and I think two years ago, it was down to 19. So that's a significant decrease, and that's across the board. And, you know, I think we all understand that and the reason for that. But the way other universities have addressed that, essentially, the increase in enrollment. When you look at the increase in enrollment over that same period, USC increased 32 percent; Clemson, 25; Coastal, 59; and the College of Charleston increased 7 percent. And I think part of the reason is because you have the finite amount of space down there that you can deal with. So to the extent that there should be additional coordination, especially on that front, absolutely.
As far as a more formal arrangement, I think it probably does make sense to, you know, not necessarily emerge -- or not necessarily bring in the Charleston School of Law into the umbrella of the University of Charleston, but to at least have some conversations and maybe a little bit more coordination. I mean, for the same reason that doctors go to the College of Charleston to try to help them get a leg up at MUSC, it makes sense to help strengthen that relationship to ensure the College of Charleston students -- that the education they're getting there does prepare them to help them get to MUSC, and the -- to the same extent with the law school.
But, again, having additional conversations with the Charleston School of Law and make sure that College of Charleston graduates are well prepared and well suited to go to either the Charleston School of Law or the South Carolina School of Law and pursue whatever endeavor they want is something that I would be in favor of. And I've heard different estimates, but it's somewhere between 20 to 30 percent. We've heard expansion of the College of Charleston. Like most college towns, they always find themselves kind of locked into that surrounding. With most college towns, you're always put under seal, kind of locked into that and surrounding.
What are your thoughts on capital projects, capital needs? Because kids think about it. So now your plans to expand -- You know, we end up spending a lot more on maintenance of our facilities than other universities and where you start looking at a per square per basis because of that. So renovations of those buildings is much more difficult, and it's much more expensive for us than it is for other schools. You know, I -- it really makes you focus in and hone in on what are you going to spend your money on? What are you going to devote those resources to? As far as expansion, you know, one potential expansion is distance learning. That's another way to try to reach out and accommodate some students. But distance learning has its pros and cons as well. You know, the College of Charleston has made its name as the liberal arts school. A liberal arts curriculum school is not necessarily the most conducive to a distance-learning environment. Part of humanities and liberal arts is the interaction that you have with your fellow students and your professors.
But on other things, such as, you know, the courses where there are questions where there's only one right answer, statistics, math, those types of things, that's more conducive than maybe something -- an avenue that we can explore to open up to increase our enrollment and to provide better services through the students we currently have.
You talked about recruiting minority students. What about recruiting minority faculty and staff, which would also help in getting some of those minority students to come to the College of Charleston?
You know, certainly, you look at things as -- endowments and chairs to help spur that kind of growth and development. So that's certainly something that I think we should extract from. Thank, Mr. Lowell. I know that you have been here before. I will make a comment. I am very impressed in your knowledge of the university and its budget and programs. And either you've been around a long time, or you've studied up, but either way, I commend you for that because it's -- that's good.
Let me ask you a question before I ask my performance-spending question, thinking about this. Now, I might be trying to get into something I probably shouldn't here, but -- so before President McConnell was hired, you know, we heard all of these like people waving their hands and yelling that, you know, Oh, my gosh. If -- you know, if Glenn McConnell was made president, you know, giving to the university is going to go down, and, you know, all these things are going to happen. Has any of that -- has it made -- obviously, he's done a lot of good things. I don't mean that, but I mean all of the things that people said negative might happen, has any of that actually occurred? And so, initially, they had called me, concerned. And I said, listen, Lieutenant Governor McConnell is -- you can't believe what you read in the paper. I mean, this is somebody who is driven, and he understands. He's going to come down there, and just give him a chance. And this person called me last week and said, You were right. President McConnell has been great. He's making friends across campus. He's doing everything he needs to do. He's paying attention to little things. He's treating everybody with respect. He's got an open-door policy. You were right. And, you know, on the fundraising side, that is absolutely something that the college has to refocus on. You know, the endowment isn't where it should be, which is really just as much a historical fact, from the fact that they were a municipal college for so long. That just wasn't the emphasis.
And, you know, now they have the Balance Campaign, and I tip my hat to President McConnell and co-chair, who is, you know, Steve Swanson, who's going to be up next. I mean, they've done an excellent job of getting the word out there, reaching out to alumni. You know, the alumni giving rate is at 7.1 percent right now, and that's something that we have to work on and we have to improve on. And I think the Balance Campaign, you know, one of the goals of that is to reach out and increase what that number is, to help give us the funds and build that endowment to let us do the things we need to do to move forward. So -- and I know Senator Scott said something. I'm just following up. So we have heard a couple of you mention this whole expansion issue. So would it be fair to characterize the fact that this is going to be an issue that the board is going to have strong opinions on both sides of, going into the future; and that is, do we expand -- do we continue to expand in the city where it's very expensive, or do we look to expand outside the city? Because even just amongst the three of you, we -- you know, there's a couple of different opinions about what should be done.
So I'm thinking on a bigger level. It's probably going to be something that -- there's strong feelings on both sides.
So my last question -- and I've asked everyone else -- on this whole issue of performance state funding for higher ed, you know, from our standpoint, looking at universities and seeing graduation rates and programs that are effective and programs that aren't effective and that kind of thing, what's your opinion on that? And, you know, and as a member of the board, what would be your take on looking at programs and things that maybe aren't accomplishing what they should and, you know, adjusting your programs for the job market and that kind of thing? So that -- you know, that can be tricky sometimes. You know, with the college, I think there should be a refocus on the liberal arts and sciences components; but at the same time, you've got to accommodate the folks that talk about the workforce development and the workforce profiles. And, you know, at the state chamber level, that is a topic of much interest. Almost our entire last board meeting was devoted to talking about workforce development and what do we do. And, you know, I think you can see that at the college, they're, you know, in the midst of implementing a supply chain, a management logistics degree, which just makes natural sense. You've got Boeing there. You've got Ports Authority there. You've got -- Bobby Hitt will tell you that Michelin is not a tire company. It is a logistics company that makes tires, and I think there's a lot of truth to that. So when you have those types of companies here, then it's natural to try to -- not just draw upon them, but to give to them students that can satisfy their workforce needs.
On performance funding, you know, that's -- to be honest, I don't know that I have enough information on what that would look like to know whether I would support it or not.
I move for approval.
All in favor, say aye.
MR. SWANSON: I do. First, I'd like to thank the Committee members for having me here today. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to speak before you. I am the product of the College of Charleston. I'm a graduate of 1989, and I attended the school on a full scholarship. I didn't know what a gift I was getting at the time, but it truly changed my life. I not only got a terrific education there, I met my business partners, and more importantly, I met my -- I started dating my wife while I was at the college. After graduating, I formed a company called Automated Trading Desk. We grew that firm over the years to one of the largest trading organizations in the country, and in 2007, we sold that organization to Citigroup. Over the past 11 years, I have served the college in many different roles, and most recently, I have served as co-chair of the College of Charleston's comprehensive campaign, co-chair with President Glenn McConnell. Thus far, we have raised $111 million of a $125 million goal, and it's been quite a rewarding experience. My wife and I have established our own scholarships, giving back after having received a full scholarship there, and we currently have 29 Swanson Scholars that are attending the college. I'll end with a quick story. My -- I received a call from President McConnell recently, and he basically surprised me and asked me if I'd be willing to speak at -- be the speaker for the commencement in May, and at that ceremony, my wife and I will both be receiving honorary doctorates. And so I'm truly -- the relationship that I've had with the college since I graduated has been tremendous, and I'm very, very honored to be in that position.
And so with that, I'll end my statements. You say we need to focus on limited Ph.D. programs to help foster the technical communities.
How many Ph.D. programs does that college have now?
And so we certainly -- I certainly believe that this is a great opportunity for --
And so, you know, it's great opportunities for a job, for Charleston, and the whole State for that matter. So I'm very much in favor of focusing our -- on these programs where we will be finding jobs for our students.
And so -- attracting students to the honors college. And so it's structurally prevented from growing downtown. At the same time, we do have the north campus, and I think that creates a great opportunity to service a larger population, both people continuing -- finishing their degrees, completing their degrees, and offering full programs there as well.
So I believe that the expansion should be seen in that area. With MUSC, I'm hopeful that we are able to get the limited Ph.D. programs for the college that President McConnell is moving us towards, and from my perspective, I hope that that would keep us from having to merge with MUSC. My primary concern there, in having both acquired a firm and been acquired, it is very easy to lose your identity as in acquisitions like that or mergers.
So I would be concerned that the college could just -- you know, the budget for the college is about $250 million. The budget for MUSC, I believe, is well in excess of $2 billion. So MUSC very much would be the larger -- much, much larger and probably -- I worry that the college could be just kind of lost in all of that shuffle. Thank you for your offering to serve, and you've got quite an impressive resume.
Let me ask you, what will the South Carolina Venture Capital Authority or --
And we actually just had a call the other day, and there have been, I believe, 13- or 1,400 jobs that have been created as a result of that activity. And at this point, only something like $12 million of the tax credits have actually been used. So the program has been an amazing success, in my opinion.
All right. So my question, again, just like Senator Hayes, I've asked everyone. This whole concept of the State looking at instructions about higher education and how to evaluate performance, you know, and funding based on certain criteria as well as the whole concept of looking at degree areas that are not necessarily, you know, placing students in jobs and directing money to other types of programs related to workforce development --
And so I look back on my experience as a student there, having, you know, had history and been exposed to art and philosophy and things that I probably otherwise wouldn't naturally have had. I believe I was a better executive as a result.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In terms of attracting faculty, I -- you know, I've heard great ideas, you know. Go to any conferences that somebody's attending. Invite some of the minority faculty to dinner, and, you know -- you know, I think that you just have to out -- a lot of it is outreach, and it's important to do that.
President McConnell's concept that he's still working on the 10 percent, where, basically, if you graduate in the top 10 percent of your school, you'll be guaranteed a position or a slot at the College of Charleston. For in state, I think that's another attractive and positive way to help find more minorities for the College of Charleston.
They thought this -- wait a minute. The insurance and you owe the State $95. Any other questions or comments?
Hearing none -- Any other discussion?
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Next, Gary W. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas, how are you? Thank you for having me here today. Why do I want to be on the board? Well, I -- I would say, very simply, I love the College of Charleston. It's the main reason I want to be on the board. I graduated in 1983. My father graduated from the College of Charleston in 1943, and I have multiple family members who have also graduated from our school. So I have a great love for the institution. I would like to quote Glenn McConnell when he -- and when he became president of our school, he said he felt the College of Charleston was in his DNA, and I sort of feel the same way. So that's the main reason I want to be on the board. When I was a student at the college, I was able to win the Willard Silcox scholarship, and that meant so much to me. It gave me the time and the freedom to concentrate on my studies. So I knew that when I got into a position that I could give back to the college, then I certainly would. So about three years ago, after my parents passed away, I started a memorial scholarship, the Thomas Scholarships, in their honor. And this scholarship is dedicated to students who are planning careers in medicine. And thus far, we've given out three of the scholarships. So it's really meant an awful lot to me. I've always stayed very well connected to the College of Charleston since my graduation. I previously had served on the Alumni Association Board. But through this scholarship program, I've been able to interact more with some of the current-day students, and these three people are so amazing. When I look back at how I was when I was in their situation, I can't even believe I could even have graduated. They're so far ahead of where I think I was at the time. So that's another reason I wanted to basically get involved with the school more. I'm only doing it for love of the college. I don't have any other agendas. You know, I'm a busy physician, but I have plenty of time for my own barter.
So that's my opening statement.
I've been on this Committee quite a few years, and I cannot remember five more outstanding candidates for one position.
So good luck to you. Those four who don't get elected, please don't close the door, because I think other positions will be coming up in the future.
As a doctor, what are your thoughts on the potential relationship between MUSC and/or the law school? And so I graduated from both schools, so I sort of feel like I have personal, inside info on this type of thing. I really am against the consolidation of the two schools, personally. And some of my colleagues have said earlier, I think the budget is so disparate between the two institutions, 90 to 10 almost. One of my old biology professors, when this all came up 10, 20 years ago, said to me -- he said, You know, Gary, I'm not in favor of it because if the medical university needs $5 million for a new heart thoracic surgery lab and we need some money for the fetal pig research, we're not going to get it, you know. And I think he's right on that. And I think both institutions are fantastic, and they both have different goals and aspirations, and I think they would be stronger apart rather than together. If you look across the border over in Georgia, the Medical College of Georgia, which I'm also a -- did my fellowship -- or excuse me -- my internal medical training there, they merged with Augusta University, Augusta State University. And for a lot of the reasons -- we were looking to merge the two schools: cost savings, strength in numbers, so to speak. And I don't think, from what I've read from afar, that it's really gone over as well as they thought. Augusta State College, the university has pretty much disappeared, I would say, from what I've seen. And the medical school has taken -- it's called Regent -- excuse me, not Regent University. I'm blocking on the name of the school. Anyway, I don't even remember the name now. So that should tell you. But I don't think it's good that the two schools merge. I think there's a lot of collaboration that could go on and should go on. From my knowledge, the College of Charleston provides the largest number of medical students to the medical university than any other School in the State, or in the Nation, for that matter. So I think there's areas where we can collaborate and should and do already in this Lowcountry Graduate Program they have up in North Charleston, but I don't really believe that the two should join up.
In terms of the law school, the way I would -- I'm certainly not a lawyer. My first question would be, Do we need another law school in this state? Is there a need for that? And if there is a need, then I think if the funding is there, then the College of Charleston would be a fine place to shepherd that and help that school along and get it to where it should be. But if there's not a need, then I think we should focus on building up our programs that we do have that are excellent but could even be better with money that could have been spent on the law school that maybe is not necessary. Thank you, Dr. Thompson. I agree with my colleague, Representative Whitmire, here about the quality of all five of the candidates. And it's going to be difficult for us to end up, the whole body, to have to -- you know, staff has to figure out which person is going to be appointed.
But I do appreciate all that you've already done for the university of -- you know, through your scholarships and all that.
I do agree with Steve Swanson, though. I took a lot of history and political science, and I think it helped balance me out and made me a better person in terms of being a doctor that can look at both sides of things, science and non-science. So I do think there's a role for these non-job creator programs, so to speak, but we have to make sure they're doing as good as they can. And if they're not pulling their weight, so to speak, then I think we need to focus on the job creators. Now, I don't think it's quite that good now because the student population has grown so much -- about 11,000 students there now -- but I personally think it's probably an ideal population student bodywise right now. I don't think we necessarily need to increase the number of students, but concentrate on getting, you know, the programs as good as they can in getting our top students the education that they need. Having said that, the North Charleston campus, I think, is completely, up to this point, underutilized. They just -- I -- they just moved into a new building. I haven't had the chance to go up there and visit it. We have a brand-new, African-American dean who is in charge of that facility, and I think we need to put a lot of money into that particular program, because that North Charleston is also a growing area, a lot of job creation up there, and that's an area where a lot of the people, older people who haven't gone to college, would like to get some training that would help them. And I think it's really underutilized, and I think if the College of Charleston doesn't fill that void, somebody else is.
Mount Pleasant, which is where we have a lot of our athletic fields, Francis Marion College, I believe, Ms. Taylor, is trying to open a campus over there in Mount Pleasant. And, you know, a good friend of mine graduated from Francis Marion, so that's a good school. But I sort of feel like that's sort of our home territory, and I would like to see what it is that they're doing that we haven't done or could we do it or along those things. I think that's vital that we do that for sure. And I'm proud to say, out of my three scholarships, two of the three are women, and the third person was a young, African-American female who wants to be a cardiologist, and she is an outstanding person. And so I think we just need to concentrate on this. I think that the college needs to be proactive, and I don't think they have ever been proactive. Maybe up to this point now, we're starting to move in the right direction, but I think that perhaps there should be a committee of people that should say, we're going to focus on this. And we should go out and identify the top minority students in the United States -- South Carolina, of course, getting preference -- and recruit them heavily, just as we would a football player or basketball player, and say, We want you to come to our college, and make it a priority, and if you don't make it a priority and state it as a priority and follow through with it, it will never happen.
So I think you need to do that. You need to look for the top faculty throughout the United States who are minority candidates and encourage them to come. And I think when you have more faculty that are minority, I think minority students will follow.
What's the desire of the Committee?
Hearing none, all in favor, say aye. Well, that completes our screening of the College of Charleston candidates. We'll take a break. Please be back at 1:30. (A lunch recess transpired from 12:23 p.m. to 1:42 p.m.)
CARY CORBITT CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: I'd like to call the meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee to Screen Candidates for Colleges and Universities Boards of Trustees back to order. The next order of business is Lander University. Candidate Cary Corbitt.
Good afternoon, sir. Mr. Corbitt, if you would, raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
And so I just look forward to participating.
Representative Whitmire. Mr. Corbitt, I appreciate your service, at least, you know, for the last few months. What do you see -- and I'm not that familiar with Lander, really. Mostly just through my service on this board.
What do you think are some of the biggest issues you all are facing in the next couple of years? And so we're in search for his replacement, and that has been vetted out now, and we should see some -- an update. We have a board meeting this Friday and Saturday and should see some updates on the candidates' elections. Also, our endowment program with Lander University is a -- is much of a concern. We need to raise the endowments for the college. And so that is on the forefront. And since the ever concern of student enrollment, it's a very affordable college, but there's a lot of choices out there, and we are probably down anywhere between 250 to, say, 700 students.
And so we're kind of looking at the makeup of the different classes and the online components and so forth. So I'd say probably that's the issues of -- at hand.
And so I don't know that I can tell you exactly what the breakdown is.
And so I think that's something that I will work on with the school. But specific, I couldn't probably tell you.
And so part of our desire to increase our endowment, we can certainly address that better than we have been.
Thank you.
Just -- just continuing on what Senator Scott and Representative Henderson said, it's concerning to me about the 200 to 750 students in decline. I'm probably sure it means your revenues are down.
And so I think that will be a lot of what we will be addressing with our new president and some of the goals and objectives with the new appointment. It's got a new dormitory, Centennial Hall, that opened about six years ago. They have another one right now under construction, and shortly thereafter, they will be addressing a couple of the others. The library is -- a program to kind of improve the library and some other things. So they're certainly going in the right direction, making the improvements that the students that are -- need to be addressed. And so there's just -- there's a lot of great colleges and universities out there, a lot of choices.
And so, yes, we need to make sure we keep pace and give the activities and the -- and meet the needs of the students.
Oh, if I do support you, can I get a couple of golf lessons?
What's the desire of the Committee? Now we have Senator Scott, Representative Whitmire, Representative Henderson, and we have Senator Hayes's proxy.
So all in favor, say aye.
Thank you, sir.
CONSTANCE NELSON BARNES CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Next, we'll go to South Carolina State, Constance Nelson Barnes.
How do you do, ma'am?
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? First of all, Mr. Chairman, and members of this Committee, I want to take an opportunity to thank you all so much after what you did to ensure that South Carolina has strong and effective leadership. I come before you today, in addition to what I have shared in my written statement, with 30 years of experience in upper-to-middle management and 20 years in profit -- non-for-profit organizations, 10 years in pastoral leadership as a pastor and now as a campus administrator in higher education working for students at South Carolina State and Claflin. I'm doing my tenure at the organizations, and I've been very involved in strategically working with organizations to change their trajectory in terms of when I got there. I had to be creative in helping them to reach their mission to use creative methods, fundraising, and grant writing. Also, as I come today, I recognize that during my work, I've had an opportunity to help these organizations achieve their mission in the community. While they were doing -- you know, creating their mission, I had to also be strategic in working with groups and organizations to ensure that we move forward and to make a difference in the community. I dearly love South Carolina State because it was there that I found my purpose and my mission's work to be a voice for the underserved, the oppressed, and disenfranchised and to reinvest in people and in the community. So when I get an opportunity to talk about South Carolina State -- and I don't normally -- I just don't talk about her, but I promote her in three significant ways that I'd like to share with you all today. First, it's a recruitment of students. Five members of my immediate family, they are graduates of South Carolina State. Second, in terms of investment, I contribute to South Carolina State for scholarships personally as well as encourage others to give, and I invest in athletics. I have a season pass to the football games. And then third, accomplishments in service. Wherever I've lived, I've always affiliated with the alumni chapter. When I lived in Columbia, I provided an opportunity for the alumni chapter to meet at my office, and additionally, when I served as the president of our alumni chapter in Columbia, our membership increased, if not doubled. When I went to work in the Washington, D.C., area, I affiliated with the D.C. chapter there. And now that I'm a resident in Orangeburg, I'm a part of the Orangeburg chapter there. I am delighted to have an opportunity to come before you because, as I said, I dearly, dearly love South Carolina State University and Bulldog pride. And so, Mr. Chairman and members of this Committee, I believe that I have the temperament, the commitment, and the experience to be a positive impact at South Carolina State at this time in her life.
Thank you.
Representative Whitmire. But I'm reading in your question 4, What can a college or university do to attract more students? You say, specifically, if the university is successful in rebranding itself and creating an environment that is conducive for teaching and learning, it will be competitive in attracting students.
You said, specifically, but I didn't get any specifics out of that. Would you be willing -- And so I believe that because of some of the issues that are going on at South Carolina State -- particularly, one of the issues is that there are problems there at the university in terms of how the students see the university. There are some things there that, perhaps, they need to do a better job with. But I believe that they can attract more students by making sure that what they are offering is appealing to high school students. A lot of times I think people are not supporting or promoting the university. If the university also can have the 3,000 public relation ambassadors on the campus, the students -- if they would invest in each one, reaching one student, that would ensure that students are coming to South Carolina State.
So I think the major way of reaching students is have those students who are presently there to serve as ambassadors to reach other students.
As I frequent the campus, I see white students. I see Hispanic students. So I'm confident that they're doing a better job recruiting those students.
My last question. You're -- you say growing enrollment is a priority because of -- you're so heavily dependent on tuition. I totally agree. Are you prepared to make the tough choices if enrollment does not increase? Because you know that -- the financial situation. And so I believe that they will have to take the time to do some strategic planning to ensure that if they do have to cut expenses, that they do that in such a way that the students will continue to have a quality education. But also, sir, I believe the board of trustees are going to have to be more involved in ensuring that they are able to generate more resources from public and private sources as well as alumni and friends. I believe that people want to contribute to South Carolina State. They have a vested interest in South Carolina. But we're going to have to make sure that people feel that the university is worthy of their fundraising.
And so I do believe that we will be able to generate more funds, more resources, and I am committed to that myself.
So what's some of your ideas in terms of how we change that behavior, especially growing scholarships? And I heard that you spent a lot of time, and I know you spend a long time -- I believe those of us who have graduated from the university, we have a vested interest in giving back. Perhaps more of us can adopt some of the students to make sure that we're able to fund some of their needs, because so much has been invested in me. You know, our ancestors have given so much that we have the opportunity now to give back as well. So as -- in terms of answering your question, I really do want to be one of these persons who has taken the opportunity to ensure that all young people have access to higher education. And if that means that I'm going to have to be a better -- do a better job in recruiting in terms of our alumni association groups, I have to put -- find more resources for scholarships, then I want to do that.
But more so than that, I have decided just personally, you know, to include South Carolina State in my estate planning, and I think we need to have more people who are willing to do that so that they can continue to invest long term in the lives of young people. When I moved to Orangeburg, I had to get acclimated, you know, to the speed, the speeding rate. So the last time the officers got me, I said, this is enough.
So now when I drive around Orangeburg, I put on my cruise control so I won't...
Representative Henderson. Thank you, Ms. Barnes. I appreciate you being here and offering yourself for service. So I just wanted -- and I'll ask, you know, the other two folks coming up here too -- the issue of, obviously, the institution's financial situation. I actually just read the State over lunch and saw their Prevention Control Board, you know, gave the institution another $12 million. You know, that concerns me, as I know it does other members of the General Assembly, to continue in the financial situation and us being asked to continue to put money in. And I guess I just really didn't focus in on this until I was reading your supplemental information that the in-state tuition is only $3,645. I know the chicken and the egg -- you raise tuition, and then you have less students, and you already have that problem.
But it sounds like you've been involved with the institution for a while. So, I mean, what do you think you are going to have to do to make this institution financially stable? One of the things that I don't want to do is to assume that I know all the specifics, but I do know that they're having financial difficulties, as a lot of the other HBC's and universities in our State and in our Country. I'm very aware that you can't really borrow yourself out of debt, and you're really going to have to find some ways to do that effectively. When I told a friend of mine that I was going to offer myself for board of directors, he said three times, As a board member, you will be asked to lead by example in practicing the three G's. You give, you get, or you get off. And so I'm -- as I said previously, so I really am committed to do everything within my powers to ensure that the university is financially sovereign and that their credibility is returned as the first great institution that I know that they are. My commitment is my commitment to be there, to pay attention, specifically with what has taken place in the past, so that we do not repeat some of those same challenges.
I agree that funding is diminishing from the State support, and when they have difficulties with tuition, that's another problem. So the Board of Trustees must be at the forefront in ensuring that we take advantage of the old alumni who have graduated -- that I know they're doing exceptionally well -- and to ensure that they step forward and to take a leadership role in ensuring that the university is financially sovereign.
Any other questions or comments at all?
A second? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Next, Tammy Kelly.
How do you do? If you would, please raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Tammy Kelly, and the reason that I am interested in serving on the board of directors is because I truly believe that our education and the fact that our ability to attain education secures as our future for every individual, every student, every child in South Carolina financially. And without my college education, I certainly would not have been able to have the relationship that I have as being a business owner with State Farm Insurance for the last 28 years. And I just believe that every student needs and -- has a -- needs an opportunity, and I dearly love South Carolina State University.
My husband is a 1986 graduate, and I have two children who have attended as well. So it is very dear to my heart, and my goal is to help wherever I can help. Any questions or comments from the Committee?
Representative Whitmire. Under the questions, number 4, what kind of colleges and universities attract more students, the statement you made was very disturbing to me, where you say, "Enrollment is declining at all" -- and you emphasized that -- "all historically black colleges and universities, in part because of an increase of competition from predominantly white institutions, online proprietors, et cetera, et cetera".
Why -- I know there's competition, but, you know, South Carolina State has a good product to sell and a lot of these other schools do too. Why is this happening, I wonder? So as the dynamics of the marketplace see changes, the schools have to change. And an institution -- or even in my business, with the history of State Farm, sometimes it's slow, but you can't be too slow. This world is moving very fast and with the -- in the business climate today, and I know this is an institution and it's not for profit, but it still has to be treated as a business. So I think that with the faces where -- and the children I talk to who are heading for college -- because I don't say -- when I'm asking them where they're planning to go and I don't hear South Carolina State University, I'm like, Wow. And the reason is because the advocates for the university are not in the right places. And those right places will mean being in the high schools and using the alumni to support the university's efforts as far as marketing for the students. That's the key. I -- you'll notice on my resume that I did not attend South Carolina State University, but I almost did, and in a lot of ways I regret that I did not attend South Carolina State University, but that's the key. That's why they have done so well, is because other's advocates who ask three people who are in the community, who says, Yeah, I went there. And this is where you need to go.
And the students that I find that are there, like my kids who were there, is because that somebody showed them what it really means to be at the university. And that's the problem.
And so I'm hopeful -- I'm very hopeful if we can get the school back on track like it should be.
How that happens? I think that collectively with the board of trustees and stakeholders, it can be done. It can be done, but the steps that -- to ensure that, it cannot be based upon relying on the citizens of South Carolina. It has to be done with major donations from the private sector. I want to go back to a couple of things that you said, and I'm concerned about those students who will be -- and it's things we see where students who won't have the 3-point average to get in. South Carolina State is a land-grant institution, basically creating all of these kinds of schools, Voorhees College, Claflin College, Morris College, and so many others whose families don't have the income to make those kinds of selections if they don't make 1,100 or 1,150 on their SAT in getting into those colleges. So where are those children supposed to go? And these are some of the most needed students in the State. My parents put three students through South Carolina State college at the same time. We didn't get any grant funding. My parents paid it all, no grants. In the end, it took a lot to do that, but today, you don't have that.
So where are these kids supposed to go? The private sector is not going to fund all of that. It sounds good to say it, but that's just not the way it works. They can get accepted to the college, but there has to be a mechanism to support those children through private donations and private -- and that money has to come from the stakeholders, from the alumni, from those corporate -- there's some businesses in Orangeburg. There's stakeholders. There are churches there. There are people who live there. And they just need to know, you know, what the university needs, and there needs to be somebody talking to them, asking them to support this particular university, because with workforce development, economic development, there's a reason there. And every child that -- if they say they want to go to college -- and it makes a lot of sense, and that's what the branding is all about is, if you have a child that lives, you know, in Orangeburg on Amelia Street, and he cannot go or she cannot go anywhere else, why shouldn't they be able to go? But -- and they won't pay -- their family cannot help them pay for it, but there needs to be a mechanism there to help them get to where they need to go.
Looking at the technical schools, those kids who are perhaps matriculating as for like an associate's degree, they may or may not be able to run up to Morris or Voorhees. They want to go to school in Orangeburg. So let's look at that pool of students and find a way to help them reach -- get to pay for that tuition right there in Orangeburg. That's a plus.
You ran for the South Carolina State Board last year. I don't remember you coming through this process last year. So as a businessperson, I respect what you had to say about the approach that the institution needs to take, and I think both you and the previous gentleman stressed the fact that the institution has a negative image that needs to be changed, but I think a lot of it is related to the financial problems.
So I'll ask the same question, which is basically, you know, the General Assembly has been asked for many years in a row, and now, of course, the Budget and Control Board has given some additional funds to the university. What do you think the university is going to have to do in order to -- I'm sorry. My phone is ringing -- to make themselves solvent and financially stable in the future as well as be able to recruit new students and build up their programs?
And if it's not working out, then we've got to move on, because the big picture is, you've got a plan and you've got a vision and a goal that you're trying to reach. And if there's something there lagging, it's not worthy. You've got to let that go so you can move forward.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A second. Any other discussion? Hearing none, we can vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Next, Mr. Vernon L. Pryor. Let me swear you in.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Good afternoon, first of all, and thank you for this opportunity to stand before you, Senator, and your esteemed board as well. And as you stated earlier, my name is Vernon Pryor. I'm a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and a nineteen ninety -- I'm sorry -- a 1988 graduate of South Carolina State University.
I presently serve on the Board of Visitors at South Carolina State University and became interested in that particular role because of all the adverse issues that were becoming heavy issues for our university. Questions or comments?
Senator Scott.
I notice your saying the weakness at SC State has been a lack of trust with your leadership. Do you equate that to the previous president -- presidents and the board, or who are you talking about when you say lack of trust? Well, sir, to be quite honest with you, I attribute that answer to a wide area of things. And I will just start back from 1984, when I became a student. It just became apparent to me that the system itself was just so ingrained in the buddy-buddy system, for the lack of a better term. You see things where, if you don't belong to a certain mindset, that you won't fit in. And over the years as it progressed, I had two nephews and one niece that actually went to South Carolina State University after me and graduated and just saw some gradual declining areas that needed much more attention. So when I say, the trust factor -- and a prime example, if I may digress for just a second. In my opinion, after I graduated, I saw Dr. Hatton -- Barbara Hatton became president of the institution. From the things I read in her bio and the things I read that she attributed to the institution, I felt very confident that she would be an excellent leader for our organization moving forward. But from the -- from what you hear from the alumni association and being a part of the institution, going to the various games and the different functions at the institution, some of the alumni felt as if her progress was being stifled by the -- again, the good old system that was ingrained in South Carolina State University.
So to answer your question, what I stated as that weakness is, this -- again, it starts -- it's a systemic problem that began, not just in one area, not attributed to one president, but just issues that evolved around any president that serves in that capacity.
Representative Henderson.
Thank you, Mr. Pryor, for your --
I wanted to ask you -- I'm going to ask you the same question I asked the others, but before I do, you hit on something in your additional information that is something that has concerned me for a while, and I have heard a lot. And you mentioned here in one of your -- on number 4. You say, the true fact is that the University of Phoenix online campus is the largest producer of African-American recipients of bachelor's degrees in all disciplines. And I wanted you to comment on that because, you know, one of the things that we hear from -- for example, when South Carolina started the Palmetto College, which is an online school, you know, that we in South Carolina don't really have a lot of oversight over these for-profit universities like the University of Phoenix --
But the question I'm drawing down to, and that is, how can you explain the fact, for example, that, you know, the tuition at SC State is like $4,000 a year and you could pay 20 or so to get a degree from a University of Phoenix? What would be -- explain to me why it is that you can -- how do you explain that phenomenon that these online schools are the highest producers of degrees yet at some times probably a lot more expensive than your traditional public institutions? One of the -- a part of my explanation to your question could be the variety of fields that are offered in schools like Phoenix -- University of Phoenix, Strayer University may not be offered at a historically black college and university that would put you directly into the mainstream of the working environment upon graduation. Now, the second part of your question, as it pertains to the funding, you're absolutely right. The tuition compared to a historically black college or university is astronomical. It is. Sometimes it doubles, maybe even triples.
But the financial aid possibility for those schools give more opportunities for those online universities like Strayer and, again, the University of Phoenix, and it offers a variety of opportunities for that community that may not want to attend a historically black college or university, and for that reason, the graduation rate for those colleges are extremely high.
I mean, the school has to become more diverse in the areas that we educate our young folks, is a much simpler answer to that. And if it takes mirroring what success rates the other institutions, like the University of Phoenix or the other online institutions have, of course we need to explore those opportunities and make sure they're fiscally and financially responsible and with -- you know, serve as an asset to the university, and we definitely need to explore those options. Well, to be quite honest, all colleges and all universities -- and, again, in my opinion -- should be treated as a business. I'm a former business owner. I owned a Blimpie's Subs & Salads restaurant for 11 years, and in my opinion, the approach should be just treating it just like a business. And I said that to say this. The students are our number one assets. Those are our customers. We should be out recruiting with better methods, better techniques, more things to attract the students, not only in the state of South Carolina but beyond as well, because South Carolina State University has a whole lot to offer. It's an excellent, excellent institution. And, you know, I feel very confident in the fact that if we treat it more as a business and understand that the students are our customers and cater more towards the students -- again, back to your earlier question -- with different programs that may be more attractive to them to get them here, different majors and courses of study and things of that nature, that would, you know, bring them closer to acclimating to the working environment in the twenty-first century. I'm definitely for that.
And the short answer to your question is to treat it more like a successful business, and that goes with the fiscal responsibility as well.
But the students -- when I look at where those students actually came from, we no longer received tuition grants, need-based parent PLUS loans. Those are the students, when the economy collapsed, that got caught in the middle.
We -- I heard a lot about, you know, we're going to get the private sector to fund all of the needs. And we know that's not going to happen. For an example, in Charleston, Boeing -- and I'm sure you all are familiar with the Boeing Corporation that just moved to Charleston recently. They were in the process of trying to train current college students for certain areas that would serve them better after graduating to become a part of the Boeing Corporation, not only here in Charleston but in Bellevue, Washington state; Seattle, Washington, and things of that nature.
Well, if South Carolina State University, just for an example, could be a vital part of that -- and going back to the question I answered earlier, about diversifying the areas of study that we have and being more inclusive of other areas, things like that with the private sector would definitely help. I think, in my opinion, the responsibility of all trustees on whatever board that they actually serve is to ensure that the entity that they're serving for is financially solvent and on solid ground, period. Whatever that takes as far as fundraising, engaging private sectors, engaging other entities, or engaging alumni to give more, create more of a -- you know, an estate planning for when alumni has actually, you know, unfortunately, passed away, things like that can be passed on to the institution. Those are ideas that have to start being talked about but actually be implemented, and there's a lot out there that's just hanging, low-lying fruit that's just hanging there, but it takes minds, and it takes a mindset to go after those issues to make it a reality. So, again, your question is absolutely right, sir. The private sector is not the fix all. It's not the magic wand to everything, but it certainly plays a major part in any community.
In a community like Orangeburg and knowing that, you know, the institution, which is, you know, one of the oldest historically black colleges and institutions with a very high success rate, militarily or businesswise, it's very worthy of that private sector help.
I'm certainly not a person who goes with the status quo just because it's popular. I've been dealing with adversity all my life. It doesn't matter. If it doesn't sound right or if it doesn't pass the smell test, even if I'm just that one lonely vote in the dark, I'm going to vote with my conscience because I'm here to serve -- or would want to be potentially here to serve the students of South Carolina State University. Any other discussion? Hearing none, we'll move to vote.
All in favor, say aye. That completes South Carolina State University. Now we're going to Coastal Carolina University, and we'll have Alan Connie.
ALAN CONNIE
MR. CONNIE: Good afternoon.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I was honored within a month after my retirement to be named head coach emeritus by our board of trustees. I was the first athletic coach to get that title. They named me the chanticleer of the year at our athletic foundation gala, and I was just recently inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. I'm very invested in Coastal. What I've learned as a coach that -- it's a team effort. It takes a team, and I'm looking to continue my service to Coastal, a place that I've seen grow from the first time I stepped on that campus in 1976, when there were about four buildings, to what it is today is a remarkable story, one that I have been very proud to be a part of, to help build it to where it is. I've got great relationships with many of the administrators, faculty on campus, and I just want to continue to serve. I'm grateful for what Coastal has given me. I want to give back, you know. I also have a unique situation. I spent 26 years as a public school educator, special education teacher in South Carolina schools. So for 17 of my 28 years, I did double-duty, where I taught until 3 o'clock and then spent until about 10:00 or 11 o'clock at night at Coastal, assuming the role of head coach.
But I think that gives me a prospective, and I wrote it. I absolutely can see the transformative effect of education both at the public school level, at the university level, and at every level. And any way I can give back and serve this university, this great community, would be a privilege and an honor. Questions or comments?
Representative Whitmire.
On your question where you say what do you think is the biggest weakness of this university, you said -- and this -- you're the first one to mention this, which I think is a major problem to our State -- the retention rate is not high enough, and you say you want to get to 70 to 75 percent. What is it now; do you know?
You know, I'm hoping that the retention rate gets to over 70 percent, and I think we're well on our way to be headed there.
I notice you have one of the largest, if not the largest, out-of-state populations, and I'm assuming part of that is because of your location. And -- but is that also something that the administration actively recruits, is out-of-state students? We do recruit heavily in -- you know, in the Northeast Corridor. It's a very attractive school for students from the Midwest and the North to come to, but at the same time, we have made a point to really recruit in state to get that student population up. In speaking to people in our admissions staff, they've pointed out that no qualified in-state student is rejected from Carolina Coastal University. One of the things I'm real proud of -- you know, I coached the team that was predominantly minority -- you walk around that campus now, and it's a very diverse campus. I think we're 69 percent white, you know. That means 31 percent minority students on our campus. That was not the case ten or twenty years ago. I'm very proud of that. I'm proud that I had a role in that in recruiting student athletes. Certainly, bringing on football has had a lot to do with that, but I think the university would like to see that percent rise to about 60 percent.
At the same time, our funding dilemma, you know, as I'm sure you heard before, were -- percentage wise, we're one of the least-funded universities in the State of South Carolina. So the in-state tuition is $10,140. Out of state is $23,480. So I think we're very dependent as this university has grown, which is amazing to see the growth. We're dependent on that $13,000 differential that the out-of-state students bring to keep the growth growing. Thank you, Mr. Connie, yes. Thank you. I had a -- I ran cross country and track in high school. So I understand all of the things you have to do to carry people proud. I was just remembering my experiences, by the way. I was all new to running and all of the new things.
So I do appreciate it but -- so let me ask you a question. I picked up on two things in your remarks, and this has to do with the in-state/out-of-state tuition. So in your statement, you say that Coastal is the fastest growing institution of higher education in the State, yet you've got pretty much a 50/50 in-state/out-of-state balance. So has the growth been coming from in-state or out-of-state or equal?
And from what I gather, the administration feels very good about the path that we're on to reach that goal. Any other discussion? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you, sir. Next, Mr. Carl H. Schwartzkopf from Conway.
MR. SCHWARTZKOPF: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I moved to Horry County 26 years ago after having a career as a golf administrator in the business world, and I taught golf course management at Horry Georgetown Technical College. I was the first professor that they hired at the law school of business when they started the PGM program. I've been involved in several activities on the campus at Coastal Carolina University as part of the long-range planning committee. I currently serve on the board for evaluating the research grants. I'm involved in a lot of other activities. I live probably about 100 yards from the university. I live right across the street from the university in Lackey Chapel and on the sixth tee of a golf course that is owned by the university. When I taught there, I rode my bike to campus because I didn't have to worry about the parking problems.
And my heart has been at Coastal ever since I got there. And, in fact, I made such a dedication to Coastal that upon my passing, my property, my lots, my houses, et cetera are all bequeath to the university.
Representative Whitmire.
And professional golf management, explain that to me. Exactly what is that?
He was good friends also with my uncle -- cousin Norman, so we're okay there. And the marine science program basically draws students from across the country. And one of my classmates from the Naval Academy, when he found out I was teaching at an -- or teaching at Coastal, he finally said that, I'm glad you landed at a good school. Because he did his master's degree, I think, at Woods Hole or one of the other marine things and said how highly regarded Coastal Carolina University's marine science program is. And it also turned out we have the same recognition as far as the PGM program. I remember teaching -- the guy and I taught ten, twelve years at Coastal in the PGM program. There were some classes that I had, and I probably had two or three students from South Carolina. All the rest were from out of state. And there are basically two attractions. One is when they come to Myrtle Beach, and the students realize we've got 120 golf courses. They say, "Wow, I can play a different golf course every day of the week, every month of the -- and every day of the month, and I don't have to play any of them twice". So that was a big attraction. So those -- that's how come there's such a large amount of out-of-state students. And the other thing is, talking with a lot of the parents from out of state, they found out that sending their son or daughter to Coastal was a lot cheaper than sending them to the University of Connecticut or someplace up in the East. And they always say, "Boy, what a great bargain to send a kid down here", you know, that type of thing.
So, you know, it's -- yeah. So the PGM program and the marine science program were two big attractions for out-of-state students. Earlier, we were talking about retention, and that was one of the problems we had in the PGM program, the golf program, at Coastal -- is students were there for a year or two and then they were gone, and it was because of grade point average. It wasn't because they lacked the ability or the skill or the talent to play golf. And so I -- at one of these faculty meetings, I made the recommendation that we house the freshmen and sophomores on campus in the PGM program, and the retention rate went like up to 90-plus percent, and a lot of the other departments initiated a similar type program.
What's happened since then is several private sector individuals have built apartments around campus that are part of the -- a relationship with the foundation -- of the housing foundation, and we're currently in the process of building more dormitories on campus. So that's going to take care of that.
Representative Henderson.
Yeah. We won't -- we don't need a discussion about that.
So what do you think -- zeroing in on what I'm thinking is possibly one of the biggest challenges there, and that it's this whole in-state/out-of-state balance, what do you think that, you know, as a board member you -- your ideas would be about in how to, you know, recruit more in-state students there? Any further discussion? Hearing none, we'll move to a vote.
All in favor, say aye. Next, Mr. Todd Setzer.
MR. SETZER: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. I'll swear you in.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I have been affiliated with Coastal Carolina University since 1996, where I went to college. It's been a wonderful part of my life, both, you know, academically, professionally, and personally. I -- and so for me, this is an opportunity for me to give back and contribute. My family and I live in the Myrtle Beach area, a wife and two kids, and we spend a lot of time out there for various activities. I can see the excitement it brings my family, the excitement it brings me, and it's just an exciting time to be part of the university, seeing, obviously, tremendous growth since 1996. And I just think where the university is headed and of some of the ideas that I have, I would love to be a part of it and contribute. We've made the area our home.
And so, for me, it was just a natural fit to apply for this board position and, you know, offer my services to Coastal Carolina University. Questions?
Representative Henderson.
What do you see as some of the issues, some of the things that you'd like to be interested in working on with -- how do you feel like you can contribute to the university? And so the graduates that we have right now are all recent graduates. You know, obviously, being affiliated with the University of South Carolina until 1993, most people that are, you know, graduates of Coastal Carolina graduated in the past 20 years ago. And so I think there's an opportunity to reach out to those alumni and have them come back to the campus. You know, one of the things that I think, from a growth strategy, is getting those folks to come back and visit it. And if you haven't been to Coastal Carolina, man, is it exciting. You go and you'll look at all the new buildings. You'll look at our new athletic facilities. Everything about it is just a phenomenal place. One of the things that I put on there was from the challenges that they'll have as being recognized as a beach university, that stigma. You're always going to have the stigma. We're 9 to 10 miles away from Myrtle Beach. But if you come and visit the campus, I think that stigma really diminishes, and you get an opportunity to see why there's some really good things going on here on campus, the student life. One of the things Mr. Schwartzkopf mentioned, you know, was having the students live on campus. I think that's played a tremendous part and in kind of taking away some of that, the stigma. When I was there, you know, when you were a freshman, you couldn't wait to get your first apartment at Myrtle Beach, and I don't think that's the case anymore. Folks are living there their freshmen and sophomore, even into their junior and senior years. They're staying around the university. There's apartments that are affiliated with the university and some that are not. And so folks -- and a campus life is very, very strong right now, and I think, you know, from academically as well as our sports program. So hopefully everyone's been paying attention a little bit right now in the FCS. You know, our football team has made the playoffs yet again. And so that's just enhanced our marketing opportunities, not only as a local state university, but on a national level.
And so I think there's a lot of opportunities that we can capture. The company that I work for, the gentleman is a Coastal Carolina graduate, and I think that's one of the things in my interview process that impressed him. And I know we make a push in our universities, even having to do with the Horry Georgetown Tech and some of our field employs. And so, yeah, I do think it's -- there's an opportunity there to keep them there. Obviously, we have to get the jobs and economic developments. That's part of the structure, that Coastal is going to work with us as well as working with our local city and county councils and to create those jobs for those folks to stay and the willingness. You know, in Horry County, in the Grand Strand, we get 14 to 15 million visitors a year that come through there. A large portion of those are going to pass by 501 and see Coastal Carolina. So our demand for out of state -- to students is always going to be there. I think it's a positive thing, I think, if we can capture that as a marketing opportunity. And, again, I graduated actually in the -- from Florence, South Carolina, West Florence. I was one of two folks that went to Coastal Carolina.
And so at that time it wasn't -- the demand wasn't there for, I think, folks in South Carolina. But I do think as we grow and educate people on the -- what I think is a wonderful university, you're going to see the in-state demand as well growth along with the out of state.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
What is your vision for the institution? I'm pretty sure you've had the chance to think about some things that you would want to do differently as a board member. I think if we can do those, we're creating new advocates for Coastal Carolina in places in Charlotte, in New York, in these different states and these different cities. And so we need those advocates to continue to push. And so right now, we do not have a lot of graduates through Coastal Carolina. And so, you know, we don't have the history that some other universities have and the tenure. And so we need to capitalize on these new graduates or graduates from the past 15 to 20 years, get them to come back, and embrace all the changes. You know, I kind of joke that folks ought to look at my wardrobe now. The amount of stuff I had at Coastal Carolina in my closet is way different now than when I did 20 years ago. That just didn't exist.
And so just all of the things exciting with the campus, I think if we can capitalize on that, the future is very, very bright for Coastal Carolina.
You list the diverse opportunities of study, 65 majors, 8 masters, and your first doctoral just started this year. Is there -- are there any plans for future doctorate study or --
Do they offer -- does Coastal offer the education majors down there? I'm not familiar. Do you know? Like a -- for -- like Winthrop offers, you know, education.
All I can say is, I wish you had been around when I was going to college.
Is there a second? We're taking a vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you for your willingness to serve.
CHAIRMAN SENATOR PEELER: Next, we have Delan Stevens. How do you do, sir? Let me swear you in.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Thank you. Thank you for having me here for the screening process. I was born and raised in Conway, so I've always been there. I attended the university from 1975 to 1979 on a tennis scholarship, and all this time I thought I wanted to go to Clemson. And actually, I applied to go to Clemson and went for one day and just kind of missed home. I wanted to play tennis and went back to the -- Coastal Carolina and played tennis there for four years. It was probably the greatest four years I had. I went and made the right decision, met a lot of people that I didn't know because the university was really small then. So we were more like a tight community. It was about 1,200 students total, and they had three buildings when I attended. So it has changed tremendously since then. I currently serve on a higher education commission, so for several years I've had the opportunity to watch a lot of buildings go up. The education commission, we actually fund several of the buildings that are currently there, and we also offer scholarships. That's one thing I think I've noticed the most changed. When I first went on to the higher education commission, we'd probably spend about $65,000 a year for local scholarships. And what we would do is, students from local high schools, we would offer those scholarships to the kids, and a lot of times they would choose other universities. Last year, we funded $267,000 worth of scholarships to local kids from local high schools. So there's been a big change in the local atmosphere of how kids want to go to Coastal. It's just changed that much.
So it's definitely not just the computer university that it used to be. Questions or comments?
Representative Whitmire.
And you're not the first one to say rapid growth or, you know, faster growth is a weakness. And I have a tendency to agree. You know, you can outstrip, you know, your capacity past the -- to function as a good university if you're not careful. And I think the previous candidate --
Can you turn your -- so I can -- thank you. Yeah, we were talking about rapid growth being a potential problem. Maybe it is a problem now. I don't know.
How would you address that? Would you stop the increase in enrollment, or would you try to provide more housing? What would you like to see there? I think we need to improve our academic side. And so, I would think -- yes, sir, I -- that would be one thing I would look at. I don't think we can continue at the pace we're going until we get to 12- or 15,000 students. I think our students are almost outpacing what we can do as far as housing and a lot of other things. But not only just from the educational standpoint, but I think sometimes when we grow so fast and bring so many students into an area like Conway and Myrtle Beach, it puts a lot of pressure on a lot of things, from local law enforcement to a lot of other things with problems and things it can create if you're not careful and controlling your growth.
So my ideas would be to look and see if 10,000 students is the right number or 11,000. But I do think we do have to slow down growth from what we've been doing.
Thank you, Mr. Stevens --
I just had one question. What is the Horry County Higher Education Commission?
When the university was first established, the delegation decided that they wanted to help the university grow, so they actually formed a higher education commission and took part of the Horry County Tax Meal to actually build buildings and things like this. The Singleton building was probably one of the first buildings built by the higher education commission. So it was actually incorporated and set up as a separate entity to help advance the university. But like I say, the two major things it was set up for was for the scholarships to keep local students and for the buildings.
So that's our two main objectives.
Thank you very much.
Is there a second? Any discussion? No further discussion, we'll take it to a vote.
All in favor, say aye.
Thank you, sir.
Staff, do you want to give us some housekeeping on when we can release these candidates from commitments and so forth?
But starting --
And it will be out at 12 noon on February 4th following the judicial elections. So we'll combine them, these elections with the judicial elections.
And then the usual ones that are up for re -- up for election cannot be held until April -- after -- any time after April 1st. So my suggestion would be, if y'all agree, is to hold those two special elections at the same time as you do the others. (The screenings adjourned at approximately 3:13 p.m.) Received as information.
The following was introduced: H. 3310 (Word version) -- Reps. Rutherford, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bernstein, Bingham, Bowers, Bradley, Brannon, G. A. Brown, R. L. Brown, Burns, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cole, Collins, Corley, H. A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Delleney, Dillard, Douglas, Duckworth, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, Forrester, Funderburk, Gagnon, Gambrell, George, Gilliard, Goldfinch, Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hardwick, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hodges, Horne, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, Kennedy, King, Kirby, Knight, Limehouse, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, Mack, McCoy, McEachern, McKnight, M. S. McLeod, W. J. McLeod, Merrill, Mitchell, D. C. Moss, V. S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Neal, Newton, Norman, Norrell, Ott, Parks, Pitts, Pope, Putnam, Quinn, Ridgeway, Riley, Rivers, Robinson-Simpson, Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, G. M. Smith, G. R. Smith, J. E. Smith, Sottile, Southard, Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Tinkler, Toole, Weeks, Wells, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Williams, Willis and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE DEATH OF ANTHONY MANIGAULT HURLEY OF COLUMBIA AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS. The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 3312 (Word version) -- Reps. Long, Felder, Delleney, King, V. S. Moss, D. C. Moss, Norman, Pope, Simrill, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bernstein, Bingham, Bowers, Bradley, Brannon, G. A. Brown, R. L. Brown, Burns, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cole, Collins, Corley, H. A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Dillard, Douglas, Duckworth, Erickson, Finlay, Forrester, Funderburk, Gagnon, Gambrell, George, Gilliard, Goldfinch, Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hardwick, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hodges, Horne, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, Kennedy, Kirby, Knight, Limehouse, Loftis, Lowe, Lucas, Mack, McCoy, McEachern, McKnight, M. S. McLeod, W. J. McLeod, Merrill, Mitchell, Murphy, Nanney, Neal, Newton, Norrell, Ott, Parks, Pitts, Putnam, Quinn, Ridgeway, Riley, Rivers, Robinson-Simpson, Rutherford, Ryhal, Sandifer, G. M. Smith, G. R. Smith, J. E. Smith, Sottile, Southard, Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Tinkler, Toole, Weeks, Wells, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Williams, Willis and Yow: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE FORT MILL FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THE VALUABLE PUBLIC SERVICE IT RENDERS TO ITS COMMUNITY EVERY DAY AND TO CONGRATULATE THE DEPARTMENT AT THE CELEBRATION OF ITS ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY. The Resolution was adopted.
The following was introduced: H. 3311 (Word version) -- Reps. Mitchell, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bernstein, Bingham, Bowers, Bradley, Brannon, G. A. Brown, R. L. Brown, Burns, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cole, Collins, Corley, H. A. Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Delleney, Dillard, Douglas, Duckworth, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, Forrester, Funderburk, Gagnon, Gambrell, George, Gilliard, Goldfinch, Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hardwick, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hicks, Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hodges, Horne, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, Kennedy, King, Kirby, Knight, Limehouse, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, Mack, McCoy, McEachern, McKnight, M. S. McLeod, W. J. McLeod, Merrill, D. C. Moss, V. S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Neal, Newton, Norman, Norrell, Ott, Parks, Pitts, Pope, Putnam, Quinn, Ridgeway, Riley, Rivers, Robinson-Simpson, Rutherford, Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, G. M. Smith, G. R. Smith, J. E. Smith, Sottile, Southard, Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Tinkler, Toole, Weeks, Wells, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Williams, Willis and Yow: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE MONARCH CAFÉ & FRESH FOOD STORE IN SPARTANBURG ON ITS GRAND OPENING, HELD IN NOVEMBER 2014, AND TO DECLARE NOVEMBER 6, 2014, AS HEALTHY EATING DAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA. The Concurrent Resolution was agreed to and ordered sent to the Senate.
The Senate sent to the House the following: S. 271 (Word version) -- Senator Cromer: A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO CONGRATULATE DR. OSCAR F. LOVELACE, JR., MD, ON BEING NAMED THE 2015 FAMILY PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS AND TO RECOGNIZE HIM FOR AN OUTSTANDING CAREER AS A FAMILY PHYSICIAN. The Concurrent Resolution was agreed to and ordered returned to the Senate with concurrence.
The following Bill was introduced, read the first time, and referred to appropriate committee:
H. 3313 (Word version) -- Reps. Pope, Simrill, Ballentine, Felder, Atwater, Bedingfield, Spires, Clary, Collins, Delleney, Hamilton, Hiott, Hixon, V. S. Moss, Norman, Stringer and Toole: A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 12-43-222 SO AS TO PROVIDE WHEN CALCULATING ROLL-BACK TAX DUE ON A PARCEL OF REAL PROPERTY CHANGED FROM AGRICULTURAL TO COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL USE THE VALUE USED FOR PLATTED GREEN SPACE OR OPEN SPACE USE OF THE PARCEL, IF SUCH USE IS TEN PERCENT OR MORE OF THE PARCEL, MUST BE VALUED BASED ON THE GREEN SPACE OR OPEN SPACE USE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 12-43-220, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO CLASSES OF PROPERTY AND APPLICABLE ASSESSMENT RATIOS FOR PURPOSES OF IMPOSITION OF THE PROPERTY TAX, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING AMENDMENT, AND TO PROVIDE THAT AFTER A PARCEL OF REAL PROPERTY HAS UNDERGONE AN ASSESSABLE TRANSFER OF INTEREST, DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX AND PENALTIES ASSESSED BECAUSE THE PROPERTY WAS IMPROPERLY CLASSIFIED AS OWNER-OCCUPIED RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY WHILE OWNED BY THE TRANSFEROR ARE SOLELY A PERSONAL LIABILITY OF THE TRANSFEROR AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY AND ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE AGAINST THE PROPERTY AFTER THE ASSESSABLE TRANSFER OF INTEREST IF THE TRANSFEREE IS A BONA FIDE PURCHASER FOR VALUE WITHOUT NOTICE.
The roll call of the House of Representatives was taken resulting as follows: Alexander Allison Anthony Atwater Bales Ballentine Bamberg Bannister Bedingfield Bingham Bowers Bradley Brannon G. A. Brown R. L. Brown Burns Chumley Clary Clemmons Clyburn Cobb-Hunter Cole Collins Corley H. A. Crawford Crosby Daning Delleney Dillard Douglas Duckworth Erickson Felder Finlay Forrester Funderburk Gagnon Gambrell George Gilliard Goldfinch Govan Hamilton Hardee Hardwick Hart Hayes Henderson Henegan Herbkersman Hicks Hill Hiott Hixon Hodges Horne Hosey Howard Huggins Jefferson Johnson Kennedy King Kirby Knight Limehouse Loftis Long Lowe Lucas Mack McCoy McEachern McKnight D. C. Moss V. S. Moss Murphy Norman Norrell Ott Parks Pitts Pope Putnam Quinn Ridgeway Riley Rivers Robinson-Simpson Sandifer Simrill G. M. Smith Sottile Southard Spires Stavrinakis Stringer Tallon Taylor Thayer Tinkler Toole Weeks Wells Whipper White Whitmire Williams Willis Yow
I came in after the roll call and was present for the Session on Wednesday, January 14. W. J. McLeod G. R. Smith James Merrill Todd Rutherford Mia S. McLeod J. E. Smith Carl Anderson Joseph Neal
The SPEAKER granted Rep. NEWTON a leave of absence for the day due to a prior commitment.
The SPEAKER granted Rep. RYHAL a leave of absence for the day due to medical reasons.
The SPEAKER granted Rep. MITCHELL a leave of absence for the day due to family medical reasons.
The SPEAKER granted Rep. NANNEY a leave of absence for the day due to medical reasons.
The SPEAKER granted Rep. BERNSTEIN a leave of absence for the day due to a prior commitment.
Announcement was made that Dr. Marshall Meadors of Anderson was the Doctor of the Day for the General Assembly. Rep. MCKNIGHT moved that the House adjourns upon completion of the Governor's inauguration, to meet at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, which was agreed to.
Processional 282nd Army Band, Fort Jackson, Columbia Warrant Officer One Thomas W. Jackson, Jr., Commander
General Assembly
Ceremony
Welcome The Honorable Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr.
Bethel A.M.E. Church, Columbia Medal of Honor recipient Star Spangled Banner Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith
ADMINISTRATION OF THE OATH TO THE OFFICE Lieutenant Governor The Honorable Henry Dargan McMaster
by Lieutenant Governor Henry Dargan McMaster
Secretary of State The Honorable Mark Hammond
"I Have Had Singing" Ron Jeffers
Dr. David Rhyne, Conductor "Stars I Shall Find" Victor Johnson
Miki Keisler, Director
ADMINISTRATION OF THE OATH TO THE GOVERNOR
Her Excellency, Governor of South Carolina
Four years ago, I spoke from this very same spot, on this very same occasion. "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord" arr. Stacey Gibbs (b. 1962)
Dr. Isaiah McGee, Conductor "I Dream a World" Andre Thomas
Claflin University Concert Choir The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Cantus Chamber Choir River Bluff High School Chamber Choir Dr. Isaiah McGee, Conductor Benediction The Rev. Dr. Brian Rainwater Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church, Lexington
Governor Lieutenant Governor State Officers University and College Presidents Inaugural Chairmen Former Governors of South Carolina Dignitaries Congressional Delegation Supreme Court Court of Appeals General Assembly
At 12:30 p.m. the House, in accordance with the motion of Rep. FINLAY, adjourned in memory of Representative Gagnon's mother, Ms. Claire Kolacz, to meet at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
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