A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-101-35 SO AS TO CREATE A MANDATORY ORIENTATION TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NEW MEMBERS OF THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THIS STATE, TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAM, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD SECRETARY OF EACH INSTITUTION.

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

 

SECTION 1.  Article 1, Chapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 59-101-35. (A) New members of the board of trustees of each public institution of higher learning in this State shall participate, at least once during their first year of membership, in a board orientation program. The board orientation program must be designed to address the role, duties, and responsibilities of the board of trustees.

    (B) The president and board secretary of each institution, in consultation with relevant staff and external stakeholders, shall develop the comprehensive orientation and training program.

    (C) The orientation program and training must include, but is not limited to:

       (1) board members' duty to this State, with particular attention to their respective applicable statutory and regulatory authority;

       (2) governing board committee structure and functions including the duties of the board's executive committee;

       (3) professional accounting and reporting standards;

       (4) methods for meeting the statutory, regulatory, and fiduciary obligations of the board;

       (5) the requirements of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act;

       (6) ethical considerations arising from membership on a public body, including the South Carolina Ethics Act;

       (7) creating, approving, and implementing institution-wide rules, regulations, and policies;

       (8) business operations, administration, budgeting, financing, financial reporting, and financial reserves, including a segment on endowment management;

       (9) setting student tuition, mandatory fees, and other necessary charges, including a review of student debt trends as well as inflation trends;

       (10) workforce planning, strategy, and investment;

       (11) institutional advancement through philanthropic giving, fundraising initiatives, alumni programming, communications and media, government and public relations, and community affairs;

       (12) academic affairs, including academic programs, academic space, and academic quality, as well as accreditation requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SAS-COC) and faculty and staff welfare;

       (13) student welfare issues, including residence life, student governance and activities, and the general physical and psychological well-being of all students;

       (14) athletics operations, strategies, and expenditures as well any conference or athletic association membership guidance;

       (15) current and future national and state issues in higher education;

       (16) relations between the board and president of the institution, including the policy-administration dichotomy;

       (17) the development of and guidance provided by the strategic plan of the institution; and

       (18) any other topics that the president of the institution considers necessary or appropriate.

    (D) The orientation program and training must include at least eight hours of education and instruction for the new board members. The training may be completed in one block or broken up over the course of a fiscal year, provided that a new trustee shall complete the full eight hours of training within the first twelve months after his appointment to the board.

    (E) The president of each institution shall report annually to the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee the number of hours of training and development that each member of his board of trustees received during the preceding fiscal year.

 

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect on July 1, 2026.

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