from Spartanburg’s goupstate.com

Kevin Dietrich, The Nerve

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The line was drawn early and often during Tuesday’s higher education summit in West Columbia.

With more than 400 individuals on hand, including legislators, higher education officials, community leaders, college students and parents, debate seethed for more than two hours regarding higher education in South Carolina, focusing particularly on rising tuition rates that threaten to put college out of reach of some Palmetto State families.

“It is simply unsustainable to turn to tuition and student fees to fund the rising cost of college,” said Michael Poliakoff, policy director of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. “You can’t balance budgets on the backs of students. The solution is to do more with less.”

South Carolina is losing ground to neighboring states by shortchanging higher education, which will cost the state dearly in the long run, said Garrison Walters, executive director of the state’s Commission on Higher Education.

“North Carolina and Georgia both invest far more in higher education and get far more in return,” he said.

Gov. Mark Sanford called the summit and panel discussion, held at Midlands Technical College’s Airport campus, to begin a statewide discussion on such topics as perception and reality regarding higher education, student body composition and college affordability.

“What this was was the kickoff to an awfully important discussion for a lot of students and families in South Carolina,” he said. “We’ve got to come up with some solutions to rising costs beyond raising tuition and fees or we’re going to end up pricing college beyond the reach of many South Carolina families.”

There was much that was debated during Tuesday’s gathering, including how much money the state allocates toward higher education.

Some, including many higher ed officials, claim that funding has dropped sharply in recent years. Others stated that while direct appropriations may have declined, that fact alone doesn’t give a complete picture because it excludes scholarship money awarded to students from lottery revenues.

Also, federal stimulus money has helped offset much of the cutbacks to higher ed.

What is indisputable is that tuition at South Carolina institutions of higher education has risen sharply in recent years.

Between 1999 and 2008, in-state tuition at South Carolina’s research universities –
USC, Clemson and MUSC – rose an average of 166.5 percent, according to information provided by the S.C. Department of Commerce.

North Carolina was next highest in the Southeast, with an increase of 125.7 percent during the same period, while Georgia came in with a jump of 100.9 percent.

At South Carolina’s comprehensive colleges, which includes schools such as Winthrop, The Citadel and College of Charleston, tuition for in-state students increased 138.1 percent during the period from 1999-2008, again the highest rate in the Southeast.

North Carolina came in second at 109.8 percent while Georgia saw its in-state tuition increase 78.8 percent.

And this year alone, tuition jumped nearly 15 percent at the College of Charleston, 13 percent at The Citadel, 9 percent at MUSC, 7.5 percent at Clemson University and 6.9 percent at the University of South Carolina.

At least one legislator believes part of the problem lies with a lack of accountability on the part of the state’s universities and colleges.

Panel member Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, has pushed for state schools to put their public spending online because he believes public institutions in South Carolina “fight tooth and nail” to prevent the state’s citizens from knowing how they spend tax dollars.

Pricey capital projects, which have continued despite the current economic downturn, have also raised eyebrows around the state. Particularly noteworthy has been the expenditure of tens of millions in state dollars by USC for Innovista, which sits incomplete and largely vacant several years after inception.

If nothing else, the summit showed South Carolina has a long way to go toward truly understanding what it will take to rein in the rising costs associated with higher education.

“This conference has underscored the incredible complexity involved with the issues at hand,” said Francis Marion President Fred Carter.

Reach Dietrich at (803) 779-5022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ben Fox 803-734-2100

Governor Exposes Myth #2 about Higher Education in SC

Columbia, S.C. – September 21, 2010 – Leading up to the statewide Higher Education Summit planned for next week Tuesday, the Governor has committed to helping clear away several misperceptions about higher education, student body composition, and college affordability. The second of these myths is as follows:

MYTH #2: Importing large numbers of out-of-state students improves affordability for in-state SC students.

REALITY:

• South Carolina’s public colleges/universities are Number Two in the nation in importing students – taking in six out-of-state students for every one South Carolina student that goes out-of-state.

• Out-of-state enrollment at USC between 1999 and 2008 increased 105 percent while in-state enrollment grew less than nine percent. Looking statewide, the out-of-state student population grew from 24.6 percent in 1999 to 28.2 percent in 2008, while states like Florida have cut their out-of-state populations almost in half over that same time frame.

• In 2008, Clemson and USC spent on average $31,000 on out-of-state student’s education annually, but out-of-state tuition as these two schools only averaged close to $22,000. South Carolina taxpayers were forced to make up the difference.

• At USC and Clemson in 2008, South Carolina taxpayers subsidized out-of-state students to the tune of around $9,000 per year, per student – meaning that South Carolina taxpayers are effectively handing out-of-state students a $40,000 check for their South Carolina education.

• In 2008, USC and Clemson had a combined out-of-state enrollment of 10,778 students. Given the $9,000 annual subsidy for out-of-state students, that means South Carolina taxpayers shell out $97 million every year to help non-South Carolinians attend South Carolina schools.

• South Carolina’s in-state tuition at its largest public universities remains 145 percent higher than Florida, 80 percent higher than North Carolina and 60 percent higher than Georgia.

“This massive influx of out-of-state students does not, as some would argue, lower costs for South Carolina students to attend South Carolina colleges,” Gov. Mark Sanford. “Instead, it forces South Carolina taxpayers to actually subsidize out-of-state students’ education, while in many cases making it that much harder for South Carolina families to send their children to South Carolina schools, even if their parents and grandparents are alumni. This is simply unfair, unfortunate and frankly unknown by many taxpayers across South Carolina.”

“Compare this roughly $40,000 subsidy South Carolina taxpayers give to out-of-state students to the much-heralded HOPE scholarships – roughly $2,500 annually – meant to help South Carolina students get a college education in-state. HOPE scholarships provide around $10,000 in aid to in-state students over the average collegiate career – only one-fourth of the taxpayer subsidy lavished on out-of-state students.

“This raises the question: why would South Carolina taxpayers be subsidizing out-of-state students’ education to a greater degree than South Carolina’s own students? So while we certainly welcome out-of-state students who want a first-class South Carolina education, the reality is that our state’s current higher ed situation may in fact be favoring folks from the Jersey Shore over the Grand Strand, the Upstate, the Lowcountry and everywhere in between.”

Next week’s Higher Education Summit will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 28, in the Academic Center Auditorium (Room 116) at Midlands Technical College, Airport Campus (1260 Lexington Drive, West Columbia). All interested South Carolinians, college students, parents, community leaders, legislators, stakeholders, and members of the media are invited to attend. Given the number of RSVPs already received, please call or email Leigh LeMoine (803-734-0067; llemoine@gov.sc.gov) with any questions and to confirm your attendance.

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Below is a tribute to Rosemary Lindley, a great friend that went home yesterday:

Today we lost a lovely lady who fought with us for conservative causes.   Mrs. Rosemary Lindley passed away this afternoon after battling heart problems for only a brief time.

For those of you who didn’t know her, she had been in the trenches with us for many years.  She had offered her home for fundraisers for many candidates through the years.  She  also hosted  a luncheon in her home for the Republican Women several summers ago.   In addition  she had been faithful to help us with our annual Bronze Elephants and County Conventions.  She would sit and check people in or do whatever we asked.   She has worked the polls on election day for us many times and one time in particular I can remember both of us thought we might be run of out town for questioning so many votes at a certain precinct!  We actually called for someone to come walk us to our car!

Rosemary was always ready for another good conservative fight.   My last conversation with her included discussion about the direction of our country and how she worried about what would be left for her 5 precious grandchildren.  She knew the Constitution and knew we must elect people who would honor it!

I always told people if I ever went to battle I would want Rosemary in the foxhole with me.   She stood up for what she believed and was not afraid to voice her opinion.   In 2008 we disagreed over who our candidate should be.   She said Fred Thompson could win and I told her she was wrong – he would never make it through the primary.  Of course my candidate didn’t either so that one was a draw!

Rosemary will be greatly missed by her family and friends but we can all rest comfortably knowing she loved the Lord and knew Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Please remember her husband, Charles, and their two grown children, James and Carrie, in your prayers.  They have some difficult days ahead.  Susan Aiken

I received a copy of an e-mail recently sent out by Jane Dyer, Democrat candidate for congress (SC-3). The recipient of this contribution seeking e-mail was a government e-mail paid for by taxpayer dollars. That’s a no-no in itself, but here’s what got my attention:

She criticized Jeff Duncan, her Republican opponent. The e-mail states that in a recent candidate forum:

He stuck to the Tea Party line and the Club for Growth agenda. None of that was surprising but what shocked me was what he did not mention. We spoke for 39 minutes, and in that time, he made no mention of creating jobs.

I’m not sure where the Dyer campaign has been for the couple of years, but last time I checked the Tea Party and CFG is all about less government and low taxes. Duh…more money in the pockets of consumers creates jobs!

Consider her alternative. If the Obama-Pelosi agenda of growing government and high taxes, which Ms. Dyer supports, is supposed to create jobs, we’d have 0% unemployment from their socialistic shift. Interestingly, she fails to mention her strong backing from union bosses.

I consider “her criticism” a compliment. The American people certainly understand Jeff’s message. Thanks Jeff!