A House subcommittee has approved a measure that would temporarily close South Carolina State University to allow the school to correct its finances.
The Higher Education and Technical Colleges subcommittee approved the measure on a 3-1 vote Tuesday afternoon. The bill still must go to the full House Ways and Means committee, and potentially the entire House, for consideration.
Another House panel met later in the day to discuss the matter further, but after nearly an hour of conversation, tabled their work until Wednesday.
If approved, the school would shut down July 1st, would remain closed for the entire 2015-2016 school year, and would reopen in fall of 2017. All programs, both academic and athletic, would be affected. The school's president and board of trustees would be fired, and faculty and staff would be dismissed.
The state would assume all debt and pay off all outstanding debts to vendors and loans made from the Contingency Reserve Fund.
Students who have a 2.5 GPA or higher and qualify to transfer to another in-state school would have their tuition paid for up to four years.
A Blue-Ribbon panel would then come up with a plan to reopen the school.
Late in the evening, however, SC State University President Thomas Elzey said he and other supporters of the university would fight the effort to close the school.
"I want to make one thing clear: South Carolina State University will not close," Elzey said.
The Associated Press reports that Rep. Jim Merrill said it's time to stop "messing around the edges" when it comes to South Carolina State University's financial mess. Merrill wants the state to take on the university's debts, which could climb past $100 million.
"The governor certainly understands the frustrations of the House Committee," said Cheney Adams, a spokeswoman for Governor Nikki Haley. "SC State's leadership has been unable to provide straight answers on the condition of the schools finances for months, something she finds totally unacceptable."
State Senator John Matthews, who represents Orangeburg and is an SC State alum, said the House's vote was a mistake.
"I think it's the most irresponsible vote that I've ever seen come out of the House," said Matthew. "They know they're not going to be able to close that institution, the Senate's not going to support that position, and so all they're doing is damage to the institution.
The university has been mired in financial trouble for years. Just last month, Elzey told a House budget committee that the school still owes $17.5 million, a figure that includes a previous state loan the school has yet to repay.
Late last year, South Carolina's financial oversight board agreed to give the school $12 million over three years.
The school is on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for financial and governance issues. In an effort to increase revenue, the university's board of trustees approved a tuition hike last summer. The increase was 3.2 percent for in-state students, and 5 percent for those from out-of-state.
The school acknowledged on its social media accounts the committee's actions, and said school supporters "are vowing to fight to kill the measure."
"The University is encouraging all students, alumni, supporters, and parents to remain calm," the school posted on its Facebook account. "The proviso is simply a recommendation. The administration and university supporters are fighting to have the bill killed. If you want your opinion to be heard, call your state legislators and governor's office. Call 803-734-2100."
South Carolina State is the only public historically black college or university in the state.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, February 10th 2015 at 6:18PM
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