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Article published Jan 31, 2005
Union campus girds for rematch
Jason Spencer
Staff
Writer
UNION -- State and local leaders are in for quite a rematch
this year.The battleground will be in Columbia, but the spoils are here in the
form of the University of South Carolina's small but growing campus.Gov. Mark
Sanford's proposed budget draws a thick red mark through some of the dollars for
the school here, along with USC's Salkehatchie campus.The idea is to phase out
the Union campus over three years, but university officials have said that the
first-year funding cut is enough to close the doors.The game plays out in the
form of local need versus state resources.It's a battle of perspectives."Look,
you've got to make difficult decisions in this process," Sanford spokesman Will
Folks said. "It isn't a popular recommendation in some circles. But we cannot
continue to fund everything we'd like to fund in South Carolina."The governor's
$5.3 billion spending plan for next year actually raises higher-education
dollars slightly, Folks said. Eliminating USC Union would save about $900,000
over the next three years.The governor is 0-for-1 in attempts to close
Union.Round 2 should commence in March, when the House dives into the budget.But
the defense says it's got the Yellow Jackets' dogged spirit. And they say
they're ready to fight.Union's star player is a hometown guy, Democratic state
Rep. Mike Anthony. They even call him "coach.""I understand that (Sanford) is
looking at the bottom line … but he doesn't see the benefit that it has for a
rural community," said Anthony, who has a son at USC Union. "When we're in a
distressed area, with double-digit unemployment, it's an opportunity for our
kids to go to a two-year institution."If we didn't have this, many of our kids
wouldn't go to college. Period."Anthony said he talked to supporters in Columbia
the day Sanford unveiled his budget recommendation. He is going before the House
Ways and Means Committee soon to plead his case."We'll fight this to the end,"
Anthony said. "We've got enough votes, I think."USC Union showed a 30 percent
enrollment increase between fall 2003 and fall 2004. Enrollment is up to 406
students. The school has had enrollment ups and downs through the years, but
2003 and 2004 showed "phenomenal" increases, Dean Jim Edwards said.Edwards
credits that to the hard work of his staff, lottery funds that help students pay
bills and the access point the school provides to other institutions.He speaks
proudly of the school, and of programs in the works to network the local campus
with other USC sites.Real-time television classrooms linking regional campuses
in Salkehatchie, Sumter, Lancaster and Union will be ready by fall, he said.
They will provide access to a bachelor's degree.But the school's primary mission
is to provide a two-year education."I had thought that the people of the state
and our legislative members spoke pretty strongly last year, so I was surprised
to see it again," said Edwards, in his 13th year leading the school. "Anytime
someone like the chief executive of the state comes up with a plan and
recommends an action, you have to take it seriously."But Folks makes no
apologies. Sanford is determined to focus on "critical needs," like health care,
public safety and kindergarten-through-12th-grade education.South Carolina has
33 publicly funded colleges and universities covering more than 88 campuses,
according to the Governor's Office."All for a state of only 4 million people? We
have too many schools, duplicated programs and wasted resources," Folks said.
"The governor's budget was simply focused on providing quality programs at
reasonable rates."Union leaders say their school fills an important community
niche, though."Once they really get into budgetary matters, they will realize
that $900,000 isn't much in the total budget," County Supervisor Donnie
Betenbaugh said. "For people who need a regional university … USC Union meets
the needs of those who may not be able to afford to go to a larger
university."USC Union has two primary buildings and three auxiliaries.The Main
Building, as it is called, sits on Main Street. The nearby Central Building got
its name because it used to be a part of Central School. Both have classrooms
and administrative offices.The school has about 25 faculty members, including
part-timers and adjunct professors.When USC's Spartanburg campus transformed
into USC Upstate, speculation abounded about what effect the new "regional"
school would have on the nearby Union campus. Edwards replies: "None, that we
know of."Most two-year USC Union graduates go on to the Upstate campus, Edwards
said.Last year, county officials passed a resolution against closing USC Union.
Betenbaugh said he is sure that will happen again.The school has one satellite
campus, in Laurens. School officials say they draw students from all around,
including Newberry, Fairfield and York counties."If we want economic
development, if we want growth, we've got to make sacrifices to offer them
opportunities for higher education," Betenbaugh said."Having to drive an extra
20 minutes, we don't feel, is denying anyone's access to higher education in
South Carolina," Folks said. "We simply cannot continue to stretch our resources
this thin."One idea that's floated has been to transform USC Union into a
technical school. Neither side seems rushing to tackle that as a compromise. But
time will tell.Situated in the heart of Union, the USC campus is "important to
the overall health of the community," Mayor Bruce Morgan said.Morgan says he
plans to go to Columbia personally on the school's behalf."We just can
ill-afford to lose that," Morgan said. "And we're going to fight for it."Jason
Spencer can be reached at 562-7214 or jason.spencer@shj.com.