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Article published Jul 4, 2004
USC
Upstate pleases almost everyone
Baker Maultsby
Staff
Writer
For now, all the major players -- except one -- appear to
be happy.USC Upstate is a name that gives Chancellor John Stockwell's
"metropolitan" vision an identity.University of South Carolina President Andrew
Sorensen says that vision fits the long-range goals of the USC system:
strengthening the flagship institution in Columbia while enhancing public higher
education options where people live. (And Sorensen says the expansion of USC
Upstate does not threaten the future of USC Union.)All this is music to the ears
of Greenville County legislators like Sen. David Thomas, who had proposed the
founding of a USC Greenville if the USC system couldn't find ways to expand
local opportunities for his constituents.Meanwhile, Spartanburg leaders are
optimistic about the future of USC Upstate. They know that funding for higher
education has much to do with political muscle in Columbia, and they hope their
Greenville counterparts, like Thomas, will work with them to boost USC Upstate's
prospects.The name change "should help tremendously," said state Sen. Jim
Ritchie, R-Spartanburg. "It creates the opportunity to bring many more
legislators to be advocates."The one heavyweight not hail-ing the USC Upstate
announcement last week was Gov. Mark Sanford.On Friday, his spokesman Will Folks
said, "We've got more important things to worry about" than the name of a USC
branch institution.Sanford has long argued that the state's network of public
colleges and universities is a hodgepodge, rife with waste and duplication of
efforts.Outside the USC system, which has eight campuses, there are eight other
state-funded four-year colleges.Support for these schools often depends on their
strength in the Legislature. As Ritchie explained, "Old relationships have
prevailed – that's why The Citadel has done so well" in terms of funding.Schools
in the USC system have their budgets approved by a statewide board of trustees,
which creates a buffer between the institutions and legislative influence.
Still, the system is subject to influence from the Legislature. This year, USC
Sumter was granted approval by lawmakers to become a four-year college, drawing
outrage from Sanford.And when the powers that be in the USC system don't give
member institutions what they want, leaders of those schools have explored their
options.Coastal Carolina University, for example, split from the USC system
about 10 years ago and now competes for dollars directly in the General
Assembly. Advocates for USC Spartanburg talked about a similar plan a few years
ago.The Commission on Higher Education, according to Folks, is "a paper tiger."
That body – or some new one – should have the authority to truly govern all the
schools funded by the state, he said.In North Carolina, public colleges and
universities are allowed to pursue programs of their choosing, but a board of
governors determines their budgets.Such a system in South Carolina might make
things run more smoothly, with fewer dollars wasted and more statewide needs met
efficiently.Or it might not. Stockwell has worked in the State University of New
York, and he warned that massive state systems can become loaded down by
bureaucracy.Sorensen, the former president at the University of Alabama, said
South Carolina's system may not be perfect, but, "Believe it or not, it's not as
crazy as some other states."In any case, Sorensen believes changing the name of
USC Spartanburg to USC Upstate is a step in the right direction for higher
education in the state.Like Stockwell and others, he believes the time is right
for USC Upstate to become a truly regional institution, headquartered at a
growing Spartanburg campus but reaching out to other Upstate communities –
especially Greenville.And he's not worried about what a growing branch in the
Upstate will mean for his campus in Columbia. He noted that historically some
USC Spartanburg students eventually find their way to USC and added that
increasing standards at the main campus mean there's a greater need for other
students to find a place within the system."There are plenty of students to go
around," Sorensen said.Baker Maultsby can be reached at 562-7425 or
baker.maultsby@shj.com.