Gov. Mark Sanford's commitment to reducing duplication in state government unfortunately may not be shared by the General Assembly. The Legislature is reportedly prepared to quickly proceed with plans to make the University of South Carolina at Sumter a four-year school, in contrast to the governor's plan to require its increased collaboration with an adjacent technical college.
The four-year USC-Sumter plan was stopped in the Senate at the last minute during the last session by a filibuster on another matter. According to The Associated Press, the plan is supported by key legislators, local government and Sumter boosters. It notably lacks the backing of USC President Andrew Sorensen, who has said that the regional campus lacks the academic standing to become a four-year university.
From a practical standpoint, how can a poor state justify creating this four-year college when the state's flagship university is only 35 miles away, in Columbia?
Gov. Sanford's proposal for USC-Sumter is based on dollars and cents. Clearly the state doesn't have adequate resources to operate its 33 state-supported campuses. Adding another four-year school to that number will result in a further drain on scarce higher education funds that doesn't make economic sense.
The governor has recommended cutting state universities at Union and Salkehatchie in his budget. And he has recommended that a technical college and the USC branch at Sumter begin working together. He has cut the budget of USC-Sumter accordingly, noting that the two campuses share 12 common academic courses.
The Legislative Audit Council had previously recommended a merger of the two schools, noting similarities in the academic programs of the two colleges and the fact that their campuses are adjacent. That same recommendation was made by the Business Advisory Committee of the Commission on Higher Education, as it reviewed duplication among higher education in 1998.
The extent to which the Legislature is prepared to give serious consideration to the governor's budget message, and to the difficult decisions it will require may be evident in whether it proceeds with this unnecessary and wasteful proposal. If USC-Sumter's expansion is approved, it will provide an early opportunity for Gov. Sanford to wield his veto pen.
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