Cuts may leave holes in Clemson budget

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On the first day of a two-day summit in Columbia, the board was briefed Wednesday on how the cuts could have a major impact on students and programs throughout the university and the state.

Trustees also heard reports on potential tenants at the International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville and plans for a campus parking garage, and they approved the expansion of a teacher training program that could put untapped South Carolina expertise in classrooms.

John Kelly, Clemson's vice president for public service, repeated to the board his position that proposed state cuts could eliminate 300 Clemson jobs.

A retreat today will focus on the problem and will be closed to the public because personnel will be discussed, said Bill Hendrix, board chairman.

Trustees will examine several scenarios to start planning for various outcomes of the legislative budget process that is five months away from finalization, Hendrix said.

Gov. Mark Sanford's proposed budget cuts $15.6 million from Clemson public service activities, a 41 percent loss of recurring state funds, Kelly said.

"It would have a devastating effect" campus wide, because Clemson's teaching, research and public service are intertwined, he said.

Another $30 million in outside funding through research grants and private gifts and other sources connected with areas the governor also would be lost, Kelly said.

Repercussions include loss of extension and other public service assistance statewide, negative impact on Clemson's goal of $150 million in sponsored research by 2007, and weakening of recruitment and retention of promising young faculty, Kelly said.

"If we were to lose $46 million out of this enterprise, we would never recover in my lifetime," Kelly said.

Clemson University James Barker said, "Clemson is a distinctive institution because of its service to the public."

In other business, trustees officially approved the sale of land at ICAR, the automotive research center, from the university's real estate foundation to the university so two planned buildings, the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center and the Information Technology Research Center, will be on state-owned land.

They also approved a waiver of state procurement policy for the information technology research building that BMW will construct for Clemson.

The waiver, already approved by the State Budget and Control Board, will speed construction of the facility that will be built to Clemson standards, said Scott Ludlow, Clemson's chief financial officer.

Recent international visits have launched efforts to attract some key industrial tenants to the automotive park from Germany's automotive industry and British engineering firms that work with high performance racing engines, said Chris Przirembel, Clemson's vice president for research.

A national search has started for an executive director for the ICAR campus, Przirembel said. The university seeks a nationally and internationally recognized person to head development and be an interface between potential tenants and the university.

Clemson hopes to fill the first endowed chair position at ICAR by April. The chair in Automotive Systems Integration also would be director of graduate engineering center, Przirembel said.

Plans for a parking garage on campus have moved ahead, with a proposed location at Williamson and Perimeter roads.

The proposed $24 million four-level facility would have 1,500 parking spaces and be a transportation hub connecting commuters with public transportation, said Mary Poore, Clemson's associate vice president for municipal services.

The project hinges on federal transportation dollars that would fund 80 percent of the project if a grant application is successful. The remainder would be split between state and locally raised money, she said.

It would be the first of possibly eight parking facilities on campus, including a 1,000-space facility and several smaller ones with no more than 600 spaces, Poore said.

Trustees also approved a modification of Clemson's "Troops to Teachers" program to open it to civilians.

The online certification program takes about two years and includes a third year of paid internship in classrooms. It is a collaborative effort between Clemson, the University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University and The Citadel.

The program originally was designed for people in their last year of military service who want to become teachers.

Expansion to non-military extends the opportunity to retirees and to Upstate professionals who have lost jobs because of industry layoffs and closings, said Dori Helms, Clemson provost.

"South Carolina is in desperate need of teachers, especially in English language arts, math and science," Helms said.