A year ago, Gov. Mark Sanford caught civil rights leaders by surprise at the annual ceremony with a formal apology for what has become known as the 1968 Orangeburg massacre.
Civil rights leaders have called for more recognition from the state, including the Order of the Palmetto, which is the state's highest civilian honor.
Sanford's spokesman Will Folks said Friday the Order of the Palmetto typically is not awarded posthumously, but the governor was open to finding other ways to honor the students killed.
"He wants to do the right thing," Folks said. Sanford "issued the formal apology last year, you know, because he thought it was the right thing to do."
"I think the governor believes the number one thing we can do to honor folks who died is for all of us to work together to make this state a better for place for every South Carolinian," Folks said.
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said best thing is not to forget.
"The most important part about history is to remember it so that we don't repeat it," Cobb-Hunter said. "That's a part of South Carolina's history that should be remembered and must be acknowledged every year."
University President Andrew Hugine Jr. said his school would continue to hold a ceremony every year to remember the violence that left three students dead and 27 others wounded.
"It becomes a call to action to remind us over and over again that these same conditions that existed in 1968 - we still need to address those issue here in 2004," Hugine said.