Date Posted: June 5, 2003

Bill would give school 4-year status

Senate approves amendment on USC Sumter

By KRISTA PIERCE
Item Staff Writer

   USC Sumter might be one step closer to attaining four-year status after the state Senate voted Thursday in favor of a measure allowing the university to award bachelor’s degrees.

LEVENTIS

   “This has been a priority for the Sumter County delegation for well over 10 years,” Sen. Phil Leventis said after the amendment to a bill being debated on the Senate floor passed by a 25-15 vote. “Our work has not been rushed. It has been casual. The folks at USC Sumter have prepared themselves well for this for a long time.”
   The bill now is before the Senate and then would go back to the House for a second reading. Leventis, D-Sumter, said there was a possibility the bill would die because the legislative session is coming to an end. In that case, Leventis said, he and Sen. John Land, D-Manning, would try attaching the amendment to another bill.
   University of South Carolina Sumter Dean Dr. C. Leslie Carpenter said he is “not displeased” with the amendment, but said he remains committed to pursuing four-year status through the more traditional means.
   “As gratifying as it is that they are working so hard on our behalf,” Carpenter said, “we are still committed to working within the university system and the Commission on Higher Education. I don’t want to belittle either avenue.”
   The amendment approved by the Senate would require local governments to provide at least $250,000 per year in funding to USC Sumter. In addition, the amendment makes USC Sumter eligible for up to $100,000 in bond funding for additional infrastructure and technology.
   Land and Leventis attached the amendment to a House bill last week, but it wasn’t taken up for a vote until Thursday. The full bill, S. 560, was discussed on the Senate floor Thursday evening, and Leventis said it would be taken up again today. Because amendments have been added to the bill, it would go back to the House for approval after a Senate vote in its favor.
   By bringing the four-year status issue to a vote in the General Assembly, Leventis and Land are trying to bypass the Commission on Higher Education, which would normally have to give approval for such a change.
   Leventis said it is necessary for USC Sumter to attain four-year status in order to meet the needs of the people.
   “A lot of people remember the university system as it was in the ‘60s,” Leventis said. “But it has changed. Now, you have to deliver education to where the people are. Education is the key for Clarendon, Sumter, Lee and Williamsburg counties.”
   Opposition to the amendment mainly came from Upstate senators, Leventis said.
   “That shows a lack of understanding about our needs and our ability,” Leventis said.
   Others, including senators from the coast and areas surrounding Charleston, supported the amendment. Another amendment included with the bill calls for Trident Technical College in Charleston to offer a four-year degree in culinary arts.
   Leventis said he had a direct link to USC Sumter officials while the amendment was being debated so he could better answer questions raised by other senators.
   While they reacted positively to the idea of USC Sumter becoming a four-year school, local leaders were mixed on whether they could find the money to cover it.
   Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen said he was excited by the prospect of Sumter gaining four-year status.
   “If our delegation can get four-year status for the University of South Carolina Sumter, it would be as significant as anything that has happened here for a while — for a good, good while,” McElveen said.
   The mayor said he would prefer any costs associated with the change in status be handled by the county and other area governments. The entire area would benefit from the transition, McElveen said, and if the city and the county both raised property taxes to support the college, city residents would end up paying a larger share than county taxpayers.
   But McElveen said that, if the county for some reason declines to fund the change, the city would be forced to look at the issue.
   “We would have to try to figure out a way to do it,” he said. “It’s that important.”
   Lee County Council Chairman Charles Arthur Beasley said his county’s focus is on funding local education. He said the county already gives “token” support to the college.
   “I just don’t see the county being able to fund a whole lot more money to a college” while the council was straining to fully fund local schools, Beasley said.
   Last year, Leventis and other members of the community presented their case for four-year status to USC President Dr. Andrew A. Sorensen, who responded to the request with a letter outlining three areas that needed work.
   Carpenter said he believed USC Sumter has been able to meet and exceed challenges in two of the areas — faculty and enrollment.
   Sorensen’s third suggested area of work — economic issues — is still being addressed, Carpenter said.
   “We’re currently working with local governments,” he said. “I don’t think it’s wise to say I’m confident about any funding.”
   Leventis said the level at which local governments already contribute to USC Sumter is evidence of a commitment.
   “Local support from existing appropriations shows the tremendous value local governments place on this,” Leventis said, adding he is confident additional funding will be made available.
   “The folks on the county council understand the significance of this,” he said.

   Staff Writer R. Brandon Larrabee contributed to this report.

   Contact Staff Writer Krista Pierce at kristap@theitem.com or 803-774-1272.

E-mail This Story

Copyright © The Item.com.  All Rights Reserved