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Date Published: March 21, 2004
Now what?
USC Sumter expected to begin expansion
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Chris Moore / The Item |
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By BRADEN BUNCH
Item Staff Writer
bradenb@theitem.com
Despite the threat of a lawsuit hanging over the campus,
the University of South Carolina Sumter can now begin the process of
expanding to a four-year institution.
On Wednesday, the state
Legislature overturned Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of the South
Carolina Life Sciences Act, making the bill law.
The day
after, though, Sanford threatened possible litigation against the
South Carolina Legislature for approving the act, saying he believes
the omnibus bill could be construed as unconstitutional.
"This bill may not have only trampled on the taxpayers of
South Carolina, it may have trampled on the Constitution as well,"
Sanford said from his office at the Statehouse on Thursday
afternoon.
Sanford contends that the Life Sciences Act, with
a myriad of proposals attached to it during the legislative process,
among them USC Sumter, could have violated the portion of the state
constitution that requires every piece of legislation to concern
itself with only one idea.
Still, the votes in the House and
the Senate might have ended years of political wrangling in both the
legislative and educational arenas.
"In my opinion, we need
to move forward with our plans to create a four-year institution,"
said Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter. "If it (the lawsuit) comes, it
has no effect unless there's a ruling which denies USC Sumter the
ability to start issuing four-year degrees."
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Chris Moore / The Item
University of South Carolina Sumter sophomore Phillip
Gibbons, a 19-year-old English major, studies for an upcoming
marine biology exam Thursday morning on the campus. |
| Art Bahnmuller, a member of
the USC Board of Trustees and a staunch supporter of four-year
status for the Sumter campus, said he wasn't overly concerned about
the lawsuit.
"I've never heard of anything like that before,
and I've been practicing law for 44 years," Bahnmuller said,
referencing Sanford's possible litigation.
In fact, several
legislators have responded with shock that the governor could be
considering such action.
Sanford also said he was considering
proposing legislation that would prevent legislators from tacking
multiple amendments on to future bills.
While that battle
rages on, instead of worrying about the lawsuit, officials at USC
Sumter are expected to go forward with creating a mission statement,
which will have to be approved by the University of South Carolina
Board of Trustees.
Officials at the school have said on
several occasions, including during a meeting with Sanford at
Anderson Library on the USC Sumter campus in February, that they
have been prepared for some time for the upcoming
challenge.
In a transition plan created by USC Sumter
officials dated Dec. 5, 2003, the school would begin handing out
diplomas in seven areas interdisciplinary studies, history,
business, psychology, English, human services and sociology – by the
2006-07 academic year.
Four years later, during the 2010-11
academic year, the campus would begin offering degrees in five more
areas – biology, criminal justice, computer information science,
elementary education and early childhood education.
At the
same time, tuition would begin increasing from its current levels to
gradually reach the tuition levels of the state's four-year
campuses.
Instead of making the jump in one year, school
officials are proposing to spread it out over a six-year
period.
In the first year of their transition from two-year
to four-year status, USC Beaufort students saw a 36.6 percent
increase in tuition costs. USC Sumter officials project around a 10
percent increase in the first year.
And while the tuition is
expected to increase, projections by the school also predict the
full-time enrollment at USC Sumter, 761 students in the Fall 2002
semester, will grow about 22 percent in six years, to about 926
students.
The tuition is expected to cover the new annual
expenses, with new salaries and salary increases for the faculty and
staff making up a large bulk of the cost.
By the 2009-10
academic year, projections set the additional salary costs for the
school at around $1.04 million more than the university is paying
this year, which includes 23 new faculty
positions.
Contact Staff Writer Braden Bunch at bradenb@theitem.com or
803-774-1222.
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April 14, 2004 
