SCICU member colleges and universities will be featured at four upcoming college fairs in South Carolina:

Greenville County College Fair – October 18-19, 2018

All 20 SCICU institutions will participate in the 2018 Greenville County College Fair October 18-19 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville. The annual Greenville County College Fair is one of the largest college fairs in South Carolina and in the southeast. Thousands of college-bound students and their parents will benefit from two days of meeting with college admissions representatives. On October 18, parents and students can participate in seminars regarding financial aid and the college application process. The Greenville County College Fair website offers more information on the two-day event.

Christian College Fairs (3) – October 29-30 and November 1

Six SCICU colleges and universities–Anderson University, Charleston Southern University, Columbia International University, Erskine College, North Greenville University, and Southern Wesleyan University– will participate in the following three (3) Christian College fairs in South Carolina:

October 29 – Charleston Christian College Fair

Faith Christian School
Summerville
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

October 30 – Columbia Area Christian College Fair

Northside Christian Academy
Lexington
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

November 1 – Spartanburg Christian College Fair

Spartanburg Christian Academy
Spartanburg
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Online student registration and additional details are available via the above links for each of the three Christian college fairs.

SCICU’s 2018-19 College Guide is now available online for students and parents to use in making the best decisions regarding the numerous opportunities at South Carolina’s leading independent colleges and universities.

The digital version of the SCICU College Guide is designed for easy viewing and reading on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The digital guide is designed to flow and turn pages easily. It can also be easily downloaded and shared with family and friends.

The guide includes a wealth of information that can assist students and parents in making the best higher education choices. Admissions contacts, scholarship information, and college visitation schedules for SC’s top independent colleges and universities are included in the digital guide.

COLUMBIA, SC — Dr. Jeffrey Perez, an accomplished higher education leader and public affairs strategist, has been named the seventh president and CEO of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU).

Russell Cook, chair of the SCICU Board of Trustees, announced the appointment at SCICU’s Fall Board Meeting hosted by Presbyterian College on September 26, 2018.

Perez will begin his leadership with SCICU on Oct. 29.

“We are looking forward to Jeff joining the SCICU team,” said Cook. “Our twenty member colleges and universities will greatly benefit from his significant experience in public policy, advocacy, and strategic communications.”

Perez succeeds Mike LeFever who retired from SCICU in August 2018 after leading the higher education advocacy organization for more than 10 years.

“It is my honor to have the opportunity of serving SCICU’s twenty member independent colleges and universities and their 33,000+ students in South Carolina, said Perez. “I am dedicated to building upon the many strengths of these institutions and helping them grow throughout South Carolina.”

Prior to accepting the president/CEO position with SCICU, Perez most recently served as vice president for University Relations at Winthrop University. He was Winthrop’s principal institutional spokesperson and representative at the local, state, and federal levels.

Perez’s higher education leadership in South Carolina also includes a five-year appointment as vice president for external affairs at The Citadel. While at The Citadel, Perez developed and implemented communications and marketing strategies that helped the military college achieve record enrollments and the highest annual giving in its history.

Before moving to SC in 2008, Perez served as the executive director for communications and government affairs at Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH).

In his native New York state, Perez held two higher education leadership positions in the State University of New York system, including director of public affairs for the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. As director of communication services at the headquarters of the State University of New York, he served the largest college system in the country with 400,000 students across 64 campuses.

Other previous leadership positions held by Perez include director of research and government relations representative for the New York State School Boards Association.

Perez holds a Phd in American history from the College of William and Mary. He earned a master’s degree from Binghamton University and a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University. In 2013, Perez attended Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.

CLINTON, SC — The 2018 McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year award was presented to Clay Wright, a PC senior, at SCICU’s board meeting on Sept. 26 at Presbyterian College. The award includes a $3,000 scholarship.

Wright was selected for SCICU Student of the Year honors from among nominees submitted by SCICU’s twenty member colleges and universities. The Greenville-based Center for Scholarship Administration independently conducted the nomination process and submitted the name of the award winner to SCICU.

Wright, a Clinton, SC, native, is the son of David and Ashli Wright. He is a physics and applied mathematics double major.

Science and math have fueled Wright’s passion throughout his four years at PC. Wright has conducted research on granular physics in the PC Summer Fellows program as well as with the NASA / SC Space Grant Consortium. He received an Undergraduate Research Award for the work he completed with NASA. This past summer, Wright was selected to participate in the National Science Foundation TNEWS REU program. He researched two-dimensional materials in the Quantum Device Lab at the University of Arkansas. Wright is currently researching the reaction mechanism of gold nanoparticles with PC physical chemistry professor Dr. Latha Gearheart.

Wright serves as a member and president of the math honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon. He is also a member of the Society of Physics Students and the physics honor society, Sigma Pi Sigma.

In addition to his work in science and math, Wright is a member of Bluefish, a student ministry at PC. He has served as a tutor at the South Carolina Empowerment Center and Clinton High School, and is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He served as president of the fraternity in 2017.

Daniel Professor of Mathematics Dr. Brian Beasley and Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Eli Owens recommended Wright for the 2018 McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year Award. Wright plans to attend a Ph.D. program in materials science and engineering after earning his degree from PC in 2019.

Wright’s award acceptance remarks at SCICU’s Sept. 26 Awards Luncheon may be read here.

About the McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year Award

In 2016, the SCICU Board of Trustees elected to combine the J. Lacy McLean and the Sterling L. Smith Scholarships into the McLean-Smith SCICU Student of the Year Award. J. Lacy McLean advocated for independent higher education in South Carolina for over 34 years. Sterling L. Smith was instrumental in the development of the SC Tuition Grants Program. The award seeks to recognize students who perform well academically and who demonstrate commitments to public affairs, community service, and leadership.

Full-time rising seniors attending SCICU member colleges and universities are eligible to be nominated for the combined scholarship award. The recipient must be a South Carolina resident and a SC Tuition Grant recipient. Rising sophomores at SCICU two-year institutions are also eligible for the award.

COLUMBIA, SC –- Nine new trustees – 4 Upstate business leaders and 5 Columbia-area leaders – were named to the SC Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU) Board at the advocacy organization’s Sept. 26 meeting hosted by Presbyterian College.

These trustees will serve a three-year term (through August 31, 2021), and will participate in advocacy efforts that support the 33,000+ students at SCICU’s twenty (20) member colleges and universities.

The Class of 2021 SCICU Trustees (see their profiles here) include the following business leaders:

Cynthia M. Bennett
VP – Education and Workforce Development
SC Chamber of Commerce
Columbia

David Charpia
Market President for Upstate SC
Ameris Bank
Greenville

John Garrison
VP, Chief Compliance Officer
Unum Group
Columbia

Joe Gillis
President / CEO / Founder
Gillis Advertising
Blythewood

Steve Hall
VP – Development
FGP International (Find Great People)
Greenville

Brandolyn Pinkston
Retired Administrator
SC Department of Consumer Affairs
Columbia

Ben Porter
Market President
BB&T
Spartanburg

Leigh Ann Puryear
Public Relations Associate
Duke Energy Carolinas
Greenville

David (Trey) Simon
President & CEO
SC Student Loan Corporation
Columbia

A complete roster of the SCICU Board of Trustees may be viewed at https://www.scicu.org/about-scicu/board-of-trustees/.

COLUMBIA, SC – The Order of the Palmetto was presented to Mike LeFever, former president & CEO of SC Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU), at the advocacy organization’s board meeting hosted by Presbyterian College on Sept. 26.

Virginia Crocker, former SC Representative and former SCICU trustee, presented LeFever with South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. The award recognizes lifetime achievements and contributions to the state and citizens of South Carolina.

LeFever was joined in the awards ceremony by his wife Malissa Burnette and daughter Grant LeFever (Presbyterian College Class of 2013).

The location for the presentation also held great significance to LeFever, as he is a 1969 cum laude graduate of Presbyterian College.

The most recent achievement cited in the presentation of the Order of the Palmetto involved LeFever’s 10+ years as president & CEO of SC Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU). LeFever advocated extensively on behalf of independent colleges and universities in the South Carolina General Assembly and the United States Congress. He retired from SCICU in August 2018.

As SCICU president & CEO, LeFever led the charge for supporting more than $83 million combined annually in SC need-based grants and SC merit scholarships, including Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, and HOPE scholarships, and another $73 million annually in federal grants. Through his leadership, SCICU sourced more than $5 million in student scholarships, student research project support, and faculty/teaching awards for its twenty member colleges and universities.

LeFever was instrumental in establishing a student transfer agreement between the SC Technical College System and seventeen (17) of SCICU’s twenty (20) member colleges and universities. The transfer agreement is just one of numerous collaborations that LeFever fostered and developed during his tenure as president & CEO of SCICU.

Prior to joining SCICU, LeFever served as director of four different state agencies and as deputy chief of staff for executive office programs and cabinet affairs for Governor Jim Hodges. His 30+ years of state government service included 13 years as the director of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

After LeFever announced his retirement in early 2018, he was honored by a number of organizations. The South Carolina Senate recognized LeFever with a special presentation of a framed resolution on the Senate floor in April. Wofford College awarded LeFever an honorary doctorate in May.

Seven SCICU member institutions are joining other SC colleges and universities in the National Institutes of Health-funded biomedical college research network in South Carolina. SC INBRE (SC IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence) promotes research collaboration among South Carolina’s comprehensive research universities (Clemson, USC, and MUSC) and predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs).

The SCICU members participating in SC INBRE are Anderson University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Columbia College, Converse College, Furman University, and Presbyterian College.

The NIH established the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to increase research capacity by programmatic expansion and networking of research activities of faculty and students at academic institutions throughout certain targeted states – with South Carolina being one of those states.

SC INBRE is achieving that goal by supporting the career development of faculty and hands-on research training of students at network institutions through annual workshops for faculty and students focusing on career development, mentoring and other relevant topics. The organization also provides funding opportunities to faculty members at SC INBRE’s network institutions.

SC INBRE’s Steering Committee includes the following faculty representing SCICU member institutions:

Claflin University
Dr. Angela Peters
Vice Provost of Academic Programs, Professor of Chemistry

Converse College
Dr. Neval Erturk
Professor of Biology and Chair of Biology, Chemistry & Physics Department

Furman University
Dr. John Wheeler
Associate Provost for Integrative Science

Dr. John Kaup
Coordinator of Science Education, Office of Integrative Research in the Sciences

Presbyterian College
Dr. Giuseppe Gumina
Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Assistant Director of Research

Dr. Stuart Gordon
Assistant Professor of Biology

SC INBRE teamed up with SC EPSCoR (related to Made in SC research, as reported earlier by SCICU), another SC-based collegiate research network, to host academic leadership / career development workshops in 2018. SCICU was well-represented well at these workshops, with attendees including faculty and students from Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Converse College, Furman University, Presbyterian College, and Voorhees College.

In August 2018, students and faculty members from SCICU member colleges were recognized at SC INBRE’s Research Symposium hosted by USC-Columbia. Faculty members from Benedict College and Furman University received poster awards in neuroscience and molecular/cellular biology respectively. SCICU students were also featured in the symposium’s student poster sessions. More information, including research abstracts and photos, may be viewed at the SC INBRE 2018 Research Symposium page.

Dr. William Case, professor of Chemistry at Converse College, was featured in the SC INBRE 2018 Research Symposium magazine. Dr. Case was the 2017 SCICU Excellence In Teaching award recipient for Converse College.

SC INBRE-funded projects and SCICU’s undergraduate student/faculty research program share strong connections. Furman student Jacqueline Bendrick, mentored by Dr. Adi Dubash, Furman biology professor, received SCICU funding in 2017 for a project titled Desmoplakin Promotes Cell Migration via Coordinated Control of p38 MAPK and RhoGTPase Signaling. Bendrick presented research results for the project at the February 2018 SCICU Research Symposium.

Dr. Dubash built off of Bendrick’s research with an SC INBRE-funded 2018-19 research award given to his project Desmoplakin Harnesses Rho GTPase and p38 MAPK Signaling to Coordinate Cell Migration. SCICU’s coverage on Dr. Dubash’s award may be read here.

The National Park Service has awarded Benedict College and Voorhees College $500,000 each towards historic structure preservation. The two SCICU member colleges are among eighteen (18) historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in nine (9) states chosen to receive historic preservation grant funding through an $8.6 million National Park Service program.

Benedict College’s grant is earmarked for the preservation of Morgan Hall. Constructed in 1895, Morgan Hall was originally intended for the Benedict president’s residence, and is the oldest remaining structure on the campus.

“Morgan Hall is a primary space where we welcome the community, and we’re excited to know now that we can restore it to its former glory,” said Leandra Hayes-Burgess, Benedict College Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Artis believes this will be a first step toward renovating the entire campus.

The Booker T. Washington Hall on the Voorhees campus will benefit from the NPS preservation grant funding. The hall was built in 1905 and was originally used as a hospital for the Bamberg County area.

“It is fitting that funding be provided to preserve such a significant and historic structure as the Booker T. Washington Hall,” said Voorhees College President W. Franklin Evans. “This building is the only structure currently on campus that Voorhees’ founder, Ms. Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, witnessed seeing.”

“HBCUs have played an important role in our country’s pursuit of equality, civil rights, and higher education for all Americans,” said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith. “These grants will help restore and enhance landmark buildings that are a source of pride on campuses in nine states.”

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grants support the preservation of sites on HBCU campuses that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Eligible projects include pre-preservation studies, architectural plans and specifications, historic structure reports, and the repair and rehabilitation of historic properties according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Background – HBCU Historic Preservation Funding

In 1998, a US Government Office of Accountability study identified 712 historic properties on the campuses of 103 HBCUs. Nearly half of those buildings (323) are on the National Register of Historic Places, indicating significance in American history. The remaining properties were deemed eligible for the national register based on surveys by state historic preservation officers or considered historic by the colleges and universities.

The GAO survey estimated $755 million would be needed to fund restoration and preservation of the 700+ historical properties.

Through 2016, 59 HBCUs in 20 states received historic preservation funding via the HBCU Historic Preservation Program. The program has provided funding for the restoration of Chappelle Auditorium and Arnett Hall at Allen University. Claflin University’s Ministers’ Hall, built in 1913, was restored through the same grant program.

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D, SC 6th District) has consistently been a strong supporter of the HBCU Historic Preservation Program. Seven of South Carolina’s 8 HBCUs are located in Rep. Clyburn’s district. Most recently, Rep. Clyburn introduced H.R. 1135 (To Authorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Program). Rep. Clyburn’s press release on the House passage of this legislation may be read at https://clyburn.house.gov/press-release/clyburn-statement-passage-hr-1135-reauthorize-hbcu-historic-preservation-program. Both H. R. 1135 and companion legislation S. 1446 were reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 8, 2018. The committee recommended Senate passage of H. R. 1135.

More information on HBCU Historic Preservation and SCICU member colleges and universities may be read in the following posts:

• Claflin President Testifies at Congressional Hearing in Support of HBCU Historic Preservation Program
• Boeing Donates to Allen University in Name of Rev. Clementa Pinckney
• Allen University Unveils Renovation of Historic Chappelle Auditorium

Information sources for this post include the National Park Service, Claflin University, Voorhees College, United Negro College Fund, WIS-TV, Voorhees College, SC Radio Network, Rep. James E. Clyburn, and
the Congressional Record.

While earning a college degree is a life-changing achievement for many students, other students miss out on graduation due to seemingly small but insurmountable financial shortfalls. These students come oh-so-close to graduation but get derailed by the compounding effects of unexpected expenses, such as a $500 car repair bill, balances due at their college, and minimal, if any, savings safety net available.

These financial shortfalls affect students throughout this country. Similar problems are experienced by students attending SCICU member colleges and universities.

Dr. Shari Garmise, Vice President for Urban Initiatives at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (profile at aplu.org), recently published “Rethinking financial aid: Small grants make a big difference in college completion”, illustrating the importance of small emergency grants to struggling students. More information on Garmise’s work with completion grants and emergency aid can be read here.

While state and federal financial aid programs can start students on the path towards graduation, many students fail to reach the finish line when financial shortfalls arise late in their college careers.

The students most likely to drop out from financial distress are low income, under-represented minorities, or first generation college students. And, even though these students represent a large and growing presence on college campuses, the maximum financial aid available to them covers a shrinking share of the cost of college.

Recognizing this problem, many colleges have launched completion grant and micro grant programs to proactively identify academically successful students who are close to earning a degree, but have exhausted all known sources of aid and are on the brink of dropping out. Completion grants, usually ranging from $500 to $1,500, help struggling students meet their education expenses and finish their degrees. Garmise’s research showed that students who receive these small hardship grants have a 93% chance of completing their degrees.

SCICU’s Discretionary Scholarship Program for Supplemental Aid

Beginning with the 2016-17 academic year, SCICU restructured its Unrestricted Giving Program to form the new SCICU Discretionary Scholarship Program to supplement the completion grant programs offered by many SCICU member colleges and universities. Discretionary Scholarship funds raised each year by SCICU are distributed to the colleges based on a formula and the funds must be made a part of the college’s general scholarship fund and awarded at the discretion of the college to students with extenuating financial circumstances. In 2017, approximately $112,000 was distributed to the SCICU-member colleges that provided scholarships averaging about $550 to over 200 students.

Your Opportunity To Help With Emergency Grants at SCICU Member Institutions

The 2017-18 fiscal year fundraising campaign for the SCICU Discretionary Scholarship Program began on September 1, 2017 and will conclude on August 31, 2018. This year’s goal is to raise $125,000 from our Trustees, friends and advocates. As with each year, SCICU aims for 100% participation among the members of Board of Trustees.

Please help us reach this annual goal by going to https://www.scicu.org/donate today and making a generous gift to the SCICU Discretionary Scholarship Program. Every little bit helps!