South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities

A Voice for Independent Higher Education in South Carolina

SCICU President & CEO
Welcome

How are SCICU campuses doing this fall?

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SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez

Jeff Perez, Ph.D.
SCICU President and CEO



Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez –

I continue to be impressed and humbled by the leadership demonstrated by our campus presidents and their teams in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are to be commended for the depth and breadth of their COVID-19 planning for the fall semester. They measured classroom space to provide social distancing. Doing so necessarily reduced the capacity of classrooms to which campuses adapted by repurposing larger spaces, using large tents and developing in-class/online hybrid courses. All these changes necessitated a complete rebuild of academic scheduling.

They have reduced the density of student residences and refit them to provide social distancing. They re-thought the cafeteria operations and developed thorough sanitizing procedures. They have adopted testing, quarantine and contact tracing protocols. And, of course, masks are required.

As of today (Sept. 21), students have returned to 18 of the 20 SCICU member institutions. Two campuses have elected to remain online with no students on campus.

And…so far so good. The students are very happy to back, and the surrounding communities who rely on the campuses for their economic well-being are happy they’re back as well. The campuses have experienced a volume of positive tests that are manageable within their plans. But this promising start to the semester can change in a heartbeat, or a breath.

Taking precautions for and adapting to COVID-19 has been expensive. The 20 campuses identified $12.2 million in PPE, sanitizing, facilities, and technology acquisitions, all the result of COVID-19. There’s also lost revenue and increased personnel expenditures.

These additional costs have had on impact on campus budgets. The presidents have made tough decisions, including budget cuts, furloughs, reductions in pension contributions, and yes, even eliminating sports.

Our campus leaders are doing what’s necessary to provide for the well-being of faculty, students, and staff, and to ensure their continued capacity to offer the top-notch learning and living experiences our students and their families expect.

COVID-19 Resources – Updated September 11

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If you need help now —

What are the symptoms of COVID-19 infection? The CDC reports that symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. – Centers for Disease Control resources.

Are you sick and think you might have the symptoms of COVID-19? FREE 24/7 virtual COVID-19 screenings are available to everyone in South Carolina.   Log in to Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)’s virtual care provider network and use code COVID19.

SCDHEC curates a list of COVID-19 screening and testing sites, including mobile testing clinics and telehealth virtual care providers. — This list is continuously updated by DHEC, and testing sites may be viewed for individual counties in South Carolina.

What if you feel sick? – The Centers for Disease Control and SCDHEC provide guidance if you feel sick. The CDC also offers an interactive and mobile-friendly coronavirus self-checker that can be completed online.

Do you have questions regarding COVID-19? SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) can help. Call the SCDHEC Care Line 1-855-472-3432. Available 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

South Carolina advisories, updates, and resources for COVID-19

College/University-specific information regarding COVID-19

Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Resources

COVID-19 forecasts and modeling

Fall campus operations/response to COVID-19 pandemic at SCICU colleges and universities

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SCICU salutes campus leadership, faculty, and staff for the many precautions they have taken. Please click on your favorite college or university to learn more about their campus operations and response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Allen University

Anderson University

Benedict College

Charleston Southern University

Claflin University

Coker University

Columbia College

Columbia International University

Converse College

Erskine College

Furman University

Limestone University

Morris College

Newberry College

North Greenville University

Presbyterian College

Southern Wesleyan University

Spartanburg Methodist College

Voorhees College

Wofford College

S. C. General Assembly update

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COVID-19 Funding

Thanks to the advocacy of our campus presidents and their strong relationships with legislators, SCICU member institutions were included in both the Senate and House versions of legislation to appropriate federal CARES Act funding.

The Senate passed their $668 million version on Tuesday, Sept. 15, carving out $115 million for state and local governments and public and private colleges and universities. On Wednesday the House passed a bill allocating $748 million by including $80 million unspent from the first allocation of federal funding passed earlier this year. The House bill created a similar $130 million appropriation as that of the Senate. This funding can be used for reimbursements for COVID-19 expenses.

Since the bills are not identical they will be sent to a conference committee this week (week of Sept. 21) with representatives from both houses. The Senate members of the conference committee will be Senators Tom Davis, Thomas Alexander and Vince Sheheen. The House members are Representatives Murrell Smith, Bill Clyburn, and Kirkman Finlay.

State Budget

Will there be a state budget this year? It depends on who you talk to.

This week the Senate passed a state budget for fiscal year 2021, which began nearly three months ago. The Senate’s version of the budget keeps most spending at fiscal year 2019-2020 levels, but gives teachers small raises, provides an increased stipend to poll workers, and funds hazard pay bonuses for state employees. The Senate budget keeps the funding of the Tuition Grants Program at last year’s level, providing for a maximum $3,500 grant.

However, the House leadership remains in agreement with the governor that the state’s economy is too uncertain to commit to budget. Instead, they propose passing a continuing resolution to keep running at last year’s spending levels.

COVID-19 Liability Protection

Many thanks to Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey for introducing the COVID-19 Liability Safe Harbor Act (S.1259), which initially was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Anticipating some rough going for the bill in the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Massey tried to recall the bill from Judiciary, which would have allowed it to skip the committee process and head straight to a floor debate. This motion required unanimous consent from all senators and unfortunately, an objection blocked the motion. Sen. Massey hopes to get a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting scheduled next week before the Senate adjourns.

Federal update

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Legislative Activity

Now that we’re past Labor Day, the presidential campaigns are heating up (even more) and Senate and congressional candidates are stumping throughout their states and districts, respectively. That means not a whole lot is expected to happen on Capitol Hill.

Movement on “Phase 4” COVID-19 relief legislation is stalled as the Senate and House remain at loggerheads. House Democrats are demanding a $2.2 trillion dollar relief package that includes significant aid to localities. Senate Republicans are holding their ground on a much smaller proposal that would include liability protection. The White House is threatening executive action if the sides cannot come together and form an agreement.

Freedom of Speech

The U.S. Department of Education has published the final regulations intended to implement President Trump’s executive order from March. The executive order directed that institutions receiving certain federal research and education grants must comply with existing federal law – private colleges and universities must abide by their stated free speech policies. The new regulations also facilitate faith-based institutions’ eligibility to participate in various grant programs under the Higher Education Act (HEA).

SCICU to hold its first-ever virtual board of trustees meeting October 7

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Just as its 20 member colleges and universities have increased remote learning capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, SCICU is also responding with moving its fall board meeting to a virtual session on October 7. Normally hosted on the campus of a member college or university, SCICU’s fall board meeting typically gathers 80+ trustees, presidents, and business partners.

“After reviewing the situation with our member presidents and trustees, we decided to hold the board meeting via Zoom call,” said SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez. “While COVID-19 has been challenging for all of us, we’ve been able to use technology to collaborate even more effectively by holding virtual meetings with board members, presidents and campus officers. Working together to face this adversity has brought us all closer together.”

During the October 7 board meeting, SCICU’s board will vote on new trustees, thank outgoing trustees, and announce committee chair assignments for the next fiscal year. The board will also hear the results of the development campaigns, review the results of the annual engagement plan, and approve the fiscal year 2021 budget.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina makes $8 million multi-year commitment to SCICU HBCUs

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina) — BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is committing $8 million in multi-year support to Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College, and Voorhees College. These funds will help with immediate financial needs to ensure sustainability and assist in getting as many students as possible to begin or continue their education with these institutions.

The donation is to be allocated based on enrollment levels for specific priorities. Guidelines for funding include focusing on immediate gaps such as technology support. Some of the investment will help the five schools cover operational costs and budget shortfalls. Most funding, however, will support specific priorities identified by the institutions themselves. These priorities will benefit more than 6,300 students and the faculty that serve them.

Technology infrastructures, devices, and hotspots

Allen, Benedict, Claflin, and Morris will use nearly $2 million to upgrade their IT network security and bandwidth. These institutions will also provide laptops and internet service to enhance virtual learning for students and faculty.

eLearning platforms, training, and certification for faculty

Benedict, Claflin, Morris, and Voorhees will apply more than $1 million to ensure their faculty members are equipped and prepared to offer effective virtual instruction.

Tuition‐based scholarships and hardship/emergency relief stipends

All five schools will share a total of nearly $3 million to help students struggling financially to return to school, as well as those who are unable to cover living expenses (books and supplies, meals, etc.).

Health and wellness services

Benedict will use $400,000 to provide nursing and counseling services to its students.

Many students attending HBCUs are the first in their families to attend college and have great financial need. As COVID-19 has challenged schools across the country, HBCUs are at heightened risk because many of their students cannot afford high-speed internet at home or live in areas where high-speed internet is not readily or reliably available. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that many students do not have access to computers at home.

According to David Pankau, president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the devastation wreaked by the coronavirus on individuals, families, businesses and communities has been amplified among South Carolina’s vulnerable and minority populations. “It has been well reported that the coronavirus revealed our minority communities encounter profound disparities in many ways,” Pankau said. “At BlueCross, we believe healthy communities are defined not only by access to health care services, but also by the fostering of opportunity that comes from education, employment and the potential for an improved quality of life for everyone.”

About BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Headquartered in Columbia, and operating in South Carolina for more than 70 years, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The only South Carolina-owned and operated health insurance carrier, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina comprises more than 20 companies involved in health insurance services, U.S. DoD health programs and Medicare contracts, other insurance and employee benefits services, and a philanthropic foundation that funds programs to improve health care and access to health care for South Carolinians.