South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities
A Voice for Independent Higher Education in South Carolina
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – Many of you know I hail from New York, where the state motto is “Excelsior,” and translates from Latin to “Ever Upward.” Here, in my adopted state of South Carolina, the state motto is “Dum Spiro Spero,” or “While I Breathe I Hope.” Together, I think …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – The SCICU Newsletter is back after summer hiatus, just as thousands of students are returning to the campuses of the SCICU member institutions. The students are desperately eager to get back to campus. Their educations have been disrupted by the pandemic and they’ve been looking forward …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – Though I have attended more than 30 graduation ceremonies in my career, hearing “Pomp and Circumstance” still brings a lump to my throat. I think of all the wonderful students I’ve known. Graduations are bittersweet – we must say goodbye to students we’ve mentored, but we …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – For my column this month I thought I’d share with you my comments at the press conference announcing SCICU’s participation in the federal lawsuit to strike the “Blaine Amendment” from the S.C. Constitution. My organization is a party to this lawsuit in order to strike from …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – When I share that I’m associated with SCICU, there are several questions that always seem to come up: Q. How do you describe SCICU? A. We celebrate independent higher education in South Carolina. We applaud the achievements of our campuses and their students and let as …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – Every February, Black History Month is an opportunity to focus on the many achievements and contributions of African Americans. In recognition of Black History Month, I would like to commemorate the brave and dedicated individuals who founded the five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – If you were playing legislative poker, this session of the General Assembly would be a hand full of wild cards. To begin, the General Assembly is confronted by two state budgets. South Carolina state government funding for the current fiscal year (2020-21) is still running under …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – I’ve never been through a year that so many people are looking forward to putting in the rear view mirror. 2020 will be remembered for the friends and family lost to COVID-19, for the disruptions we endured, the difficult decisions we had to make, and the …
Message from SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez – Last month I shared the five most popular majors at SCICU member colleges and universities, which were surprising for liberal arts institutions in that they tended to be more career oriented. Of course, every student at an SCICU institution receives a grounding in the liberal arts, …
