South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities
A Voice for Independent Higher Education in South Carolina
Claflin University, Voorhees College, and over 30 other colleges, universities, and higher education foundations received historic, unprecedented gifts from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott on December 15. Claflin’s $20 million gift and Voorhees’ $4 million award were part of Scott’s $4.2 billion total distributed to 384 organizations. “The pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives …
So close… We received some good news from Congress that will provide our campuses and students with much needed financial support. But we’re not over the goal line. At the time of this writing, President Trump has declared Congress should amend the bill. The good news is that Congress passed the $900 billion “Coronavirus Response …
Significant changes to federal student aid are included in the $1.4 trillion FY21 appropriations package passed by Congress and sent to President Trump. Major changes to Pell Grants include: Maximum grant amount increases $150 to $6,495 An additional 555,000 students will be eligible each year for Pell Grants Another 1.7 million Pell Grant recipients will …
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 …
COLUMBIA, S.C. – SCICU campus legislative coordinators from across the state gathered for their first-ever virtual kickoff for the annual student letter-writing campaign on Dec. 9. “Our previous years’ in-person kickoff meetings were high-energy gatherings of legislative contacts from SCICU member campuses,” said Jeff Perez, SCICU president and CEO. “COVID-19 may have changed the venue …
COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy benedict.edu and nps.gov) — Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, and Voorhees College have been selected for the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. Launched in March 2020, this national network connects sites across the country that provide education, interpretation, and research related to the Reconstruction Era – the period following the American …
This is a combined state and federal update, as it involves a South Carolina Supreme Court decision that impacted the access of SCICU member institutions to federal CARES Act funding. On October 30 SCICU filed a “friend of the court” (amicus curiae) brief in support of Governor McMaster’s motion that the South Carolina Supreme Court …
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, …
COLUMBIA, S.C. — SCICU has renamed its emergency funding to students the “Student Lifeline Grants Program” to more accurately capture the initiative’s capacity to help students whose unexpected financial challenges might result in their dropping out. “The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered students and their families even more financially vulnerable, making Student Lifeline Grants all the …
