Senior Public Health Major – Columbia College
(Click here to view photo highlights from Higher Education Day)
SCICU collaborated with the S.C. Commission on Higher Education and the S.C. Technical School System to host the inaugural event at the S.C. State House.
“In previous years, SCICU students gathered at the State House to thank legislators for their support of the Tuition Grants Program, but this year all sectors of higher education in the state came together,” said SCICU President and CEO Jeff Perez. “We sent a powerful message that supporting higher education and its students is the best way to secure a bright future for South Carolina.”
Students visited with state senators and representatives before gathering on the House chamber balcony for the reading of H. 5081, a concurrent resolution proclaiming April 6, 2022 as Higher Education Day in South Carolina. The resolution was introduced and read by the members of the House of Representatives Higher Education subcommittee – Chair Gary Simrill and subcommittee members Gilda Cobb-Hunter and Kirkman Findlay.
Following the House recognition of participating colleges and universities, Governor McMaster joined students and campus representatives on the State House north steps for the presentation of his gubernatorial Higher Education Day proclamation.
Highlighting the student gathering with the Governor were the student messages of thanks shared by Zy’keria Moultrie, a senior public health major at Columbia College, and Antonia Adams, a junior business economics major attending the University of South Carolina.
The April 6 State House Day marked the second time Moultrie expressed her thanks for the Tuition Grants program at events with Governor McMaster. She was also a featured speaker at the Feb. 17, 2021 needs-based aid news conference that announced the commitment to significant financial aid increases for FY 2021-2022, including an additional $10 million in Tuition Grants for in-state students attending South Carolina’s private colleges and universities.
The winners of the annual Tuition Grants student letter-writing campaign were also announced at Higher Education Day. Tuition Grants recipients on SCICU campuses sent a total of 9,000 thank-you messages to members of the General Assembly.
