We have some good news from the General Assembly — the House version of the state budget was approved by the Ways and Means Committee and is very supportive of independent higher education:
- Fully funds the Tuition Grant Commission request for $1.1 million in recurring funds.
- Adds $600,000 from the CHE Needs-Based Aid program.
- Fully funds Merit Scholarships ($326 million).
- Fully funds PASCAL’s $1.5 million request.
Unfortunately, the Tuition Grants Commission did not receive the one-time $270,000 request it made for a new computer system, nor the recurring $200,000 to maintain it.
Other than the state budget the General Assembly has been consumed with K-12 education reform, and deciding what to do with Santee Cooper. And that will not change for the near future.