SCSU president says budget cuts won't require eliminating jobs
By LEE TANT, T&D Staff Writer Friday, December 05, 2008South Carolina State University will not lay off any employees or mandate furloughs as a result of state funding cuts, the president said Thursday.
“That’s not an issue that is on the drawing board at this time,” Dr. George Cooper said.
S.C. State trustees passed a budget reduction plan Thursday in response to the cuts, which Cooper says have cost the university $7 million in state funding.
The plan was passed after a three-hour closed session called by the board to discuss what it called a personnel matter.
After the vote, Cooper said the board recommended he “do what is necessary” to bring the university’s budget in line with the cuts.
Under the plan, he said costs would be cut by instituting a hiring freeze for certain positions, eliminating all unnecessary travel, managing energy use and cutting back on supplies and equipment. Those are all cost-cutting measures mentioned previously by Cooper in response to the first budget cut in August.
He also said the university will save $90,000 by limiting the number of phone lines in dorm rooms. In addition, the university will reduce the funding for a capital campaign study and hold off on another study regarding staff.
Another 4 percent cut from the state could follow, Cooper said.
Thursday’s meeting marked the first occasion that Lumus Byrd served as chairman before the full board. He said the university must return to its core values of access, opportunity, integrity, excellence and respect.
“We can bring about change,” he said.
Byrd said he has no interest in trying to run the university, employ his friends or relatives there or receive benefits from university contracts.
Critics of the board’s decision last year to oust former President Andrew Hugine claimed the board attempted to micromanage the administration.
“I think as we draw a bright line between the board and the administration, that perception will go away,” Byrd said.
John Smalls, senior vice president of finance, discussed several construction projects on campus. He said $20 million in renovations to Hodge Hall are fully funded and should be completed by early 2010. Construction on Lowman Hall is expected to be finished by next fall, Smalls said.
A new $24.7 million science and engineering building on campus should be completed in September 2009, he said.
Cooper told trustees the projected enrollment of 4,800 students for the fall semester was short by 200. He hopes targeting potential transfer students and recruiting new ones will close that gap.
Smalls also addressed how the university will accommodate future growth in student enrollment. S.C. State can not build more dorms without increasing its $85 million debt, he said.
“I didn’t think that’s the smartest thing,” Smalls said.
Instead, he proposed outsourcing the university’s additional housing needs to an outside developer who would build living quarters near campus.
He said the university could recommend that development to students who don’t receive university housing. In exchange, the developer would build housing in accordance with university specifications.
“I don’t know why we are sitting around and talking about enrollment growing when we can’t take care of what we have now,” trustee Robert Nance said.
Trustee Maurice Washington said the university can’t survive financially without growing enrollment.
“It’s forward thinking,” he said.
In other business:
Cooper announced the university will receive $100,000 from Wachovia for scholarships.
The board recognized the 2008 S.C. State Bulldog football team for winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.
The board approved the use of $35,000 to produce a television show about the university. The show will air in Charleston.
T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@times anddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.
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ICU81 wrote on Dec 12, 2008 1:19 PM:
cherokee wrote on Dec 12, 2008 8:22 AM:
Any College or University can apply for Research monies, but the actual range of research can be limited. In other words, without proper facilities and equipment, research is primarily limited to the theoretical side of the house. There can be no hands on research in most instances. Sciences -- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering are the main research areas and the areas that require the hands on approach plus theoretical research facilities and equipment. SCSU's research facilities and specialized equipment necessary for research is missing in most instances.
Sure, Universities and Colleges love the money that research brings in.
Another side of the house is the fact that research time takes away time that the Instructor can teach. To make up for that time requires that someone else must teach his/her courses which can result in: (1) hiring an outside instructor for that task: (2) having another instructor assume that task: or (3) having a grad student to teach that class; (4) continue teaching all courses assigned or (5) dropping courses. Number 2 and 4 results in an instructor with an "over-load". Number 3 can only occur if the school has a Master's program and Number 1 is impractical due to time and costs of locating an Instructor to teach the courses.
Another problem with research, as applied to SCSU, is that the State administering agency subtracts a large amount of the research money for their administrative costs before the Instructor ever sees it. Secondly, SCSU takes away dollar for dollar, that portion of the Instructors salary. In other words, the Instructor receives the same amount of money whether he/she is doing research but gains nothing in return as to salary.
Yes, teaching Colleges and Universities, like SCSU and Morehouse, love to see research money coming in, but do they properly address the longtime consequences of doing so. That's the question. "
cherokee wrote on Dec 11, 2008 8:27 AM:
Why was DPS firetrucks dispatched on at least three separate occasions on 12/10/08 apparently to the same location?
False fire alarms whether caused by a "prank" or defective equipment costs the University money and could cost the lives of the firemen responding to the alarm, cost the life of another that needed the firemen's help. The number of firemen is finite as is the finite number of pieces of fire equipment.
We have a "Fire Marshall" paid with University money on campus. Did he respond to the alarm? Has he made a determination as to the cause? Has he made any plans to prevent other false alarms? Or is he another "Campus Safety Officer" and is drawing money without producing results? "
fhsmct wrote on Dec 7, 2008 6:30 PM:
You couldn't be more in error. SCSU has adequate facilities to get along the path of faculty and staff doing research and applying fro/receiving the grants that finance such.
For example: a school like Morehouse has smaller and fewer facilities than does SCSU but Morehouse's faculty and staff agressively seek out research grants.
Receipt of such legitmately augments salary(s), greatly augments financing of equipment and facilities, etc, etc.
SCSU can be an academic instutuion simultaneously known for both teaching and research if she so desires.
She doesn't have to be "either"/"or" and she definitely doesn't have to sit back and wait to take those precious, but necessary steps down that path! . . . "
cherokee wrote on Dec 7, 2008 11:21 AM:
According to the usage of temporary employees by South Car5olina's original definition, their jobs ARE of a temporary nature lasting for a definite period and ceasing when that period is over. However, under SCSU's definition, these jobs normally exist for years with no vacations, no sick days, unpaid holidays, and no insurance. The above goes against all reasoning.
Recognize the need for these temporary employees and re-think how to save money in another way -- reorginize you Cabinet and eliminate positions that do not have to exist. There are too many duplicate jobs and personnel in your Cabinet. "
ICU81 wrote on Dec 6, 2008 10:43 AM:
Chris' Cloths wrote on Dec 5, 2008 2:52 PM:
peaches wrote on Dec 5, 2008 1:53 PM:
cherokee wrote on Dec 5, 2008 7:54 AM:
Additionally, President Cooper needs to streamline his cabinet. There are too many VPs, Directors and reduntant staff for an University of this size.
There is also a problem with our University shifting from a teaching University to a Research University. First, we do not have the facilities nor equipment available to conduct real research in most cases. Secondly, we do not have Grad students to suppliment the task of teaching as do other research institutions. This presents a problem with release time to do the research.
Thirdly, we cannot count on research money being available to augment available University money. Too much of this resource is taken away from the University by the mandated State program that administers research. "
bosshogg wrote on Dec 5, 2008 6:36 AM:
There is one part of this article we do not believe though. It mentions that the new engineering building will be finished by September 2009. That building will be built at the current site of bethea hall. Bethea has not even been torn down yet, much less any new building construction started on the site. We do not believe that the building can be built PROPERLY in that timeframe. But since he said it, we will hold them accountable for it "