Aiken County Legislative Delegation and
Aiken County Commission for Higher Education Joint Meeting
Minutes
November 15, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.
ACCHE Members Present: Tim Simmons (Chair), Ernie Allen, Eugene Sawyer, Barbara Hendrich,
Teresa Haas, Clarence Jackson, Rebecca Robbins, Jim West, Suzanne Ozment (ex-officio) and Thomas L.
Hallman (ex-officio)
Aiken County Legislative Delegation Present: Rep. Roland Smith, Sen. Greg Ryberg, Sen. Shane
Massey, Rep. Kit Spires, Rep. Tom Young, Rep. Bill Clyburn and Ms. Jeannie Cadden
Aiken Partnership Board Members Present: Keith Wood, Bill Tucker, Brenda Stein, Kim Cassara,
Chuck Munns, John Troutman, Karen Randall, and Jan Hodges Burch
Inclusion Advisory Council Members Present: Wesley Hightower (President), Audrey Ogletree, Larry
Ogletree, Donna Moore Wesby, Jeff Priest, and Fred Andrea
Alumni Council Members Present: Heather Still (President), Meredith Legg, Michael Berry, Jessica
Cawley, Alice Kirkland, James Young, Jason Crane, Brandon Flynt, Beverly Rapp, Amber Way, Carl
Henson, Jason Redd, Lehe Drawdy, Erin Smith, and Ahmed Samaha (ex officio)
Student Government Association Members Present: Josh Cline (President) Roberto Aragon, and Will
Peters
USCA Page Program Members Present: Miranda Hein, Blake Leaphart, and Alesha Jones
USCA Faculty/Staff/Students Present: Chad Leverette, Allen Dennis, Deb Kladivko, Ginger Hudock,
Randy Duckett, Mike Jara, Mike Lemons, Sherri Jenik, Debbie Boggs, Preston Sparks, Jamie Raynor,
Juanita Palmer, Judith Goodwin, Linda Evans, Matt Herpich, and Deidre Martin
Others Present: Miles Loadholt, USC Board of Trustees; Susan Winsor, ATC; Ronnie Young, Aiken
County; and David Jameson, Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Simmons called the meeting to order and introduced members of the Aiken County Commission for
Higher Education and other groups in attendance including the Aiken Partnership Board, Inclusion
Advisory Council, Student Government Association, and the USCA Alumni Council.
Mr. Simmons introduced Dr. Chad Leverette and asked him to step forward for a special recognition. Dr.
Leverette was recently named South Carolina Governor’s Professor of the Year for 2010. Mr. Simmons
presented Dr. Leverette with a resolution in his honor approved by the Aiken County Commission for
Higher Education. Mr. Keith Wood, representing the Aiken Partnership Board, also notified Dr. Leverette
of a special award of $1,000 from the board to be used by Dr. Leverette for his research interests.
Rep. Smith introduced the members of the Aiken County Legislative Delegation and thanked USCA’s
leadership for the role the campus plays in the state and area.
Dr. Hallman provided an overview of USC Aiken. The Chancellor’s powerpoint presentation can be
found online at http://web.usca.edu/chancellor/speeches/JointMeeting2010.pdf.
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November 15, 2010
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The presentation included the following points:
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USC Aiken was again ranked first among the top public regional colleges in the South in the 2011
edition of U.S. News & World Report’s guide, “America’s Best College.” It’s the 13th consecutive
year USC Aiken has been ranked in the top three, with number one rankings seven times.
In terms of fundraising, USC Aiken had another successful year - $2.7 million for the past school year
as compared to $2 million the previous year with an outstanding family fund campaign in which
faculty and staff give back. Last year, the campus achieved the highest rate ever for the USC System
with a 91 percent participation rate. The figure was again matched this year.
USC Aiken students continue to excel in the Magellan Scholar Program which provides opportunities
for undergraduate research. USC Aiken has had more total scholars than any other campus in the
system other than USC Columbia.
In 2010 – Annie Whitley – an excellent member of the lady Pacers Soccer Team – was named the
Female Peach Belt Conference Scholar-Athlete, the highest achievement a student athlete can receive
in our conference.
Dr. Tom Mack has served for many years on our campus with great distinction. He recently was
named the 2010 Recipient of the South Carolina Center for the Book Award in Teaching.
Dr. Allen Dennis has been named a Carolina Trustee Professor. Faculty is selected based on a record
of teaching excellence as well as a record of outstanding performance in research and in public
service activities. For six of the past nine years, the non-Columbia campus recipient has been a USC
Aiken faculty member.
Looking to the year ahead, USC Aiken will celebrate its 50th Anniversary beginning on September
10, 2011.
USC Aiken’s total enrollment for fall 2010 was at 3,254 – the highest overall enrollment in recent
years with the third largest freshmen class to start this fall.
USC Aiken continues to see steady growth in Freshman Retention Rates, which went from 69.1
percent in 2008 to 73 percent in 2009.
USC Aiken has also seen significant growth in the number of Palmetto Fellows attending USCA,
with 65 of these “best and brightest” students attending the campus this fall.
A Strategic Enrollment Plan for USC Aiken is designed to manage enrollment growth through certain
measures as overseen by an Enrollment Planning Team. The goal is to maintain a moderately-sized
campus that offers students the best opportunity for academic success.
In terms of recruiting, USC Aiken is looking at targeted areas across the region, with a special
emphasis in the coming year to attract students who have an interest in equestrian activities.
USC Aiken has the SACS Commission on Colleges accreditation coming up for reaffirmation. This is
a critical process for all institutions, as no federal financial aid can be offered unless an institution can
demonstrate this regional affiliation. To date, the campus has had a visit by a SACS Staff Liaison in
the late summer, submitted our Compliance Certification Report in September, and will be submitting
our Quality Enhancement Plan Report and Focused Report in response to any issues identified by an
off-site team after their recent review. An on-site visit will take place in March 2011 and will be
focused on our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP for USCA will be based on critical inquiry, focusing on improved learning outcomes for our students.
USC Aiken has employed a strategic approach to budget reductions. The campus has maintained an
academic priority by having no cuts in full-time faculty. However, some reductions to adjunct
faculty/sections have been offered, and there have been minor increases to some class sizes. The
budget crunch has been a catalyst for further energy efficiency improvements.
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November 15, 2010
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USC Aiken has used federal stimulus funds only for one-time projects. These funds are helping the
campus update buildings with new paint and carpet and reconfiguring some spaces on campus as well
as providing enrichment funds and growing our library collection.
A key concern is that our state has a low percentage of those with a bachelor’s or higher degree. We
believe baccalaureate degrees are key to South Carolina’s future and have a direct affect on the state’s
per capita income. The ongoing cumulative benefit from a highly educated South Carolina is an
additional $6.9 billion in total personal income, $7.8 billion in the gross state product, and 44,514
additional permanent jobs. These figures are used to show that the investment in higher education is
worth the outcome, producing an even greater economic affect on the state.
Sen. Ryberg, Rep. Smith, and Rep. Clyburn praised the campus for wisely using the federal stimulus
funds for one-time projects rather than recurring expenses.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 p.m.