JOINT MEETING. University of South Carolina Aiken November 15, 2011

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1 JOINT MEETING University of South Carolina Aiken November 15, 2011 Good evening and welcome. I d like to express gratitude on behalf of the students, faculty, and staff of USC Aiken for the support we receive from all of you gathered here tonight. We know that USCA is YOUR University, and we thank you for your time and commitment to our campus. Such enduring support has been crucial to our institution throughout its history, and this year we have been celebrating that past while recognizing our 50th anniversary. In keeping with that celebration, I d now like to begin by showing you an 8-minute video that chronicles our history and how USC Aiken has had a profound affect on those in Aiken and beyond for the past 50 years. As you can tell from that video, our story is also yours - a tale of a community drawing together for a common good and that effort flourishing as a result. Our continued success as an institution is rooted in the support of our alumni and groups such as yours. This comparison from 50 years ago to today shows just have much we have grown while maintaining our connection to our community. One bullet point not on the slide is that in 1961 USC Aiken had one secretary and three faculty members. Today, we have more than 340 full-time faculty and staff and nearly 190 part-time employees. You also see here how our student base has increased. In recent years, we have continued a steady growth. But we are mindful to keep these numbers in check so our student-to-teacher ratios remain low, allowing students the best experience possible in the classroom. We take great pride in just how far we ve come in 50 years, and this year s golden anniversary offers us a prime opportunity to tout that success. We have already promoted our 50th anniversary by way of banners in downtown Aiken, North Augusta and on campus. In addition to that, we have billboards up in the county, and commercials have recently started airing on TV spotlighting some of our successful alumni and featuring our slogan of 50 Years: Still Setting the Pace! 1

2 In the area of achievement, our faculty continue to make great strides forward, particularly in the area of research. We recently received recognition in the media for our increase of 38 percent in award and research funding in the past year to more than $2 million. This is a direct result of our faculty working hard to reach this level of activity, and they deserve all the credit. Overall, we also recently received word once again that for our 4th consecutive year we have been ranked as the top public regional college in the South by U.S.News & World Report. It marks USC Aiken s 14th consecutive ranking among the top three in this category and our eighth time in first place. As for our students, they continue to excel, particularly in our number of Magellan Scholars. We had a record number of eight Magellans at USC Aiken for the Spring, and five more students were named for the summer and current fall semester. All total, we have now had 33 Magellan Scholars named. That places us as having the most Magellan awards for any USC campus outside of Columbia. You can see a breakdown of how the other non-columbia campuses compare. Our spirit of Collegiality is seen each year through our Family Fund campaign, through which our faculty and staff give back to their institution by making a financial contribution. We are pleased our faculty and staff have given more than $1 million to the Family Fund over time. We are in the midst of another successful campaign, with Jane Tuten and Corey Feraldi serving as co-chairs of our Family Fund this year. Here you see the latest figures on our Family Fund drive. We are continuing to show strong numbers and led the pack, with an 88 percent participation rate among faculty and staff - a great example of the dedicated individuals who work and make a difference here. 2

3 As we prepare for today and for the future, the University is also currently in the midst of a Comprehensive USC System Fundraising Campaign.USCA has raised $9.4 million so far toward a $26 million goal. The campaign will run through USCA s fundraising goals -- which were set through consultation with the campus and Strategic Planning Committee -- break down as follows: $10 million for Student Support/Scholarships $2.5 million for Faculty Support $8.5 million for Program Enhancement And $5 million for Capital Investments In the realm of capital projects, a major undertaking on our list is one that should add plenty of character to our campus. That project is the planned pedestrian bridge that will be constructed over Robert Bell Parkway, providing pedestrians a safer means of travel from the student housing side of campus over to the Convocation Center. Here s the approved schematic for the bridge. Funding for the $1.3 million project has been secured and conservative projections show a projected completion in the first quarter of A groundbreaking is now set for this project on February 13, coinciding nicely with our list of events this year to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Despite the much-appreciated support we receive, we continue to have needs amid an ever-diminishing pool of state funds, with USC Aiken s additional base cut being 6 percent this year. The one item we re in desperate need of is a new classroom building. To accomplish that, there would have to be a capital bond bill - a task that hasn t been undertaken by the General Assembly in more than a decade. We would like to start laying the ground work for discussions of such a process in the future. Another key request that we have is for regulatory reform. We feel we have been good stewards of what we ve been entrusted with, and adjustments to certain state regulations could allow for projects to move forward in a more timely fashion and in some cases at lower costs as construction costs are ever increasing. We also are seeking to maintain the reciprocal tuition agreement we have with nearby counties along the Georgia border. We receive nearly 200 students annually from this agreement, so there is value in continuing this offer to some of our neighboring counties across the state line. 3

4 A development of particular interest for us that is now being discussed by the governor and others is that of accountability-based or performance-based funding. An important consideration is in how this model will be set and whether it will be on a one-size-fits all metric. Not all institutions can be compared on the same dynamics, and, therefore, we feel an institution s mission and size should be accounted for as part of any accountability process. We understand this change is coming, and so we would ask that we be included in the process as it moves forward. We also would hope that hand-in-hand with those efforts we could have discussions about the need for regulatory reform. In addition to that, we ask for your continued support of the Endowed Chairs Program, which has been referred to as having a profound and positive impact on the prospects for economic growth and diversification in the state of South Carolina, according to a report commissioned by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. As we have such discussions, we hope to hit home the fact that we have been fiscally responsible and have accomplished much despite lean times.one specific area where we have been good citizens and stewards is our continued effort toward energy conservation and carbon reduction. This chart shows how our energy conservation plan and goal toward reducing our carbon footprint has worked. Comparing fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2011, our electric usage was reduced by 584,242 kwh - a 6.1 percent change. And our carbon footprint was reduced by metric tons. Looking to the future, you re probably all aware of my plans to retire at the end of this academic year on June 30. Here you can see a timeline of the process that is at hand in the search for a new Chancellor. The search committee that has already been formed includes USC Aiken professors, some high-ranking staff and directors, a representative from USC s Board of Trustees, the USC Aiken Partnership Board and the Aiken County Commission on Higher Education as well as some USC Aiken alumni. USC Aiken Psychology Chair and Professor Dr. Ed Callen is chairing the committee. Campus interviews should begin by the spring, and President Pastides will then make the final decision. 4

5 Continuing to look forward, we hope you ll all join us in our 50th anniversary celebration, which will continue through the academic year with several events being offered by departments throughout the campus. One of our key upcoming events will be our December Convocation, which will feature an address by Mr. Jeff Wallace, an alumnus from the Banksia era. We re delighted to have him speak to our graduate candidates that night and offer his words of advice. With that said, I hope our history video and my words tonight have reinforced that at USC Aiken you have an institution of which to be very proud. And as you approach the budget for the coming fiscal year, we would ask that you keep in mind YOUR University and the difference it makes in the lives of your constituents. At this time, I ll now answer any questions you might have. 5