Clemson mourns the passing of Senator Clementa Pinckney who was killed in the mass shooting in Charleston last week. Senator Pinckney spent time at Clemson when he was in high school, as a participant in our Career Workshop. He was also a member of the Clemson 4-H program in Jasper County when he was a young man. He credited 4-H with sparking his interest in public service and led him to discover a love and talent for public speaking and debate. Throughout his life, he was a champion for education and our communities. He was a strong supporter of these programs and was always a dear friend to Clemson University and Clemson PSA.
THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA The South Carolina General Assembly returned in statewide session last Tuesday.
The State Budget Process
Specifically, the budget includes the following for Clemson and Clemson PSA:
Clemson E&G - $1.5 million in recurring funding for Clemson's partnership with the Greenwood Genetic Center - $750,000 in recurring funding for the Deep Orange project at CU-ICAR - $5 million in nonrecurring funding for the Business & Behavioral Sciences Building
Clemson PSA - $500,000 in recurring funding for Agribusiness and Emerging Farmers - $500,000 in recurring funding for Vegetable and Fruit Production - $500,000 in recurring funding for 4-H Youth Leadership Programs - $1.5 million in nonrecurring funding for Ag & Natural Resources Field Facilities
Also included in the budget conference report is a provision for the state to cover an increase in the cost of health insurance for state employees. The budget conference report also includes an $800 bonus for each permanent, full-time state employee who earns less than $100,000 a year.
It is expected that the General Assembly will adopt the conference report tomorrow and send it to Governor Haley who will have five days, not including Sunday, to issue vetoes. The General Assembly is then expected to come back into session on Tuesday, June 30 to take up any gubernatorial vetoes.
Detailed information on Clemson's 2015 state legislative and budget priorities for FY 2015-16 may be found at these links:
BILLS OF INTEREST The Clemson University Governmental Affairs office is monitoring several bills that have potential impact on Clemson. A complete listing of these bills may be found here. Click on the bill number for a description of the legislation, along with the bill's current status.
CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL Higher Education Act Reauthorization Hearings Last Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled "Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Evaluating Accreditation's Role in Ensuring Quality." The hearing focused on the role of accreditation in higher education, and how to best approach reforming the system as part of the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization process.
Witnesses agreed that the accreditation system needs greater transparency and must implement standardized and statistical measures. They provided varying opinions, however, on whether the accreditation system should be nationally or regionally structured.
Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) criticized the government regulation and overreach that he believes has a negative impact on many accreditors.
He is against using accreditation agencies as "gatekeepers" for Title IV funds, though he acknowledged that he does not see an alternative strategy. Chairman Alexander hopes the HEA reauthorization bill will reduce the number of federal regulations and refocus accreditation agencies' efforts on quality assessment.
Chairman Alexander also noted that the committee plans to hold another HEA reauthorization hearing after the July 4 recess, with a focus on innovation in higher education. Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) still plan on introducing a bipartisan HEA bill by September.
House FY2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill The House Appropriations Committee released the FY16 Agriculture Appropriations bill on June 17. The measure would fund the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) at $335 million. This is a $10 million, or 3 percent, increase over the FY15 funding level for AFRI.
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