Columbia, South Carolina (WIS) – South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers has asked the South Carolina Legislature for funds to improve the quality of the university.
President Conyers addressed the SC House of Representatives by requesting a budget of $209 million for the 2023-2024 school year. Most of the requested funds will go towards his five major capital projects to replace outdated facilities.
Conyers said colleges need financial support from the state to keep competing for students. Conyers added that it has been 30 years since the school received full state funding for the new academic facility. The new project has forced the university into debt.
$195 million of the $209 million will go to facilities and infrastructure priorities.
- $54.7 million for new classroom buildings to replace Turner Hall; With wings from 69 to his 95, the complex houses many of SC’s major subjects and teacher education programs. Among the deficiencies are outdated classrooms and inadequate access for people with disabilities (ADA compliant).
- $30.3 million for new libraries. South Carolina State University’s Miller F. Whitaker Library is 55 years old and lacks the infrastructure to support technology in a modern learning environment. The building only has a small freight elevator, which also affects his access to ADA.
- $45 million to replace the Smith-Hammond Middleton Memorial Center (SHM), which opened in 1968, with a new, larger convening center. The center is used not only for South Carolina State University basketball games, but also for graduations and other campus-wide gatherings. SHM also has no ADA indication for him because the arena has no elevators. Conyers said the Orangeburg community also uses the facility for events.
- $40 million to replace Staley Hall with a new health and wellness facility. With similar issues to Turner Hall, Staley has a sports office, a home and consumer sciences department, and other programs. The university does not have an on-campus health and wellness center to provide fitness activities for students and promote a healthy lifestyle. The new building includes a pool that replaces the outdated pool behind SHM.
- $5 million to strengthen the campus’s outdated information technology infrastructure.
- New $20 million building to house South Carolina’s new College of Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences. Conyers said the university uses shared spaces with other programs and expects enrollment to grow as agribusiness grows in South Carolina. SC State is also considering additional programs in health-related professions and veterinary technology.
- $2.7 million for campus-wide ADA accommodations, including new railings and sidewalks.
In addition to the $10 million planned for the renovation of Sojourner Truth Hall, the university also needs new dormitories.
Noting that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are underfunded across the country, Conyers called on legislators to take note of Tennessee’s decision to invest $300 million in Tennessee State University. to address funding discrepancies among public universities in the state.
President Conyers told lawmakers that $52 million in the 2022-23 budget will help renovate Truth Hall and expand the campus’s student center for $20 million.
Last fall, the university was at a limited capacity and could only admit 1,100 students out of 8,600 freshmen. Conyers added that if SC State reaches 4,000 students in the next few years, enrollment will bring him $15 million in recurring costs to the university.
You can watch President Conyer’s full speech to the Higher Education Subcommittee of the South Carolina House Ways and Means. here.
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