Warren Bolton | S.C. State University deserves better treatment from board, state leaders
As supporters and critics alike dissect S.C. State University’s unacceptable financial predicament, they would do well to consider the college’s erratic history.
We’ve been here before. Many times. How do we make sure we stop this shameful cycle?
And at whose doorstep should the shame rest – that of overbearing board members and administrators who for years have mishandled S.C. State’s affairs or that of laissez-faire state lawmakers who consistently failed to allocate adequate funding and provide oversight?
S.C. State, which has endured fiscal problems off and on for years, is facing yet another deficit and has said it needs $13.6 million to fix things. The cause? Dwindling student enrollment and board and administrative upheaval, among other things.
With creditors breathing down the university’s neck and an accreditation agency headed to town to review concerns about board standards and financial woes, Gov. Nikki Haley and the Budget and Control Board are working on a solution.
While it’s critical to address the immediate crisis, it would be irresponsible to blindly hand money over to the school without determining the root of the problem.
A state inspector general report released last week determined that since 2007, S.C. State officials dipped into a special fund meant to aid poorer families in order to address cash-flow problems, masking the university’s financial woes for years. The school recently repaid the $6.5 million taken from the program, a move that worsened its financial crisis.
It’s important to note that the inspector general found no fraud in the diversion of money.
That outcome is similar to one following a Legislative Audit Council review of funds at the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center in 2011. The LAC found that no money was missing from the tens of millions of dollars that had been funneled to S.C. State for the development of the transportation center. However, it unearthed troubling management and accounting concerns.
Courtesy : http://www.wmbfnews.com/
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