COLUMBIA, S.C. – Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday that South Carolina’s public colleges should be judged on their graduation rates, how many of their students come from outside the state, and their contributions to the economy.
The Republican governor said she has asked college leaders to help develop a new, data-driven way to fund higher education. Their homework over the next month includes providing her office with data on the percentages of students who graduate within six years and get jobs after graduation.
Exactly how colleges’ economic development contributions will be measured has yet to be determined. South Carolina’s 33 publicly supported colleges vary widely in size and mission. They include research universities, other four-year universities, regional two-year campuses and technical colleges.
Colleges won’t be told how many out-of-state students they can accept, for example, but they’ll have to supply the data for legislators to review when creating the state budget, Haley said.
“There will be strong measurables that are black and white, very clear, no gray areas. If we are going to fund in a consistent way, we’ve got to be consistent in the way we check those measurables,” Haley said. “The ones that are doing it better will get funded more.”
The message echoed what Haley said last year on the campaign trail. It was the tone that college leaders said was encouraging.
Former Gov. Mark Sanford had long chastised colleges for raising tuition rates to the highest in the Southeast, with tuition and required fees at four-year colleges costing nearly $10,000 this school year. Sanford’s proposals have included consolidating administrations and closing small, regional campuses. But college presidents say he never met with them as Haley did less than one week after taking office.
