SC State’s $76.7M state allocation includes new $30M library, $4.2M increase for scholarships (2024)

The total also includes $3.5 million for a limnology research center at Camp Harry E. Daniels.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The state of South Carolina has allocated $76.7 million to South Carolina State University’s 2024-25 budget including $30 million to build a new campus library, a $4.2 million increase in scholarship funding and $3.5 million for a limnology research center.

“On behalf the South Carolina State University family, I thank Gov. Henry McMaster and members of the General Assembly for recognizing our students’ needs and acting to improve access to quality education for South Carolina families,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said. “I extend a special thank you to Speaker of the House Murrell Smith for visiting the campus in April, when he saw first-hand the conditions in the existing library and the need for a new facility.

“For SC State to continue offering excellence, we must have facilities that accommodate modern learning and initiatives that will retain students through to graduation,” Conyers said. “This budget goes a long way toward achieving those goals.”

The allocation includes about $63.1 million for the SC State’s primary budget. The state allocated about $13.6 million to the university’s Public Service and Agriculture division (PSA).The state’s contribution is the largest allocation in the PSA division’s history.

New $30 million library

The new library’s funding came from two pools of money -- $25 million in nonrecurring funding and $5 million from reserves. The facility will replace the Miller F. Whittaker Library, which opened in 1968.

Conyers pointed to the words of Charles William Eliot, president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, in stating the academic library has traditionally been the heart of a university.

“The Miller F. Whittaker Library has served this as the academic heart of this campus well for 56 years, but the time has arrived for SC State to establish a library that meets the demands of 21^st century teaching, learning and research,” Conyers said. “This new facility will be an iconic structure on campus with spaces for gathering, studios for projects and studies, and advanced computer laboratories for research.

“This new library will elevate the academic experiences of our students, as well as those of members of the Orangeburg community who take advantage of its services,” Conyers said.

Dr. Frederick Evans, SC State provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the new library will improve students’ educational success and support research capabilities.

“The library serves as a central component of an educational institution and has a great impact on the community at large in improving one’s quality of life, economic development, and social cohesion,” Evans said. “The digital inclusion that is planned for the new library will provide equal access to information and opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and the community.”

During the design process, SC State administrators will visit other higher education institutions that have built new libraries in recent years to evaluate possible features for the new library.

“We in the library have been advocating for a new library for over 30 years,” said Dr. Ruth Hodges, dean of libraries and information services. “This includes three of my predecessors, so we are ecstatic about this wonderful news.”

Hodges thanked Conyers, Evans and Dr. Gerald Smalls, SC State’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance and operations, and others for their “keen awareness of the value of libraries.”

“As the current library was built in 1968, it insufficiently meets the learning, spacing, and accessibility needs of library personnel and library users, especially the current generation of students,” she said. “The SC State Archives and Historical Collection and other special collections also require additional space.

“As the most egalitarian learning environment on campus, it is our goal to provide an aesthetically pleasing, welcoming, tranquil, highly technologically and accessibility equipped, healthy and safe environment for all users. This funding will advance these goals,” Hodges said.

The SC State president also said the new library’s likely location will be on the former site of Bradham and Manning halls, making the facility readily accessible from neighboring academic buildings.

The library project is the latest in series of capitol projects the state has approved for SC State over the last three budget cycles for a total of about $124 million on the main campus over and above the university’s operating budget. Projects include renovation and expansion of the Kirkland W. Green Student Center, the construction of a new 90,000-square-foot academic building and the renovation of 14-story Sojourner Truth Hall.

University budget breakdown

Bulldog Retention Scholarships

The $4.2 million increase in academic scholarships is a recurring allocation that will be used to mitigate costs for returning students. Conyers said many students leave the university for financial reasons without graduating, so by alleviating costs for returning students, SC State will retain and graduate more students each year.

“The increase in academic scholarships of $4.2 million is a huge win for SC State and students,” Conyers said. “We are working to implement a Bulldog Retention Scholarship for returning students with unmet needs.”

Public Service and Agriculture budget

The South Carolina Limnology Research Center will be located on the grounds of historic Camp Harry E. Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina. Limnology is the study of inland aquatic ecosystems. Camp Daniels sits just yards away from Lake Marion and features an on-site pond for aquatic activities.

SC State PSA has been redeveloping the former 4-H camp for South Carolina’s Black youths as an extension camp, retreat and research center. PSA is completing roads, trails and infrastructure necessary to support nine new buildings planned for the camp. These will include visitor cabins to complement the 260-acre camp’s 15,000-square-foot leadership center and the limnology center.