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SC Centers of Economic Excellence: September 2008 Program Update

New CoEEs approved: The CoEE Review Board approved funding for two new Centers of Economic Excellence earlier this month.

The CoEE in Prostate Cancer Disparities Research will work to increase prostate cancer screenings and access to clinical trials for African-American men in South Carolina. The CoEE will also research contributing factors for prostate cancer and examine the factors that influence African-American men in being screened and seeking treatment. The incidence and mortality rates for prostate cancer are higher for African-American men compared with other groups—in South Carolina the mortality rate for African-Americans is three times higher than that of Caucasians, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. MUSC and USC are collaborating with S.C. State University to create the Center. This is the first CoEE with S.C. State as a collaborating partner.

The CoEE in Medication Safety and Efficacy will work to increase drug safety and effectiveness and decrease medication errors in South Carolina by identifying the incidence and significance of errors that occur with prescription and non-prescription drugs. This knowledge will be used to provide data for epidemiological and economic studies that will help lead to fewer drug injuries and improved drug effectiveness in South Carolina. Nationwide, medication mistakes harm 1.5 million people each year, according to the Institute of Medicine. MUSC and USC are partners in the Center.

First female CoEE endowed chair to lead MUSC cancer program

Dr. Melanie Thomas, a leading expert in gastrointestinal cancers, will lead the CoEE in Gastrointestinal Cancer Diagnostics at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)/Hollings Cancer Center (HCC). Dr. Thomas is the first woman to be named a CoEE endowed chair.

Gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, or cancers, include those of the stomach, liver, pancreas, colon, and elsewhere in the GI tract. Research within this CoEE will include searching for new targets (proteins that play a role in the disease process and are the intended sites of drug activity) for GI cancer treatment and identifying new ways to screen for GI cancer.

Thomas will develop a clinical trials program for liver cancer and will work with others to develop a robust research portfolio and clinical trials in other GI cancers within the CoEE. In addition to her position as a CoEE endowed chair, Thomas will also serve as associate director of clinical investigations for HCC.

Automotive expert recruited to South Carolina through CoEE Program: BMW researcher joins "dream team" at CU-ICAR

A leader in the field of automotive systems integration will join the Clemson University faculty as BMW Endowed Chair in Systems Integration in the automotive engineering graduate program at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

Paul Venhovens arrives to the university from BMW's Research and Development headquarters in Munich, Germany, where he worked in the field of systems integration. He most recently served as the leader for Functional Concept Design for the BMW 1 and 3 series and was responsible for functional design and integration of vehicle safety, NVH (noise/vibration/harshness), durability, performance, fuel economy, and vehicle dynamics.

Venhovens' research will focus on testing vehicle systems and their components to ensure efficient and safe operation. His research addresses the increasingly complex needs of the worldwide automotive industry as a growing number of sophisticated electronic and mechanical systems must be smoothly integrated to create the cars of today and tomorrow.

All four CoEE chairs at CU-ICAR have now been hired. The three other CU-ICAR chairs are Drs. Todd Hubing, Thomas Kurfess, and John Ziegert.

CoEE donations help South Carolina's three senior research institutions set records for private giving

The University of South Carolina raised a record-smashing $106.2 million from private donors during fiscal year 2008, increasing its 2007 total compared by more than 50%. USC’s previous record for private fundraising was $96.5 million set in 1998.

MUSC had similar success in 2008, raising a record $67 million in gifts from non-profit organizations, individuals, and businesses. That figure is nearly 6% higher than the 2007 total.

Clemson University received $79.5 million in private gifts during 2008. During last year, Clemson had a noticeable increase in the number of corporations donating money—from 842 in 2007 to 1,051 in 2008.

The CoEE Program helps fuel private giving to South Carolina universities, as donors are motivated to invest in valuable research and innovation that will boost the state’s economy and raise the quality of life for citizens.

CoEE Review Board adds two members

Robert Hitt, of BMW Manufacturing in Greer, and Regan Voit, retired from Chem-Nuclear Systems in Columbia, have been appointed to the CoEE Review Board.

Hitt is the public affairs department manager for BMW. He is also first vice chair of the board of the S.C. Manufacturers’ Alliance, member of the executive committees of Advance SC and the Upstate Alliance, and member on the boards of the Hollings Cancer Center and the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics.

Voit received the 1997 S.C. Governor’s Total Quality Award while at Chem-Nuclear. He is a member of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Council, the New Carolina Education and Workforce Development Task Force, and the S.C. Quality Forum Advisory Committee.

Who we are

The S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence Program was established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2002, funded through South Carolina Education Lottery proceeds. The legislation authorizes the state's three public research institutions, Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and the University of South Carolina, to use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in research areas that will advance South Carolina's economy. Each Center of Economic Excellence is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in state funds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state funds. The program also supports CoEE endowed chairs, world-renowned scientists who lead the Centers of Economic Excellence. By investing in talent and technology, the CoEE Program is designed to fuel the state's knowledge-based economy, resulting in high-paying jobs and an improved standard of living in South Carolina.

For more information on the CoEE Program, visit www.sccoee.org.