SwampFox

Jonathan Pinson: S.C. State committed to improvement

In recent months, you’ve probably heard some controversy related to S.C. State University’s financial accountability and how our leadership has responded to it.

Last year several legislators requested an audit to review some of our policies and procedures. We welcomed that audit as an opportunity for us to find ways to make our university better.

It’s true that in the past, there has been a lack of accountability, transparency and, all too often, answers. In the past, the leadership to address these issues has sometimes been lacking.

As chairman of the Board of Trustees, I promise every South Carolinian that these problems will be fixed. We are committed to reform, and during this process, we will deal with facts, not rumors. We will deal with real problems, and we will correct misinformation.

There have been claims made that S.C. State has lost millions of dollars that were to be spent on the Clyburn Transportation Center. This simply isn’t true. There is no missing money at S.C. State.

Since 1998, the state and federal governments have authorized approximately $50 million for this project. To date, approximately $24 million has been spent on approved academic research, faculty, student scholarships and grants.

The remaining funds are strictly designated for construction of a permanent home for the center. Approximately $6 million has been spent to buy and clear land, make other improvements to the property, hire an architect and manage the project. That leaves $20 million — unspent, available and completely accounted for — to complete construction.

We should remember that problems related to financial accountability did not start last year or the year before that. They did not begin with our current president. These issues go back to 1998, and things are very different now.

Today, we have a new board of trustees that has put aside the divisiveness and infighting that have held us back. We have a new president who has not just inherited the mistakes of the past but has begun to correct them.

We will not duck responsibility for the past. But this board and this president can’t change the past. We can only put the people in place and reform policies to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated — and that is exactly what we have begun to do.

While changes must be made, we have much to be proud of at S.C. State. We are the only university in South Carolina that offers an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering. We offer the only master of science degree program in transportation and the only master of business administration degree with a concentration in agribusiness.

We are perhaps most proud of the fact that for four consecutive years Washington Monthly magazine has ranked S.C. State University first among national universities in social mobility, a measurement of how effective we’ve been in helping students improve their socioeconomic status. The same magazine ranked us 14th among national universities in a combined look at social mobility, research and public service — between UNC-Chapel Hill at No. 13 and MIT at No.15, and well above Clemson University at 62 and USC at 96.

Make no mistake, though: These and other accomplishments are threatened by continued attacks on S.C. State and its leadership. Those who criticize without offering real solutions are harming our students, our alumni, our community and our state.

We will never shrink from fair criticism, and we will always correct legitimate mistakes that are pointed out to us. We will be more transparent and more accountable. We ask for your patience and your support as we make the necessary changes to strengthen your S.C. State University.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011/03/04/1721870/pinson-sc-state-committed-to-...