As the 2011-2012 year ends, hope returns to South Carolina higher education from an unlikely source — Palmetto College. The funding proposals brought before the S.C. legislature earlier this semester have been successfully passed by the House of Representatives, giving this soon-to-be-developed distance education program the funds its needs to get off the ground. Now all that waits for the promised $5 million is approval from the Senate and Gov. Nikki Haley — if she can find time between interviews, that is.
We have often praised Palmetto College, seeing in it yet another resource for allowing this state’s residents to improve their lives and improve the economic viability of South Carolina as a whole. The gamble administrators took in moving funds to the program before total assurance of state support left us a little hesitant, as do some details of the program. For example, we are concerned to see how professor availability will affected when current faculty are asked to add developing Palmetto College courses to their semester course load.
All told, the progression of this program gives an inspiring sign for the future of S.C. higher education. Our legislature has shown a discouraging tendency these past few years to take away support from its university system and to say, “Make do with less.” Perhaps this willingness to get more financially involved in the future of USC and its development could mark a change in attitude for our state’s leaders. This funding should serve as a jumping-off point for new demands from students and residents requiring the state to reprise its responsibilities and truly support the self-improvement of its citizens. This is the start of something good, and it is up to us to be the stewards of this new support.
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