{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://clyburn.house.gov/rep-clyburn-op-ed-sc-needs-to-repair-a-fault-by-investing-more-in-sc-state-university/", "REP. CLYBURN OP-ED: \u201cSC NEEDS TO \u2018REPAIR A FAULT\u2019 BY INVESTING MORE IN SC STATE UNIVERSITY\u201d", "2024-04-24", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "SC", "James E. Clyburn", "C000537", "clyburn.house.gov", "clyburn", "https://clyburn.house.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "This was originally published by The Post and Courier on April 23, 2024\n\nI often quote Alexis de Tocqueville, the Frenchman who visited the United States in the 1830s and, in spite of some obvious imperfections in our system, opined, \u201cThe greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.\u201d\n\nGiven the current fiscal outlook in South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster\u2019s economic development successes, a projected $1.6 billion budget surplus and the recent discovery of $1.8 billion in unobligated funds in the state\u2019s coffers, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to repair some nagging faults that have existed in our beloved state for far too long.\n\nCome July 21, I will celebrate the 45th anniversary of my 39th birthday. I have spent most of these years reading and writing about our state\u2019s and nation\u2019s history. For many of those years, I have worked closely with some enlightened, although not perfect, political leaders. In fact, I have worked for, and at the behest of, four South Carolina governors: John Carl West, James B. Edwards, Richard W. Riley and Carroll A. Campbell \u2014 two Democrats and two Republicans. From my studies and experiences, I have become keenly aware of our beloved state\u2019s trials, tribulations and triumphs.\n\nIn the early 1970s, I spent nearly four years on the personal staff of Gov. West, and I remember the year we experienced a 14% growth rate. When we developed our budget for the coming year, the governor undertook efforts to use that unexpected windfall to repair some of the faults that existed in our state.\n\nA 1970 study revealed that because of some long-standing conditions, most black college graduates did not pursue professional careers in South Carolina and were leaving the state in droves. As a result, the governor proposed, and the Legislature created, the S.C. Human Affairs Commission to address that fault. Safe, sanitary and affordable housing \u2014 especially in our rural communities \u2014 were scarce, and the state created the S.C. Housing Authority to address that fault. The state\u2019s old \u201cplanning districts\u201d were transformed into councils of government, which were given the authority to repair some faults and make our small, mostly rural communities more livable and attractive for public and private investments. The missions of these entities continue today.\n\nSouth Carolina is blessed with two outstanding land-grant universities: Clemson, established by the 1862 Morrill Act, and South Carolina State, established by the 1890 Morrill Act. Land-grant colleges and universities were created to provide higher education and training in agriculture, mechanical arts and military science and tactics.\n\nWhen the General Assembly established S.C. State in 1896, it assumed the responsibility of providing equitable funding between our two land-grant institutions. In recent years, however, South Carolina has fallen short of this obligation, which has created a fault that needs to be repaired.\n\nLast year, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack jointly sent letters to the 16 states with 1890 land grant institutions, citing data that show during the past 30 years, our state has underfunded S.C. State University by $469.9 million. Our current fiscal condition provides South Carolina with an opportunity to repair this fault.\n\nCorrecting the historic and long-standing underinvestment in our rural communities and in South Carolina State University, our state\u2019s only public historically black college, could unleash greater growth in South Carolina and position the state for three research universities, as designated by Gov. McMaster and the Legislature, to take advantage of historic public and private funding opportunities.\n\nHBCUs have proven records for preparing students from traditionally neglected communities and families with limited resources. With smaller class sizes and a strong focus on mentorship, these students develop the skills and tools that propel them to succeed as engineers, medical professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and much more.\n\nAs our state\u2019s economy grows, I hope our leadership will seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the greatness of our nation accessible and affordable for all South Carolinians.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://clyburn.house.gov/rep-clyburn-op-ed-sc-needs-to-repair-a-fault-by-investing-more-in-sc-state-university/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.253958024084568, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}