Board members at the school in Orangeburg were stunned to learn Thursday about the budget shortfall.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports that university leaders had hoped to have a $2.5 million surplus by the end of the fiscal year June 30.

Instead South Carolina State is facing a $4 million deficit that officials attribute to a decline in enrollment. The school has about 500 fewer students than expected.

Trustee Maurice Washington says the university is “on life support.” Washington says the school should consider opting out of the expensive Division I athletic program.

University President George Cooper will meet with the Finance Committee Monday to discuss the school’s options.

The school says the money will pay for about $50,000 in scholarships each year.

“With the ever-increasing cost of higher education, additional scholarship funding is needed to assure that students will continue to give service to the university through band participation,” the 68-year-old Copenhaver said.

School of Music Dean Tayloe Harding called the gift “transformative.”

The school has 500 undergraduate and graduate music majors studying a wide variety of instruments. There are an additional 1,500 students from other disciplines who also take classes in the School of Music.

Dr. Jackson donated $10 million, allowing the college the opportunity to build a new residence hall in the style of twin towers and a new student health and wellness center.

The residence hall will stand three stories and house 74 male and 74 female students in separate towers. The student health center will hold offices and classrooms for health sciences and recreation administration, areas for the ROTC program, and a fitness area.

The expansion will also include a new maintenance building and vehicle garage. An additional $1 million will go towards the college’s general endowment to be used for scholarships.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new facilities will be Tuesday, January 10th at 10 am.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center and South Carolina State University will be working to find the answers thanks to a landmark grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

The four-year grant of more than $800,000 will be used to establish the South Carolina Disparities Research Center, which will investigate cancer disparities. “The people in the Sea Islands are the most genetically homogenous group of blacks in the Unised States,” principal investigator Dr. Marvella Ford told South Carolina Radio Network, “Genetically, they’re actually more similar to blacks in Africa than to other African-Americans.”

Ford says it is easier to find genetic markers associated with cancer risks in a more homogeneous population like the Sea Island population than it is in a more heterogeneous population.

Ford says there are approximately 250,000 people of Sea Island ancestry in South Carolina– commonly known as Gullah. They were able to maintain their homogeneity because they resided mostly on the barrier islands that were long isolated from the mainland. Ford says the study will also be examining African American populations in the general population of South Carolina, as well as populations of European ancestry.

Along with examining genetic factors, Ford says they will also take into account other factors such as access to healthcare, diet, and socio-economic status.

Ford says the research will primarily probe prostate and breast cancer. Ford points out that, in South Carolina, African-American men die of prostate cancer at a rate three times that of Caucasian men and African-American women die at a rate 1.5 times the rate of Caucasian women. 

A unique element of the grant is the formation of an advisory group, including Sea Island community advocates, which will help select research projects to be conducted. Ford says it is pivotal to the research to find out if certain populations have a higher prevalence of genetic markers that, for example, may be associated with DNA repair that protect cells from outside factors such as tobacco use or factors associated with diet.

Ford says with that information, treatments may be developed that may turn on those markers or help them work better so people can fight cancer more easily and effectively.

AUDIO: Ford says the state’s Sea Island population is the key  to the research

Director of the University of South Carolina’s Career Center Tom Halasz says recent graduates are in luck because the current job market is better than it has been in recent years. Halasz says ,while some industries are hiring more than others, “There is not a field where there are no jobs available.”

USCs Career Center is an organization within the university that helps students determine what kind of career path they want to take, what college major they should choose, and what kind of job they are looking to have in the future.

According to Halasz, health, retail, information technology, accounting, and engineering fields are some of the job areas that have the most opportunities available for recent grads, but many grads just have the wrong mindset.

“You’d think students would be clamoring for these positions, but sometimes have internalized this idea that’s it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be so tough that maybe they don’t want to exert the effort,” says Halasz.

Halasz says those recent graduates who cannot find jobs in their desired field are finding work in other areas where they have the skills or interest. “This generation is more interested in the environment and public service than before,” he said, “And they’re pursuing those opportunities.”

The job market still isn’t great for recent graduates, but Halasz says he’s optimistic that the future looks bright for South Carolina’s job market.

South Carolina Radio Network’s Tripp Girardeau contributed to this report

Gov. Haley speaks at Jubilee Academy in Forest Acres Tuesday

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said Tuesday she plans to use money from her new book– scheduled to come out next year– to start up a new nonprofit that will try to help slow the cycle of poverty in the state’s poorest counties.

The Original Six Foundation will be set up to assist struggling, low-income families in rural parts of South Carolina. Haley said the organization’s name is based off her own childhood in Bamberg, when her Indian Sikh family referred to themselves as the “original six” in the rural town.

The governor announced the new program at the Jubilee Academy– a small private, faith-based school in Forest Acres.

“We can’t just pay attention to those counties that have all the high population and the wealth,” Haley said, “We’ve got to look at every part of South Carolina.”

The foundation, which will start up in January, targets the ten rural counties that have the highest jobless rates in South Carolina. Haley said the goal is to work with state agencies and local leaders to determine what’s needed most to help those counties overcome their challenges. Haley said she would visit one county per month with this purpose in mind. The group would then recruit businesses and people to donate to that cause.

For example, if officials determine that families have trouble getting school supplies, Original Six would request donations to go towards that specific goal. However, Haley said she also wants the organization to help pay for health screenings and jobs training.

Wendy Homeyer, who has worked as a Republican marketer and fundraiser, will lead the foundation. Homeyer said she hopes to use her connections with some of the state’s deepest pockets.

“(The Governor) had a lot of people asking her in meetings, ‘How do we help?’” Homeyer said.

Haley planted the seed money with a $550,000 advance she received for her memoirs “Can’t Is Not an Option,” due out in April. She said the foundation will also get over $200,000 left over from donations towards her inauguration.

The governor emphasized Original Six would be funded entirely by private moneyand would not seek government grants. She said she wants the foundation to let donors know how their donations are being spent. “You are going to get to go and help every county that needs it,” Haley said, “Instead of just giving to a charity and not knowing where it goes, you’re actually going to pick and choose what you give.”

Homeyer said several companies have already indicated they wished to get involved, including South Carolina AT&T.

Larry Biddle (Courtesy: Coastal Carolina University)

Conway police charged Larry Lee Biddle with with driving under the influence around midnight Sunday. A caller had told police that a car was driving recklessly late that night, including crossing over the center line several times and almost hitting another car. A police report said officers spotted a car matching the vehicle’s description and tag number pulling into a driveway.

Once Biddle got out, the officer said he noticed the smell of alcohol on Biddle’s breath and performed a field sobriety test. The officer arrested him when he had difficulty following instructions and keeping his balance.

Biddle is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Coastal Carolina Board of Trustees. He was named to the board in 2009 and his term will end in 2013.

According to his bio, he is also a former educator who helped create the Jostens Rennaisance educational programs in 1987. He was an assistant director at Coastal Carolina College until 1974. He and his wife helped establish the Biddle Center for Teaching and Learning at the university in 2005.

The Morning News of Florence reports the Library Services and Technology Act awarded the Florence County Library with the grant–that will also go to the Florence Museum and the Florence County Geographic Information Systems. The goal of the new virtual tour is to add to the library’s online digital catalog and create the museum’s first virtual tour.

The museum has been collecting distinct historical items since 1924.

Von Nessen, Woodward brief press

The state’s economy will continue to improve, but will be fragile in 2012, according to Dr. Douglas Woodward and Dr. Joey Von Nessen, who gave their annual economic forecast for 2012 Moore School’s 31st annual Economic Outlook Conference.

“Right now South Carolina’s economy is stable, and 2012 should bring further incremental gains in job growth and personal income levels,” Von Nessen said. “However, uncertainty is still high, and any market change could easily rock the boat.”

Woodward said in a media gathering, “The United States is still the fourth most competitive economy in the world and the best place to do business…and within the U.S., South Carolina is the fourth most competitive state.”

Their projections are that after a 1-percent gain in 2011, total employment growth – the most important measure of economic progress in South Carolina – is expected to improve and increase to approximately 2 percent in 2012.

The durable goods market and manufacturing industries will have the biggest employment gains in 2012, although business and health services will likely see increases as well.

“We are seeing an amazing resurgence, almost a renaissance in manufacturing,’ says Woodward.

Housing and construction also will play a big role in South Carolina’s recovery, but job growth must come first, Von Nessen said.

 2012 will help reduce South Carolina’s current unemployment rate, which is 10.5 percent and the sixth highest in the nation. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate will not fall quickly, Von Nessen said.

Woodward added that,  despite financial turmoil in Europe and the uncertainty surrounding the 2012 election, there are currently no indications that the economy is slipping back into recession.

USC touts the fact that the two economists’ 2011 EOC forecast proved to be accurate. Woodward and Von Nessen predicted an 11-percent unemployment rate and job growth of 1.1 percent in South Carolina. The average unemployment rate for the third quarter of 2011 was 11 percent, and year-to-date 2011 job growth is at 1 percent.

Also at the conference Moore School Dean Hildy Teegen was scheduled to discuss SC Dash, a newly developed website by the school’s Division of Research that makes available South Carolina economic data from more than 60 government agencies and private organizations and businesses to a variety of professionals, ranging from business and government leaders to grant writers and journalists.

The group filed the suit Monday in a federal court in Florence.

ACLU South Carolina executive director Victoria Middleton said students at New Heights Middle School in Jefferson were pressured to attend the rally, which featured Christian rapper B-Shoc and youth evangelist Christian Chapman.

“Students who did not want to attend the rally during school hours were told that they could go to the detention room,” Middleton said. “Or they were pressured to participate. Our view is that, in public schools, it’s not the role of educators to force children to worship one way or another.”

The organization filed a Freedom of Information request in September, looking for more information about the district’s policies on prayer during its assemblies. The request came after the ACLU said it learned some parents were upset about the New Heights assembly. The suit was filed on behalf of Jonathan Anderson and his son who attends the school. Both are atheists.

The ACLU also posted a video by B-Shoc, whose birth name is Bryan Edmonds. In the video, Edmonds says of the rally, “Because of this, people in public schools are going to get to know who Jesus Christ is.”

The ACLU named as defendants New Heights’s principal Larry Stinson, the Chesterfield County School District, the district superintendent John Williams, and the school board. The ACLU said it is concerned that the assembly is not a one-time incident, especially when it learned B-Shoc would be working assemblies for three other schools in the district.

School district officials said they had not yet read the lawsuit.

The video also included Chapman speaking to parents at the school about the rally. He implied Stinson was well aware that educators expected backlash for the event.

“I said, ‘How’re you getting away with this?’ And he said, ‘I’m not,’” Chapman tells the parents in the video, “He (Stinson) said, ‘I’m tired of being a hypocrite and I’m tired of playing the game… I want these kids to know that the eternal life is real. And I don’t care what happens to me, they’re going to hear it today.’”

Middleton said the video shows that New Heights’s principal purposely invited a youth minister to speak, knowing that it would violate district rules.

“The principal and the staff were aware that they were encouraging kids to take this particular path,” Middleton said. “Young people are vulnerable, but they have constitutional rights to believe as they choose.”

The SmartState program, formerly known as the SC Centers of Economic Excellence,  is hosting a national conference, hoping to inform state leaders about the program and to attract the interest of additional venture capitalists and angel investors.

This evening, Saul Singer, New York Times best-selling co-author of  Start-up Nation, addresses the group about the successes of the nation of Israel in launching companies.

Before the conference, South Carolina Radio Network’s Ashley Byrd spoke with Arick Bjorn with the SmartState program and the SC Commission on Higher Education, and with Dr. Tom Kurfess, the SmartState endowed chair at CU-ICAR. 

AUDIO: Bjorn, Kurfess on SmartState (7:00)

Gunther van Hagens (L) and Angelina Whalley

Body Worlds Vital was created by German anatomist Gunther van Hagens and his wife,  Angelina Whalley and features real human bodies and organs that were preserved with a process called plastination, which was invented by van Hagens.

It is a patented science that preserves the human body perfectly and indefinitely. Whalley came to Columbia for the launch of the exhibit and spoke with South Carolina Radio Network.

AUDIO: Whalley, a physician, explains the plastination method.

People, mainly Europeans, donated their bodies to the van Hagens’s exhibits, which are used to train students and educate the general public.

Body Worlds Vitalserves as a way to see and study healthy– and unhealthy– parts of the body. All layers of the human anatomy are revealed.  Being the designer and manager of this exhibit,  allows Whalley to do preventative medicine, she says. “To teach millions of people how wonderfully our body is made. How vulnerable and yet forgiving it is. When I see visitors inside our exhibition, how respectful and in awe when they are standing in front of the exhibits and realize ‘that is actually me that I am looking at.’”

For example, there are  lungs of a long-term smoker which are charred black. One specimen shows the three-dimensional, intricate netting of the structure of the arteries surrounding the brain.

AUDIO: Whalley explains the preservation of the skull’s arteries.

The Body Worlds exhibit that opened last week runs through April 13, 2012 in Columbia is expected to draw thousands of visitors. Previous versions have now been seen by more than 33 million people around the world. The museum allows entry every 15 minutes and the tickets are sold extra to museum entry price.