McConnell: Investing in colleges is investing in South Carolina’s future

Higher education is critical to South Carolina, and I want to commend The State for taking that topic head on in its thorough assessment of Gov. Nikki Haley’s sixth State of the State address (“A few corrections on the State of the State,” Wednesday). While there was much to admire in Gov. Haley’s speech, especially regarding her support of K-12 education and her words of comfort to Charleston’s Mother Emanuel congregation and the state’s flood victims, the governor is off base in calling our public college and university system “bloated.”

I invite the governor to take a tour of the four-year comprehensive colleges and targeted research universities, like the College of Charleston, before making such a misinformed assertion about “bloat,” especially in terms of our state’s facilities needs. I think she would come away with a much different impression after seeing firsthand how many of the state’s institutions are making do with outdated, inadequate buildings. And she would certainly have a much different opinion if she saw the deferred maintenance lists that each institution juggles and struggles with.

In her speech, Gov. Haley said higher education does not “represent our greatest need” and then painted a one-sided picture of Wall Street-like excess: “high-rise dorms, sparkling new graduate centers and world-class administrative buildings.”

That is not the reality I see. At the College of Charleston, our facilities needs are not outrageous or lavish. We have structures that are centuries old and require constant upkeep. We have several classroom buildings that were intended for a much smaller student body and are deteriorating more quickly because of greater use. And we need help in repurposing several academic buildings in order for us to provide the best student experience possible. We’re not trying to be the darling of developers; rather, we are the champions of practicality and reuse. That’s not extravagance; that’s simply pragmatic.

The College of Charleston does not have a traditional college campus; ours is woven into the historic neighborhoods of the Charleston peninsula. Of our roughly 150 buildings, 85 are more than 100 years old and several are more than 200 years old. Without a doubt, we are the largest historic preservationist in Charleston. And that’s saying something when you consider that Charleston is internationally renowned for preserving and protecting its history and buildings. These structures require considerable maintenance, some of which is regulated by the Board of Architectural Review because we are located in Charleston’s Historic District.

Unfortunately, Gov. Haley’s argument makes it sound like an either-or scenario: Either we invest in higher education, or we invest in K-12. I, like many university presidents, disagree with that notion: We must invest in both. And we can invest in both through a bond bill. We, as a state, have the capacity to do this without great financial sacrifice.

I do agree with Gov. Haley that the state’s universities and colleges cannot simply pass on the expense of upkeep to the parents and students through tuition and fees. The maintenance of our state’s buildings is the responsibility of our state government. In fact, it is a vital part of its public mission. A bond bill helps address that need, and does it in a fiscally responsible way.

Whether we want to admit it or not, we are in an intellectual arms race. Georgia and North Carolina are investing more heavily in their education systems because they see how that investment not only attracts industry, but keeps industry and ultimately supports the quality of life for all of their citizens. By acting now on a bond bill — when it makes the most economic sense — we avoid a brain drain and instead create a sustainable brain gain for our state.

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 2:17 PM with the headline "McConnell: Investing in colleges is investing in South Carolina’s future."