A bill sponsored by state Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman, that would reshape how South Carolina State University’s board is selected has made it through the Senate.

However, the bill might have a more difficult time clearing the House.

The House Higher Education subcommittee adjourned debate on the bill last week, leaving the future of the legislation in limbo. No further discussion has been scheduled, according to state Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, who serves on the subcommittee.

“Very little was said about the bill,” said state Rep. B.R. Skelton, R-Pickens, who chairs the subcommittee.

Govan, an S.C. State alumnus, said he disagrees with the legislation not being discussed thoroughly.

The bill calls for three trustees, who must be graduates of the university, to be selected by the S.C. State National Alumni Association and nine trustees to be selected by the General Assembly. The governor would appoint the final trustee to round out the 13-member board.

Currently, 12 trustees are selected by the General Assembly and one is selected by the governor.

Subcommittee member state Rep. Eric Bedingfield, R-Greenville, said he is not opposed to the general idea of the bill. However, he fails to see the rush in getting it passed because the bill will not impact anything this year, including the S.C. State trustee races scheduled for this week.

“There’s no immediate rush on it,” Matthews said.

Bedinfield also had questions about the bill:

* The reason for the legislation.

* Whether it enhances student welfare at the university.

* Whether to spell out the process that the SCSUNAA would use in electing trustees.

* Who supports the legislation outside of the alumni?

Matthews, an S.C. State alumnus, said the bill has a good chance of passing, although he admits that may not happen until next year’s session.

He noted it is modeled after the way Winthrop University selects its trustees.

If passed, the legislation will allow the SCSUNAA to select seats 8, 9 and 12 on the board after the current terms for those sitting in those seats expire.

Those seats are now held by Dr. Shirley Martin, Earl Bridges and Sky Foster, respectively.

“It’s not designed to replace anybody,” said Matthews of the bill.

Matthews said he wants to make the change to “bring the university family back together ... so we can stop worrying about institutional politics and start worrying about institutional growth, or what I call institutional needs.”

The House Higher Education subcommittee is the same body that rejected similar legislation from Govan, D-Orangeburg, in March.

Govan’s bill would have removed the entire board by July 1. The bill also called for the SCSUNAA and General Assembly to elect six trustees each.

In February, Govan and S.C. State Board Chairman Maurice Washington had a heated argument over the bill during a subcommittee hearing.

Washington viewed the bill as retaliation for the board’s dismissal of former President Andrew Hugine. Govan said he introduced the bill to give the university’s stakeholders more say in who runs the institution.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-534-1060.

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