Facing severe budgetary shortfalls and a state economy that could see a 14% unemployment rate in 2009, Governor Mark Sanford has proposed the closing of 3 regional campuses of the University of South Carolina in Union, Lancaster, and Allendale.
As expected, the proposal has been met with howls of protests from members of the Press, the academic community, and certain fiscally irresponsible politicians in Columbia.
Needless duplication of services in this relatively small state has plagued South Carolina's budget for years. ALL of the regional campuses of the University of South Carolina are no more than 2 hours from the main campus in Columbia. The ones that are being targeted for closing are even closer than that.
Why does this state need so many regional campuses when they are within relatively easy driving distance of the main campus?
That is the million dollar question that has never been answered.
For example, the largest of USC's regional campuses, USC-Upstate, located in Spartanburg, is within a 30 minute drive from Union. The Columbia campus is within a 1-hour drive from Union. So tell me again why Union needs a regional campus?
This kind of needless duplication of services wastes millions of dollars of taxpayers' money each year--money that our citizens cannot afford in hard economic times.
No doubt there will be yet another attempt by many to stop Governor Sanford's proposal to close the 3 campuses, but it is our opinion that those who do so are showing an alarming disregard for economic reality, not to mention efficiency.
And remember, even with the closing of the 3 campuses, the University will still have larger regional campuses to serve the areas of the state that are the farthest away from the main campus.
For more stimulating commentary on the news, current events, politics, the Bill of Rights, gun rights, and modern culture, visit my blog, updated daily, at The Liberty Sphere.
Comments
I say close them and watch the commensurate increase in collective IQ in the state of South Carolina.
Ha! There you are, SA...just in time to save the day. Good observation!
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