COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The University of South Carolina plans to offer students with two-year degrees the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree through online courses, as it seeks to better residents' access to higher education.
President Harris Pastides asked a House panel Wednesday for $5 million to launch South Carolina Palmetto College, which involves consolidating the administrations of the university's four regional campuses, and offering its graduates a chance to earn a four-year degree without relocating.
Graduates of other two-year programs could also participate, he said.
It's designed for adults who "don't have the ability to move, to relocate to a four-year college because they're economy-bound, home-bound, place-bound. They may have families, children or part-time jobs but need a four-year degree," Pastides said.
Fewer than one in four adults in South Carolina hold at least a bachelor's degree, according to Census results.
Access must be better to increase wages and help the state's economy, but adding classroom space at satellite campuses to accomplish that is simply impossible, Pastides said.
"This will provide a four-year path without hiring new faculty or building new buildings," he said.
USC's four two-year satellite campuses are in Lancaster, Sumter, and Union; USC-Salkehatchie has branches in Allendale and Walterboro. Degrees in the Palmetto College program would be offered through USC's four-year campuses in Aiken, Spartanburg, Beaufort and the main Columbia campus.
The online program would not offer all of the degrees as USC's four-year campuses, but they would match available jobs in those regions, such as criminal justice, nursing, and hospitality and tourism, Pastides said.
USC's board is expected to discuss the concept at its February meeting. Final approval may depend on funding.
With the board's and Legislature's blessings, the reorganization would transform the system from eight distinct universities into five universities with eight campuses. The potential cost savings is yet to be determined, Pastides said.
While some courses would be offered in the fall, the full rollout of Palmetto College is planned for fall 2013, provided that USC receives the additional $5 million in the state's 2012-13 budget, Pastides said.
Tuition costs for the online degree are not yet set.
Legislators on the House Ways and Means panel that writes the budget for colleges praised the concept as simultaneously increasing educational opportunities and efficiencies.
Former Gov. Mark Sanford repeatedly called for closing some two-year USC campuses to save money, but communities and legislators balked, saying many students would be unable to earn a degree without the small, rural campuses.
Pastides also asked for $5 million in one-time money to update and expand equipment in research labs to support economic development efforts in areas such as nuclear energy and aerospace.
He asked for $10 million to help renovate USC's law school building and $20 million for deferred maintenance around the USC system. That includes $1.5 million each for Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort; $200,000 for Lancaster; $125,000 each for Salkehatchie and Sumter; and $50,000 for Union.
The system has $300 million worth of maintenance needs on academic buildings, for basics such as leaky roofs, windows and floors, Pastides said.
USC is not alone in having a long list of neglected maintenance needs. Every public college that's come before the panel has requested one-time money to chip away at huge backlogs.
"We have a serious conflict between politics and economics. Deferred maintenance is like kicking the can down the road," said Rep. B.R. Skelton, R-Six Mile, a retired Clemson economics professor. "This has to become a priority."
Pastides said the university is reforming its curriculum, canceling programs such as an Italian major that are no longer tenable, and starting new programs only directly related to job prospects in the state. That includes three new degree programs in aerospace related to Boeing, which opened a second plant in North Charleston last summer.
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