The governor of South Carolina announced a plan early last month to let some of the state’s 33 public colleges become private institutions.
The plan would let any public research or teaching university in South Carolina become a private, not-for-profit institution, free from state regulation. The state would transfer to any college that went private all buildings, real estate and other facilities on its campus. In addition to forgoing any direct appropriations from the state, the colleges would sign a permanent covenant agreeing always to charge South Carolina residents a lower tuition than other students.