March 6, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               

Students Participate In SCICU Letter Campaign
Annual Campaign Provides Opportunity for Students To Thank Legislators

SPARTANBURG, SC –  More than 200 Spartanburg Methodist College students recently participated in an annual letter writing campaign thanking state legislators for their continued support of the South Carolina Tuition Grants (SCTG) program.

The letter writing campaign is a statewide efforts, sponsored by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. SCICU is made up of the state's 20 private colleges and universities.

"This gives our students an opportunity to thank the state legislators for their support of higher education in South Carolina.  Since the SCTG is just for the private colleges in SC, it is especially important to recognize the program since it helps fund costs at a private school,” says Carolyn Sparks, assistant dean of financial aid at Spartanburg Methodist College.

Of the 447 SMC students currently receiving tuition grant funds, 46 percent wrote letters of appreciation to their individual state senators and representatives. In 2006, Spartanburg Methodist College had the highest percentage of letters written to state legislators than any other SCICU member institutions.

Only South Carolina residents attending a SCICU member institution are eligible for state tuition grants. Approximately 93 percent of Spartanburg Methodist College’s student body are South Carolina residents.

SMC tuition grant recipients have received a total of $671,524 for the Spring 2007 semester. The annual maximum award per student is $3,100. Spartanburg Methodist College’s recently approved tuition for the 2007 – 2008 academic year is $10,850.

“Tuition grants allow our in-state students to offset approximately 29 percent of their tuition. Because of South Carolina tuition grants, many of our students are provided an academic opportunity that they might not have otherwise. It is very important that we recognize the role our legislators play in higher education – and coming from the students themselves, those words of appreciation really mean a great deal,” says Sparks.

SCICU’s member institutions award 26 percent of the State’s four-year degrees. This translates into more than 32,500 students annually, of whom approximately 75 percent are from South Carolina.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.  

For more information contact Carolyn Sparks, assistant dean of financial aid, at (864) 587-4298.

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