H 4737

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 4737
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
Amended
May 13, 2026
H. 4737
Introduced
by Reps. McGinnis and Grant
S. Printed 5/13/26--H.
Read the first time January 13, 2026
________
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
59-101-35 SO AS TO CREATE A MANDATORY ORIENTATION TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NEW
MEMBERS OF THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING
IN THIS STATE, TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAM, AND TO PROVIDE
RELATED DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD SECRETARY OF EACH INSTITUTION.
    Amend Title To Conform
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1.  Article 1, Chapter 101, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:
    Section
59-101-35. (A) New members of the
board of trustees of each public institution of higher learning in this State
shall participate, at least once during their first year of membership, in a
board orientation program. The board orientation program must be designed to address
the role, duties, and responsibilities of the board of trustees.
    (B)
The president and board secretary of each institution, in consultation with
relevant staff and external stakeholders, shall develop the comprehensive
orientation and training program.
    (C)
The orientation program and training must include, but is not limited to:
       (1)
board members' duty to this State, with particular attention to their
respective applicable statutory and regulatory authority;
       (2)
governing board committee structure and functions including the duties of the
board's executive committee;
       (3)
professional accounting and reporting standards;
       (4)
methods for meeting the statutory, regulatory, and fiduciary obligations of the
board;
       (5)
the requirements of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act;
       (6)
ethical considerations arising from membership on a public body, including the
South Carolina Ethics Act;
       (7)
creating, approving, and implementing institution-wide rules, regulations, and
policies;
       (8)
fiduciary responsibility to the institution including, but not limited to,
business operations, administration, budgeting, financing, financial reporting,
and financial reserves, including a segment on endowment management;
       (9)
setting student tuition, mandatory fees, and other necessary charges, including
a review of student debt trends as well as inflation trends;
       (10)
workforce planning, strategy, and investment;
       (11)
institutional advancement through philanthropic giving, fundraising
initiatives, alumni programming, communications and media, government and
public relations, and community affairs;
       (12)
academic affairs, including faculty and staff welfare, academic programs,
academic space, and academic quality, as well as accreditation requirements of
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
(SAS-COC) and accreditation requirements of any other accreditors that may be
approved by the Department of Education;
       (13)
student welfare issues, including residence life, student governance and
activities, and the general physical and psychological well-being of all
students;
       (14)
athletics operations, strategies, and expenditures as well any conference or
athletic association membership guidance;
       (15)
current and future national and state issues in higher education;
       (16)
relations between the board and president of the institution, including the
policy-administration dichotomy;
       (17)
the development of and guidance provided by the strategic plan of the
institution; and
       (18)
any other topics that the president of the institution considers necessary or
appropriate.
    (D)
The orientation program and training must include at least eight hours of
education and instruction for the new board members. The training may be
completed in one block or broken up over the course of a fiscal year, provided
that a new trustee shall complete the full eight hours of training within the
first twelve months after his appointment to the board.
    (E)
The president of each institution shall report annually to the Chairman of the
Senate Education Committee and the Chairman of the House Education and Public
Works Committee the number of hours of training and development that each
member of his board of trustees received during the preceding fiscal year.
SECTION 2.  This act takes effect on July 1,
2026.
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This web page was last updated on May 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM