South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

The meeting addressed updates for the National Guard College Assistance Program regarding application statistics, financial projections, and enrollment for the Air and Army National Guard. Discussions covered technical challenges with the database portal, including upcoming maintenance, system errors, and manual application processing. The committee reviewed potential budget revisions for upcoming fiscal years, including strategies for increasing appropriation funding and updates on legislative provisos. Planning for future advisory board meetings and best practices workshops was also conducted.

The Commission received reports from various committees, including the Executive Committee, Academic Affairs and Licensing, Student Services, Finance and Administration, and Strategic Planning and Accountability. Key discussion topics included a presentation on the newly formed Commission for Public Higher Education and its accreditation efforts, approval of the 2026 meeting schedule, and consideration of new academic program proposals and residency regulations. The Commission also reviewed updates on the REACH Act report, strategic planning revisions, and various institutional and audit reports.

The board discussed potential adjustments to the SCNG CAP program, specifically concerning the proviso for changing lifetime and semester award amounts, and noted that no changes will be implemented until official written approval is received. The meeting also covered web portal enhancements, including new warning messages for duplicate applications and improved visibility for student award data. Performance reports for the 2024-2025 academic year were reviewed for both Air and Army National Guard, along with fiscal updates regarding appropriations and administrative costs. Additionally, the communication plan for the upcoming 2025-2026 application period was finalized, and enhancements for student application tracking were identified as a future need.

The board discussed several items related to the South Carolina National Guard College Assistance Program (SCNG CAP). Key topics included progress on the Connect 2.0 portal enhancement project, eligibility reports for the Air and Army National Guard, and a comprehensive budget update for the fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Members also planned a future best practices and refresher workshop for institutional representatives and reviewed proposed budget and proviso requests, including increasing award amounts and appropriations. Additionally, the group covered the timeline for the upcoming application period and the reporting schedule for the annual program report.

The meeting included updates on Military Credit for Prior Learning initiatives and institutional survey progress, with a final deadline extension for survey responses. A recap of regional breakout sessions provided a statewide synthesis of seven themes regarding institutional needs for clarity, consistency, tools, training, collaboration, staffing, and leadership support. The board discussed next steps following the in-person opening sessions and reviewed upcoming events, including conferences for military-connected learners.