Universities' research program debated; Lawmakers differ over whether lottery funds should pay for endowed chairs

While advocates say Education Lottery funds are being leveraged to bring top researchers into South Carolina, opponents argue that the state's endowed chairs program has become an untested theory that must be reined in.

The House gave the program, formally called the Centers of Economic Excellence, a boost last week when members voted 107-0 to extend its life.

The program uses lottery funds matched with federal money and private investments to lure top professors to South Carolina's three research universities: the Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

The money creates endowments, which are used to hire professors at the universities, which are encouraged to also partner with the College of Charleston or other in-state institutions.

When the Legislature first authorized the program, it capped what could be spent on it at $200 million through 2010. Legislation lifting the cap and the time line now go to the Senate for consideration.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, lead sponsor of the bill, said the program is one of the most important investments the state could make in its economic future.

Researchers hired through the program are now "doing research on everything from cancer to strokes to fuel cells to energy to replacing fossil fuels and many other things that will lead to high-paying jobs for South Carolinians," Harrell,

R-Charleston, said.

Despite the vote, the House faced its detractors, including Gov. Mark Sanford and some House Democrats.

Rep. Ken Kennedy, D-Greeleyville, was present for the vote but didn't cast one. He said he supported the lottery when it came before the state's voters in 2002 because he thought most of the money would go toward scholarships for college students.

"Maybe South Carolina needs an endowed chairs program," he said, "but that's not what I encouraged people to vote for."

Kennedy also said no comprehensive study has been done on how the money has been spent and whether the program is attracting more businesses and high-paying jobs to the state. The original legislation, however, requires an annual report to be completed.

"I want to know we aren't putting all this money down a dark hole," Kennedy said.

In a letter to legislators before the vote, Sanford questioned whether the program was fulfilling the intent of the initial legislation by bringing in enough private money.

After the vote, he stated that he also questioned the wisdom of creating an "open-ended and very significant financial obligation" at a time the state was struggling to meet its core needs.

Harrell said Sanford was off-base in his remarks about the program being open-ended.

"This money has to be approved every single year by the General Assembly. Any year the General Assembly chooses not to fund it, it wouldn't get any money," Harrell said.

John Raymond, provost at MUSC,

said the program has already done much for the university, students and the state.

"It's provided resources and prestige to bring in world-class scientists, teachers and more resources," he said. The university now can compete to hire the best scholars, he said.

The program also helps students, he said, citing as an example the work of endowed chair John Schaefer, who is setting up simulation laboratories so students in medical fields can practice procedures on mannequins before working with people.

Paula Harper-Bethea, chair of the Centers of Economic Excellence Review Board, said the program has been very responsible with money so far. Committee members review each step of the process for each center, she said. And the overall program is audited at the end of every year.

Next year, the board will conduct a comprehensive study of the program, she said. The centers already have many success stories, she said, but the program is still young and hasn't had a chance to make a huge impact.

"This is not a sprint for the state, it's a journey," she said. "You're not going to see massive results in a short period of time."

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com

Centers of Economic Excellence at MUSCTotal amount of South Carolina Education Lottery funds proposed and name of chair if already hired:

Neuroscience

$3 million

--Gary Aston-Jones

--Miguel Pappolla

Regenerative

Medicine 1

$5 million

--Richard Swaja

Cancer Drug

Discovery 2

$5 million

--John Lemasters

--Kenneth Tew

Marine Genomics 3

$4 million

Translational

Cancer

Therapeutics 2

$5 million

Stroke 2

$5 million

--Robert Adams

Proteomics

$4 million

Gastrointestinal Cancer Diagnostics

$5 million

Vision Science 2

$4.5 million

Molecular Proteomics in Cardiovascular Disease and Prevention

$5 million

Tobacco-Related Malignancy

Research

$5 million

Clinical

Effectiveness and Patient Safety 1

$5 million

Health Care Quality

Iain Sanderson

1 MUSC is working in collaboration with USC and Clemson.

2 MUSC is working in collaboration with USC.

3 MUSC is working in collaboration with the College of Charleston.