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They understand, I understand, you understand that when they come, they are not the persons you want them to be. They come with the rough edges and we try to hone them into becoming productive adults.
Q. Thank you very much.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other questions?
REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT: Thank you.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT:
Q. The same question as it relates to funding -
THE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Inabinett.
Q. - in light of proposed decreases?
A. I think I understand your question. I have to take the outsider's view, but I would explore all the - and come up with some creative solutions to this pressing problem, individual funding, corporate funding. The list is - the list is unknown. We haven't been very successful because we have not explored these avenues on a continuous basis over the years, so I would be a part of that group of people who would want to explore the avenues to see how far we can go because how far we can go to complement the state dollars.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other questions? Senator Glover.
SENATOR GLOVER: Thank you.

First, I'm a loyal alumni, the second - second part of your question. Since graduating from State, I've maintained an active association with the school through the years. I'm a dues paying, working member of the National Alumni Association and I've attended all of the national conventions and currently serve as a founding member of the Palmetto Classic Committee and the standing committee of the class of 1963 - 53, which has a record of giving more money to the educational endowment than any class in South Carolina State's history.

My local, regional and national supporters understand and accept my condition to seek the seat as a worthy candidate whose agenda is to seek the optimum for higher education in South Carolina in general and South Carolina State University in particular.
Q. Thank you.
MR. ALLEN: Mr. Inabinett, may I address your prior question about the guns?
REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT: Thank you.
MR. ALLEN: That is a - that is a situation I hope does not come to pass. I cannot visualize our society as a place where - wherever people went everybody was armed. I'm just not comfortable with that, and I would hope the wisdom of the legislature, of the state legislature would prevail upon all of us to such a degree that we - we would get a wave of - just don't allow it happen. I think all of us would be quite uncomfortable if that happened on any campus. I for one would be.
REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT: Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Thank you, sir. Next we go to Seat 6, Edwin Givens. Mr. Givens, raise your left hand, please. Might the record show that his right arm is apparently broken and in a sling.
EDWIN GIVENS, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:

Now, on another note, South Carolina State's mission is to create successful citizens in their chosen careers and through their chosen aspirations and to contribute to the dynamics of society and the community is a very important mission for South Carolina State, and I feel that this is more important than a student actually graduating in four years. Creating a productive citizen who can come out and contribute to society instead of take away from society, I think is very important.

But I - on the other hand, graduating in four years and as fast as possible is a mission that I would definitely take on.
Q. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Senator Giese.

So I would not be in favor of a first year freshman being made to work. I think they need to get really familiar with the new academic setting and the different environment that they're in.
Q. I think without question the fact that some youngsters spend too much time working. I spent 40 years in higher education and the single greatest reason why I found children flunk or students flunking out was that they had spent too much time working and not enough time on their academics. So I guess that's a delicate balance that they have to realize that they're there to get an education and work themselves out of school by some outside job is really economy.
A. Right.
THE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Inabinett.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT:
Q. Yes. I'm really enthused over the idea of a tutorial work study program. I had not heard that addressed. How would you address funding for the institution?
A. Well, funding is an area that we have to handle with - with precision. I understand 1993-94 fiscal budget that was that - was handed down from the General Assembly was about $18,640,000 and in 1994-95 that was decreased about $324,000. And this year, I understand that there's probably going to be about a two and a half percent decrease also.

I feel that South Carolina State has opened doors to me and given me the opportunity to be successful in life and to become a layer, and I would just like to give back some to South Carolina State what was given to me. I would like to share back some of the experiences that I've had and some of the goals I've been able to achieve by serving on the Board of Trustees. I can't think of any other position that I hold that I would feel more comfortable with and more enthused with as far as South Carolina State than to contribute back to the university's Board of Trustees.

As far as affirmative action at South Carolina State, South Carolina State was started back 1896 I believe as a land grant institution primarily to serve African-American citizens of South Carolina, when it was known as South Carolina Agriculture and Mechanical College at that point. Since then South Carolina State has grown to be multicultural. They've grown to be somewhat diverse. The education programs are set up, I understand some doctoral programs were taken from the University of South Carolina

Hampton has a slot with 3,000 freshmen. Hampton recruit 9,000 freshmen and they get the best 300 - or best 3,000 from that 9,000 and because of that, 93 percent of Hampton's students graduate. And I would recommend that we follow this same trend. The top students are out there and students who are concerned are out there. We must go out and get those students.

Too often sometimes our department heads just let the student go through and time to graduate, you know, I need some more hours or I failed a course. I think we should stay in touch with our graduates.
Q. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other questions.
REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT: Yes. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Representative Inabinett.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE INABINETT:
Q. Doctor Wilson, can you tell us since you've been on the Board of Trustees for a year or two your involvement as it relates to funding for the institution and what you would do in the future as it relates to proposed cuts in higher education?
A. I thank you, Mr. Inabinett. In regard to cuts, we may not have too much control over that. What I'm going to do, I'm going to compensate for those cuts. Now, here where the problem comes in, where are you going to get the funds from? I happen to be a professional fund raiser.

I raised funds for a college, a private college for 12 years, and the budget had to come from what I do. I have experience in that. I've done that. I've knocked on foundation doors. I've knocked on corporation doors. And those doors are still open, but I have no college to go there for since I retired.

I sat in Senator Thurmond's office with a proposal and received grants for 75 and 80 and a hundred thousand dollars because we have a mission, and this mission was sold. We have a good product. When you have a good product, you got to sell your good product to someone who is going to back that product and I - this is one of the recommendation, you know, I would suggest.

I also would like to be the first person to start a board members check writing contest. You see, if I'm going to sit on a board, you know, I'm going to put mine on the table first, and then I can say, "Members, let's join the force."

The national alumni contributed $63,000 in 1986 to the college for more scholarships. Doctor Samuel Struman (ph) endowed a $6,000 scholarship for the college. All came through my efforts of fund raising. And what I would like to do is continue this.
Q. Thank you.
A. And I have a contact there.
Q. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Mr. Littlejohn.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE LITTLEJOHN:
Q. Doctor Wilson, you mentioned you'd like to go after the top students and maybe raise the standards. Do you realize that would eliminate 15, 20 percent of your students? Would you really be willing to do that?
A. That would be a part of the program.
Q. Sir?
A. That would be part of the program. See, first you try to get the top. You get the top qualified students. Now, we know that there are other students who are coming out. If you have those students, then how are you going to deal with that? Then we work with those students, where you find them, we work with them through the department heads. We work with those students through tutoring programs or find out where their weakness are, and then we address those concerns.

All students may have a different reason why they drop out or fall back.
Q. But if you go after the top students and raise the standard, you're just going to eliminate three, four, five hundred students. What are you - would you really be willing to do that and to put them into the vocational school, maybe where they need to go anyway? Would you really be willing to do that?
A. This would be what we call an initiation progress - process. We start this process. In other words, we take the students from both areas, but we work toward getting our top caliber students. Not that we're going to turn all the other students down.
Q. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Any other questions?

Reason number two, in my experience of fund raising, I'd like to rechallenge this fund raising idea back to the college, and being a philanthropist, I'd like to give some scholarships and open some new doors and some new funding program to the college.

And number three, one of my primary volunteer jobs is recruiting. I go all over the Pee Dee area high schools and I say, "Give me the list of your top 20 or 25 students." I send those name and addresses down to Miss Freed to the admissions office. Ninety percent of those students are being accepted, and I want to continue doing this.

Now, if I was on the board, I could work with board members and with the alumni to continue recruiting top students. And those are three reasons why I like to serve on the board.
Q. Thank you.
A. Now, as far as affirmative action being on South Carolina State College for about six years, I've only seen fairness. They practice fairness. Everybody has the same opportunity, the same chance, and I think we have a very good, diversified administration, faculty and staff and students there.

However, listening to the questions from one of the senators concerning how would you attract white students to come to the university, you may have to set up some kind of special program, offer more scholarships, let

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