Business, education focus of summit
South Carolina’s graduation rate is too low, hurting the state’s ability to recruit new businesses.
Too few women hold leadership positions and seats in the General Assembly.
And long-lasting divisions between the races, those living in urban and rural parts of the state and people of varying political ideologies prevent inclusive discussions on tackling South Carolina’s big problems.
Tuesday, about 750 of South Carolina’s lawmakers, educators, judges, business owners and others from around the state and of varying political stripes gathered in Columbia to discuss these and the state’s other daunting challenges.
The 2010 Liberty Fellowship Summit, held at the Columbia Metropolitian Convention Center, was the first of its kind. Its organizers are hoping the event will lead to spinoff groups amongst the state’s movers and shakers to help improve schools, encourage economic development and enhance public policy.
“It’s getting people together to discuss how to make this state a better place for all of us,” said Hayne Hipp, founder of the Liberty Fellowship program. Since 2003, the program has provided privately-funded, two-year fellowships for the state’s up-and-coming civic leaders.
Now, the fellowship program is expanding, hoping to get more South Carolinians in on the discussions of how to tackle the state’s dilemmas.
Tuesday’s summit was the first step.
In coming months, those who attended the summit and any other South Carolinians can join the discussion in a series of webinars on Liberty’s website, libertyfellowshipssc.org. Background information on the issues will also be on the site.
“They’ll be three things we disagree on but they’ll be two that we agree on,” Hipp said. “Things that we can build on to improve this state for all of us.”
Tuesday, participants broke into small groups to discuss gender equality, racial unity, government structure, impoverished schools and other S.C. issues.
“I can’t help but think we could solve any problem in the state with the brain power in this room,” said incoming U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, who represents the Greenville- and Spartanburg-based 4th Congressional District.
Gowdy, a 2004 fellow, said his two-year fellowship taught him valuable lessons and he’s looking forward to seeing more South Carolinians join the discussion.
“You really learn new ways to think critically,” he said. “You learn how to have contrasts and still be civil. We need more of that in this state.”
Civic activist Sam Tenenbaum, who also attended Tuesday’s event, said he’s interested in discussions on how to create a more educated workforce, developing niche markets for the state’s natural resources including agricultural products and finding new ways for the state to toot its own horn.
“We have done some good stuff in South Carolina in recent years,” Tenenbaum said, referring to the Midlands’ hospitals including Palmetto Health where he serves as the hospital foundation’s president. “We have world-class hospitals but we just don’t talk about them. We spend most of our time talking about what’s wrong with this state. That needs to change.”
