Meeting Minutes 9/9/2026
September 9, 2026
Business and Education Building, Room 276
ACCHE Members Present: Teresa Haas, Sharon Marra, Chip Marvin, Joe Lewis
USCA Staff Present: Dan Heimmermann, Phil Bridgmon, Tory Kornreich, Ernest Pringle, Cam Reagin, Ahmed Samaha, and Nathan Rice.
ACCHE Members Not Present: Salley Rich, Debra Gantt, Jackie Busbee, Clarence Jackson, Corey Murphy, Lawana McKenzie
Chair Haas called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Because there was not a quorum, the previous meeting minutes and other motions could not be voted upon in person and were instead voted upon via email. (The 05-13-2026 meeting minutes were approved by email on 09-11-2026.)
Chair’s Report
Chair Haas opened by introducing the two Chancellor ambassadors who joined to observe the meeting, Makayla Shedrick and Cason Seymour.
Chair Haas stated that the Department of Energy (DOE)) is working to provide USCA with larger classroom space in the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC). Discussions have occurred between the AMC staff,DOE, USCA and the ACCHE Chair regarding interaction between SRNL staff and the students while they attend class in the AMC.
Chair Haas then shared proposed updates to the commission bylaws. The main priority is to restructure the committees. Chip Marvin added that language in Section 3 was consolidated for secretary and treasurer. Because there was not a quorum, the proposed changes to the bylaws were approved by email on 09-16-2026.
Executive Committee: No report.
Finance Committee Report
Chip Marvin opened by reported that nearly 5 million dollars is in the asset base. Funds are available for campus projects. Voting needs to occur to finalize the transfer of $100,000 county appropriation for operations and maintenance. Chair Haas and Chip Marvin noted that the commission will need a quorum for voting to be complete. Chair Haas indicated that the voting process would be conducted via email and that the committee’s recommendation is to transfer the
$100,000 to operations. The Commission approved the transfer of $100,000 county appropriations from the ACCHE to the university for operations and maintenance by email on 09-11-2026.
Buildings and Grounds
Brian Enter shared that the Cyber Center is in its final design stages with construction scheduled to begin first quarter 2027. The SAC roof repairs are complete, and the HVAC system at the Etherredge Center has been replaced. Additionally, the SCNG Readiness Center is scheduled for completion in the mid-summer of 2027. Enter then shared that the commission will be provided with drawings of the new Quad by the October 14 meeting date. Enter stated the intention is to finalize drawings by the end of November. Once the commission receives approval, the approval process takes about 3 months, so the likely months are March or April of 2027.
There will be several tours around campus to gain input from students, faculty, and staff.
Haas inquired if it costs $100,000 to maintain the quad. Enter clarified that due to the damaging root system, the cost has risen to approximately $30,000 in damages per quarter.
Planning & Gifts
Elwell shared that 2025 was the most successful year of fundraising within the past five years.
$2.55 million was raised in cash and commitments. Donor participation increased by 25% last year. The Endowment managed by the USC Educational Foundation performed well with an 18% growth investment. The total value as of the end of the fiscal year was $47.4 million, which is a 5.4 million dollar increase from the previous year. Additionally, Elwell noted that $1.4 million in scholarship support will be given away from the partnership board.
Elwell noted that the next fundraising event is the MANE Event which on 10-29-2026 will celebrate the accomplishments of USCA’s polo team. Marvin inquired about the cause of the increase in donor participation. Elwell stated that more academic units communicated with their donor base, and that there was also a campaign completed where lapsed donors were recaptured. Elwell shared that a large number of donors supported athletics. He also mentioned that younger and newer alumni were also captured this year.
Chancellor’s Report
Chancellor Heimmermann opened by thanking Teresa for her extensive support of USCA. He stated that the Cyber Integration Center (CIC) and AMC are both results of Teresa’s extensive endeavors. Her involvement in the economic impact study, the strategic 2030 plan, the RSOC development, and the QUAD revitalization committee have served to propel USCA into a new era. Recently, Teresa Haas also received the Order of the Palmetto from the Governor, which is the highest civilian honor that recognizes an individual’s extraordinary lifetime achievement. Chancelor Heimmermann then presented Chair Haas with an appreciation award, flowers, and a framed print of USCA.
Chancellor Heimmermann then highlighted points presented during the State of the University address. He mentioned that there has been a 10% increase in enrollment and a meteoric rise in the number of students served at USC Aiken. Heimmermann then shared that the State of the Union (SOTU) Address served to remind faculty and staff of the strategic pillars and to acknowledge and thank everyone for their contributions to making the achievements possible.
Regarding the legislative update, Heimmermann noted that USCA received $1 million in tuition mitigation. Additionally, USCA received 2.5 million dollars for deferred maintenance and $5 million for the Penland building renovation. Heimmermann also shared that Cam Reagin recently submitted the retail proposal to Columbia for the public/private partnership.
Heimmermann noted that there is great interest in the retail sector. There will also be efforts to provide new student housing. Chair Haas noted that more dorm space will increase enrollment opportunities. Heimmermann also shared that Dr. Bridgmon is leading the Quad revitalization committee, and shared that the IEWD committee is planning to meet again in October. Three groups are working on reports and projects, and the plan is to review these during this meeting. He highlighted how the AI synthesis of regional strategic plans is a project that will combine all local plans in AI. The product will be one document that helps guide the community into the top strategic priorities based on the strategic plans included.
During the first week of November, the community-based tabletop exercise will be held in the Tom Young building. This project is centered on building Aiken’s cyber resilience. The goal is to establish grid resiliency to assist the transportation sector, hospitals in the area, and other responders during a crisis. The final project is an energy resistance logistics coordinator project. This plan will be a more regional plan and will focus on maintaining roadways and cyber resiliency during a hurricane/cyber-attack. One of the strategic pillars is solving the region’s most pressing challenges, and USCA will lead collaborative solutions.
Additional Announcements
Chair Haas noted that the nominating committee report will occur via email. Chair Haas appointed the following members to a Nominating Committee: Tim Simmons (Chair), Debra Gantt, and Sallye Rich. The following slate of new Commission Officers was presented by the nominating committee for the 2026 – 2030 term:
Chair: Sharon Marra
Vice Chair: Teresa Haas
Secretary / Treasurer: Chip Marvin
The slate of officers was unanimously approved by email on 09-16-2026.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 pm.