On The Move
CoEE Endowed Chairs Form “Brain Trust” to Help Steer S.C. Economy Toward Advanced Technology, High-Paying Jobs
Nov 19, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC - November 19, 2009 - As South Carolina celebrated the news that Boeing will soon establish a major presence in the Charleston area, some of the world’s brightest minds came together in Columbia to form a new organization with a mission of attracting even more world-class companies to the state—not to mention increasing research-based start-up companies and creating more high-paying jobs in South Carolina.
The renowned scientists and engineers who have been recruited to South Carolina through the Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program form the membership of this new organization, called the CoEE Council of Chairs. In addition to their work at the state’s research universities (University of South Carolina (USC), the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and Clemson University), these scientists, known as CoEE Endowed Chairs, will lend their talents to the Council. There are currently 22 council members, and that number will grow as more scientists are recruited to the state fill CoEE Endowed Chair positions.
Through the CoEE Council of Chairs, the Endowed Chairs will serve as a “brain trust,” providing advice and leadership for the state on matters related to science and technology. Growing South Carolina’s science base will increase the state’s ability to create high-paying jobs. The Council will also work to help guide the overall progress of the CoEE Program and ensure that it is achieving its mission of increasing high-tech research and development and industry in the state.
“We have created the Council of Chairs to take advantage of the intelligence, experience, creativity and vision that the CoEE Endowed Chairs have brought to South Carolina,” says Paula Harper Bethea, chair of the CoEE Review Board, the state board which provides general oversight for the program. “We are putting those talents to use to help reshape our economy to one partially based on scientific achievement and knowledge creation, so that we can increase opportunities for our citizens and better compete in the global economy.”
The Council of Chairs has already held its first meeting, and the CoEE Review Board approved the Council Charter at its November 2009 meeting.
Dr. Richard Swaja, CoEE Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at MUSC, was elected chair of the Council at the meeting. Dr. Thomas Kurfess, BMW Endowed Chair in Manufacturing at Clemson, was elected vice-chair.
The 22 CoEE Endowed Chairs “represent expertise in a broad range of scientific disciplines and applications and will provide valuable perspectives for developing and strengthening the state’s science base, economy, quality of life and national visibility,” says Swaja.
“It’s very gratifying to realize how much we can be an asset to the state—how we can have an effect on South Carolina’s future economic success,” says Kurfess. “It’s exciting.”
For more information about the CoEE Program, visit www.sccoee.org.
About the CoEE Program
The CoEE Program was created by the South Carolina legislature in 2002 and is funded through South Carolina Education Lottery proceeds. The legislation authorizes the state's three public research institutions, Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, to use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in research areas that will advance South Carolina's economy. Each Center of Economic Excellence is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in state funds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state investment. To date, 46 Centers of Economic Excellence have been created and 22 CoEE Endowed Chairs have been appointed to lead the centers. The CoEE Program has resulted in more than a quarter billion dollars of non-state investment in the South Carolina economy and is responsible for the creation of 3,200 jobs. For more information, visit www.sccoee.org.
