Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

www.dailygamecock.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2003 ' VoliZ£°,£ _ _^—_ _ • < USC to launch exchange program BY JULIE LEDBETTER THE GAMECOCK USC and South Carolina State University are preparing to start an exchange program in Fall 2004 for the universities’ nuclear engi neering faculty and students. USC President Andrew Sorensen and S.C. State President Andrew Hugine signed an agree ment Nov. 24 at the McCutchen House on the Horseshoe. As part of this new agreement, USC will send faculty to S.C. State’s Orangeburg campus to teach undergraduate students. S.C. State will send three faculty members to USC as well as stu dents who will study in the mas V and doctoral programs in nu ^ear engineering. Two years ago, USC started preparing a graduate and doctor ate program in nuclear engineer ing that began this year. USC has 22 students enrolled in these pro grams, which are offered within the mechanical engineering de partment. About the same time, S.C. State was starting an undergraduate program in nuclear engineering; now, 12 students are enrolled. James Anderson, head of S.C. State’s engineering program, said the school plans to add five stu dents per year to the program. Both schools started the pro grams this fall after getting ap proval from the S.C. Commission on Higher Education earlier this year. USC and S.C. State are the only two South Carolina schools offering nuclear engineering pro grams. USC and S.C. State leaders say this program will benefit both schools, South Carolina and nu clear engineering altogether. “This is indeed a significant day, not only for the University of South Carolina, but also for South Carolina State University and the nuclear power industry not only in this state but throughout the na tion,” Sorensen said. Sorensen said there is a short age of minorities in all engineer ing fields, especially in nuclear en gineering. This agreement, he said, will help remedy the deficit and make the most of the schools’ resources. “Ensuring that minority stu dents have access to the University of South Carolina’s programs is an institutional pri ority,” Sorensen said. Hugine said students from both schools will benefit from this ex change. “Students will benefit and have the opportunity for a com plete education in nuclear engi neering beginning at the bac calaureate level and all the way through the doctoral level,” Hugine said. “This collaboration builds on the resources and academic strengths of our universities to ed ucate a new generation of nuclear engineers,” he added. “The ex change of faculty will ensure that students at USC and S.C. State are taught by some of the best teach ers in this field.” The agreement will benefit the nuclear-engineering industry in many ways. There is a growing need for nuclear engineers throughout the nation and in South Carolina as well. More than half of South Carolina’s elec tric power comes from nuclear power. Eleven power plants in South Carolina provide more than 10 percent of the nuclear electricity generated throughout the nation. Abdel Bayoumi, chairman of the mechanical engineering pro gram, said South Carolina needs qualified engineers. “Nuclear engineering, espe cially nuclear electric power gen erations, is experiencing a re birth,” says Bayoumi. “Our goal is to educate engineers who will be able to develop and manage the resurgent nuclear industry in research, design and opera tion.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Conference to forecast S.C. economy BY JON TURNER THE (iAMECOCK ^USC’s 23rd annual Economic uutlook Conference will take place today at the Adam’s Mark Hotel and will incorporate view points from local and national eco nomic leaders. The most widely anticipated speaker at the conference is Harvard professor Michael Porter. The conference also will include a panel on economic development that will feature New York fi nancier and USC graduate Darla Moore; S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bob Faith; and Don Herriott, president of Roche Carolina Inc. and chairman of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce Board ofDirectors. •Porter, the keynote speaker, is isidered by some to be the coun try’s leading authority on eco nomic competitiveness. He will present his long-term strategic plan for South Carolina’s contin ued economic growth, “Building fhe Competitive Advantage of South Carolina: Toward a Shared Economic Vision.” His presenta tion was commissioned by the Palmetto Institute, the S.C. Department of Commerce, the Palmetto Business Forum and the state Chamber of Commerce. The conference will open with a presentation by the economists of the Moore School of Business. The panel discussion will follow, and Porter will then give his presen tation. Although the conference and luncheon are open to the public, the $75 registration ended Saturday. Among the notable guests at the event will be Marilyn Edelhoch, di rector of the S.C. Department of Social Services; Pat Mason, co founder of the Center for Carolina Living; and Fred Monk, president of the S.C. Export Consortium. In a pamphlet released by the university, Mason predicted that the program would be entertain ing as well as informative. “For years this event has been well pre sented and insightful,” he said, “And there’s always a good dose of humor thrown in by the panel experts as they field economic questions from the gallery.” “With Harvard’s Porter pre senting this year, it will be on my calendar circled in red,” he said. Porter is the author of 16 books and over 85 articles, and he holds eight honorary doctorates. His presentation on the subject of South Carolina’s economic com petitiveness will help shape poli cy decisions for the coming year. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com ^jhristmas in Columbia PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD THE GAM ECO-OK A Christmas tree decorates the front of the State House. Ex-president gets literary PHCJtO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Former President Jimmy Carter autographed copies of his boohs at the Richland County Library on Nov. 24. Many people showed up to get his autograph and to take a picture of the former president signing books. Holiday events fill Bush’s agenda BY JENNIFER LOVEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - President Bush is squeezing fund-raising events and traditional holiday celebrations in between a flurry of year-end bill signings this week. Bush returned to the White House on Sunday after spending the past week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and elsewhere, including Thanksgiving with American soldiers at Baghdad Airport in Iraq. After a quiet weekend on the ranch, both the president and first lady Laura Bush have busy weeks. First, the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons get under way, a time of dozens of formal receptions at the White House — and traditional holiday appear ances. On Monday, first lady Laura Bush was opening the season by receiving the official White House Christmas tree, an 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir from Wisconsin. It was arriving at the North Portico in a horse-drawn wagon and was to be carried to the executive man sion’s Blue Room. She is to preview holiday dec orations throughout the White House’s public rooms on Thursday. That evening, the Bushes light the national Christmas tree on the Ellipse south of the White House during an outdoor variety show that be gins the monthlong “Pageant of Peace” on the National Mall. With those holiday obligations and more about to crimp Bush’s travel schedule for the rest of the month, he also will step up his fund raising for his re-eiection. Scheduled for the week are four sessions with wealthy Republican donors in as many states. On Monday, Bush was heading to Michigan for a fund-raising lunch in Dearborn, followed by an evening reception in Whippany, N.J. The week’s oth er fund-raisers are Tuesday in Pittsburgh and Friday in Baltimore. The Dearborn and Baltimore events are paired with official ap pearances by the president to talk about the economy, which White House political advisers hope will help ensure Bush’s re-election. As for bill signings, the presi dent on Tuesday is to sign legis lation that extends a program giv ing federal bonuses to states that increase the number of adoptions from foster care. On Wednesday, a motorcade takes the president a few blocks to the Agriculture Department where he will sign a bill to reduce the risk of fire in national forests. Though the bill resembles Bush’s “Healthy Forests Initiative” that he proposed in August 2002, the final version passed in Congress was a com promise that focuses much of the wildfire prevention effort on ar eas near houses and towns. Like Bush’s plan, the legisla tion will streamline approval for projects to facilitate thinning of overgrown forests. Critics call that a giveaway to the timber in dustry that will limit public par ticipation and put old-growth trees and remote forest areas at risk of logging. 77 U.S. soldiers died in November BY ROBERT BURNS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - November was the deadliest month yet for the American military in Iraq. Seventy-seven U.S. service men and women have died — compared with 73 in the previ ous two months combined. Including six Americans killed in Afghanistan, November was the most costly month for the military since February 1991, when 162 U.S. • troops were killed in the climax of the first Gulf War. Helicopter crashes on Nov. 2,7 and 15 killed a total of 39 sol diers. Before last month, the in surgency had scant success in targeting U.S. helicopters or other aircraft. Coincidentally, five of the six j ♦ IRAQ, SEE PAGE 3 Index Comics and Crossword 6 Classifieds 9 Horoscopes 6 Letters to the Editor _ 4 Online Poll_ 4 Police Report 2 Weather TODAY TUESDAY High 70 High 56 Low 35 Low 32 In This Issue ♦ NEWS Check out state, nation and world briefs. Page 3 ♦ VIEWPOINTS Anita Autry writes she is looking toward to the first genetically-engineered pet. Page 6 ♦ THE MIX Students share their stories of holiday travel. Page 7 ♦ SPORTS The USC men’s basketball team is 6-0 for the first time in more than 10 years. Page 10