Centers of Economic Excellence Review Board has new member
January 23, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – January 23, 2009 – Michael Couick has been appointed to the South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Review Board. Couick was appointed to the board by Glenn McConnell, president pro tempore of the state Senate.
The CoEE Review Board oversees the operation of the CoEE Program. The main responsibilities of Review Board members include determining whether applicants for endowment funds have met all proposal requirements, appointing expert panels to evaluate specific elements of proposals for funds, and awarding endowment funds to applicants.
Couick is president and CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. Previously he was the director of research and attorney for the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee, positions he held for 21 years. Couick serves on the board of directors of SC Educational Communications, Inc., the programming arm of the ETV Endowment of South Carolina. Couick is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the USC School of Law. He lives in Columbia.
The CoEE Review Board has 11 members appointed by the governor (3), the president pro tempore of the state Senate (3), the Speaker of the state House of Representatives (3), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee (1), and the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee (1). The presidents of Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina also serve on the board as ex-officio members.
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 (CoEEs) 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, 42 Centers of Economic Excellence and 75 CoEE endowed chairs have been awarded. The program currently supports 21 CoEE endowed chairs, world-renowned researchers who lead the Centers of Economic Excellence.
For more information, visit www.sccoee.org.
