SC H4737

Creates mandatory orientation training program for new members of boards of trustees at South Carolina public institutions of higher learning, requiring completion within the first year of membership

Requires minimum of eight hours of training covering topics including fiduciary duties, Freedom of Information Act requirements, South Carolina Ethics Act, budgeting, tuition setting, academic affairs, athletics operations, and student welfare

Assigns responsibility for developing the orientation program to each institution's president and board secretary in consultation with relevant staff and external stakeholders

Mandates annual reporting by each institution's president to the Senate Education Committee Chairman and House Education and Public Works Committee Chairman on training hours completed by each board member

Takes effect July 1, 2026