On June 5, at a luncheon in Columbia, Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith was honored by Governor Henry McMaster with the presentation of The Order of the Palmetto. The Order of the Palmetto is considered the highest civilian honor in the State of South Carolina. It was first awarded in 1971 by Governor
The following article originally appeared in the Post & Courier. As the 2025 General Assembly headed out the door, emotions in the public education community were raw. A conflict over funding between traditional public school districts and statewide public charter districts led to a Band-Aid that left neither side happy. As the 2026 General Assembly
South Carolina voters went back to the polls yesterday for various Democratic and Republican Runoffs. We have compiled a complete list of election results as of 11:30 on Tuesday, June 23, and we will continue to update the tallies until returns are final. I = Incumbent X = Winner State Leadership Results Governor Republican
I recently joined Live 5 News to help moderate the runoff debate for Congressional District 1 between Mark Smith and Jenny Costa Honeycutt. The candidates tackled a number of tough issues facing South Carolina and the United States, including housing affordability, the future of Social Security, parental rights, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
In this article, originally published in the South Carolina Daily Gazette, I discuss how South Carolina ensures that our higher education degree programs are delivering meaningful, high-quality education through regular program review by the Commission on Higher Education and the colleges themselves. Columbia, S.C. (SC Daily Gazette) – Suddenly, one of the most pressing issues
On Tuesday, June 16th, Palmetto Promise Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith served as a moderator for the first (and only!) gubernatorial runoff debate between Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. Held on the campus of Coastal Carolina University, the debate allowed candidates the opportunity to comment on a wide variety of topics,
In this article originally posted in the Post and Courier, Dr. Oran Smith comments on legislation concerning the transparency of University president headhunting. By Anna B. Mitchell amitchell@postandcourier.com CLEMSON — After decades of giving the public a chance to vet candidates for some of the state’s top positions in academia, South Carolina’s leading universities
Over the next several weeks, Palmetto Promise Institute will have a part in four key public events all over the state of South Carolina. On Tuesday night June 9, Senior Fellow Dr. Oran Smith will serve as political analyst for election night team coverage on WORD radio in the Upstate. You can stream the show
In this op-ed, originally published in The Post and Courier, I discuss the potential for groundbreaking statewide public charter school funding reform that hinges on a decision resting with the Jasper County Council. They are currently considering giving some local funding to some of their charter schools, which could serve as an important test case
I recently joined Stephen Biddix from WIS10 to discuss the passage of H.5073, which bans grade floors in traditional and public charter schools and reforms credit and content recovery programs. Check out the story below, or head to the original story to watch my video interview! Columbia, S.C. (WIS10) – Parents across South Carolina could
