Spartanburg Community College

 

 

By an act of the South Carolina Legislature in May 1961, an extensive statewide program of technical training was initiated through the establishment of regional Technical Education Centers to aid in the economic development of the state.

In November 1961, Spartanburg County received approval to provide a technical education center for the citizens in its region. The Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Training was formed to guide the development of the new center.

By May 1963, the center occupied its first building at the present site of the Spartanburg Community College central campus. One hundred and fifty students enrolled in nine industrial and engineering technology training programs and an extension course in supervisory development in the fall term, 1963.

 

From 1963 through 1973 Spartanburg County Technical Education Center experienced rapid growth. Enrollment in academic programs for the 1973 fall term reached 1,342, which included new programs in business, engineering technology and health sciences. Seven of the programs started in the mid-sixties were discontinued by 1973 in response to changing economic development needs.

During this first decade, the center received accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Also, a second classroom and laboratory building was constructed. The East and West buildings now represented a significant core for future expansion.

In 1974, recognizing the institution’s broadening scope and depth of academic program offerings, the Center officially became Spartanburg Technical College.

From 1974 through 1984 the College experienced steady growth in enrollment and a period of dynamic change. By the 1984 fall term, enrollment was 1,653. Many new academic programs were added to the curriculum during this second decade and the names and content of some programs were updated to reflect changes in technology. By 1984 the College offered over 40 associate degree and diploma programs. Custom-designed training provided through the College’s Continuing Education Division received increased emphasis during this period.

In fall 1980 construction of two additional buildings was completed. The 32,000 squarefoot Tracy J. Gaines Learning Resource Center housed the library, media center, bookstore, shipping and receiving, several classrooms, conference rooms, and a 300-seat auditorium.The 20,000 square-foot Industrial Training Facility housed the College’s welding and Ford ASSET programs. In 1983 the College purchased a building from Lockwood-Greene Engineers,Inc. and named it the James P. Ledbetter, Jr. Administration Building. By the end of thesecond decade, the College had acquired a total of 104-acres of land off Interstate Highway 85, and grown to a 264,201 square-foot complex.

The STC Foundation was established in 1983 to provide support for the advancement of the College's mission and to provide funds for student scholarships, faculty and staff development, curriculum upgrades, capital improvements and other institutional advancement requirements. Additional support is provided to the College through equipment loans, gifts of supplies, and in-kind services. The Foundation owns and develops real property in support of campus growth. The SCC Foundation also supports the College with over 30 endowed scholarships.

During the period 1985 through 1995, the College experienced tremendous enrollment growth, with the 1995 fall term reaching over 2,500 students. Academic programs have been consistently reviewed, upgraded, and modernized to reflect current technologies. Developing improved and new partnerships highlighted the third decade. Responding to the governor’s 1988 Initiative for Work Force Excellence, Spartanburg Technical College developed the largest workplace basic skills training program in the state.

In fall 1990 the College launched a new University Transfer Program through the establishment of associate degree programs in arts and sciences. This addition to the traditional technical curriculum significantly broadened the College’s educational mission. Spartanburg Technical College linked with the Internet in 1994, giving the College direct access to the World Wide Web.

In 1995, SCC began offering courses via distance education to provide flexible educational opportunities to students who prefer to take courses off-campus either through video-based or interactive two-way video.

In fall 1997, the College opened a new satellite location, the Duncan Center, located off Highway 290 at Commerce Park in western Spartanburg County. Designed to offer both curriculum and continuing education classes to individuals and business/industry in the area, the Duncan Center offered evening courses to accommodate busy work schedules. In September 1999, the Duncan Center was dedicated and renamed the Spartanburg Technical College BMW Center.

In 1999, the administrative building boardroom was named the Dr. Benjamin D. Snoddy Conference Room in appreciation of Dr. Snoddy's service to the College. On September 15, 1999, the College broke ground for a new, state-of-the-art health sciences facility, the first construction project at the College in more than 20 years. The Health Sciences Building was completed and open for classes summer 2001. The 70,000 square-foot facility houses cassrooms, labs and faculty offices for all health-related programs at STC and will allow for expansion of current programs and development of new offerings.

In 2001, the STC distance learning department offered its first two online courses. Experiencing tremendous growth and success, today SCCOnline offers over 70 online courses each semester, representing many different academic areas, and several online degrees including the associate in arts, management and interpreter training degrees.

STC broke ground for the new student services facility on August 9, 2001, with a dedication ceremony and open house being held on October 30, 2003. The new 60,000 square-foot facility, named The Dan L. Terhune Student Services Building in honor of STC's president, consolidates all student services in one location. Administrative offices are also located within the building. Renovation to the East Building also began at this time, which includes a 10,000 square-foot addition that houses the Rita Allison Tutorial Learning Center and the Academic Advising Center.

In fall 2004, STC welcomed the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program to meet the growing health care needs of the service area.

With the support of Cherokee County businesses, industries and government agencies, the College began development of a 60-acre campus in Cherokee County in fall 2004. To date, the campus continues to grow and expand, offering the citizens of Cherokee and surrounding counties the opportunity to pursue education and training close to home. The campus includes the following facilities: a 20,000 square-foot academic building which opened in fall 2007; the SCC Foundation's Cherokee Business Training Center, a 14,000 square-foot facility which opened in April 2007 and includes classrooms and a manufacturing training area; and the Freightliner Service and Training Facility, which opened in July 2006.

In November 2005, the College purchased a 360,000 square-foot building on 50-acres of land in Duncan adjacent to the College's BMW Center in a continued effort to offer expanded services to residents and students living in western Spartanburg County. The new facility houses the College's Accelerated Business Center and Small Business Incubator and expands the College's offerings of academic and continuing education classes to the community. In January 2006, the College's west-side facilities were named the Tyger River Campus.

The College broke ground for the academic library building in March 2006 and the new facility - the Library Learning Resource Center - was opened in January 2007. The 43,000 square-foot library offers an expanded book collection, more Internet capabilities and the Cuppa Cabeana coffee bar, offering coffee, tea, sandwiches and snacks and operated by students in the College's business programs. The second floor of the Library houses the humanities and languages department, with classrooms, seminar rooms, labs and faculty office.

In August 2006, Spartanburg Technical College became South Carolina's first community college when it was renamed Spartanburg Community College (SCC). The change came after a unanimous vote by members of the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical Education in response to a resolution by the Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation in support of renaming the institution to better reflect the College's mission. By embracing the community college brand, the College's mission will be more clearly communicated; improve economic opportunities for SCC students and graduates; and positively impact SCC's role in economic development in the Upstate.

 In October 2006, the SCC Foundation dedicated the Sallie Barre James Plant Zoo in memory of Sallie Barre James, a dedicated advocate of the SCC Foundation and the mission of the College. In honor of her dedication and passion for the College and animal welfare, the SCC horticulture department designed and constructed the Plant Zoo, a garden featuring plants whose names include references to various animals.

The College's newest ornamental garden, the SCC Foundation's Garden Railroad, was dedicated in May 2007 on the central campus and is the first of its kind associated with a college campus. Located adjacent to the College's Alumni Amphitheater just outside the Library Learning Resource Center, the Garden Railroad was first started by the SCC's horticulture department as a learning opportunity for horticulture students and is a gift to the entire community because of miniature replicas of historical Spartanburg landmarks featured throughout the garden.

In September 2007 SCC announced a new collaborative agreement with the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Partnership Office that will offer potential economic benefit to residents of Spartanburg County. SCC will collaborate with the CU-ICAR Partnership Office through the College's Accelerated Business Center/Small Business Incubator on SCC's Tyger River Campus in Duncan to give companies and entrepreneurs the space to take business innovations to the manufacturing phase and then to the marketplace.

In August 2008 the College unveiled a new kitchen on the central campus offering culinary arts students expanded opportunities for hands-on learning with the latest technology. Located in renovated portions of the East Building, the new facility includes a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen; wireless, smart classrooms; and a unique dining area featuring a television which broadcast students preparing entrees in the nearby kitchen. The additional space will allow for program expansion with plans to begin offering the program's popular buffets to the public by reservation.

Fall semester 2008 brought the launch of a new mechatronics curriculum through TechReady-SC™, a collaboration of five Upstate South Carolina technical and community colleges and the South Carolina Technical College System office supported by a grant from AdvanceSC.This collaborative project represents the critical initiative to create a ready pool of technicians with mechatronics and maintenance skills needed to work in advanced manufacturing.

SCC received a $300,000 start-up grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation in October 2008 to implement Gateway to College, a national dropout recovery program originally developed by Portland Community College in Oregon. SCC will enroll students in the Gateway to College program in fall 2009.

In February 2009, Jeffereys Manufacturing Solutions opened a Southeast region showroom at SCC’s Tyger River Campus. The 10,000 sq. ft. space features vertical and horizontal machining centers produced by OKK USA Corporation of Japan, which provides SCC students with hands-on training on OKK products.

The Dobson Commissioners’ Dining Room in the Dan Lee Terhune Student Services Building was dedicated to Hubert C. Dobson in May 2009 in honor of his service and leadership during his 13 years on the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical and Community Education.

In the summer of 2009, SCC announced plans for a presence in downtown Spartanburg, utilizing the historic Evans Building on South Dean Street. The vision for a downtown campus is to develop an educational hub for those who live, work and play in downtown Spartanburg, to respond to the Spartanburg County 40/30 Challenge to increase higher education attainment of citizens of all ages and to create a Workforce Development Center to meet the needs of underemployed and unemployed citizens.

Dr. Dan L. Terhune ended 13 years of service as the College president on October 5, 2009, when Dr. Para M. Jones became SCC’s fifth president and the first woman to lead SCC.

The Union County Advanced Technology Center and SCC’s QuickJobs Development Center opened in February 2010 to support technical job training in Union County. In May 2010, the center began offering traditional academic classes along with the continuing education classes.

In June 2010, SCC partnered with Sherman College of Chiropractic to launch the Pre-Chiropractic Institute, which provides SCC students the opportunity to earn an Associate of Science Degree with Pre-Chiropractic Electives and a Pre-Chiropractic Certificate, and then seamlessly transfer to Sherman College to complete a Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

 

In July 2010, the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical and Community Education voted to purchase the historic Evans Building from Spartanburg County as the site of SCC’s future Downtown Campus. The College received final approval from the South Carolina State Budget and Control Board in December 2010 for this purchase from Spartanburg County. In exchange, the College transferred ownership of the Dent Building to the County, which is the current site of County administrative offices. SCC expects to open the new campus in fall 2013. Funds for renovation, equipment and furnishings will be raised through public and private fundraising efforts as well as federal grants and financing opportunities. Plans for SCC’s Downtown Campus began in 2009 in an effort to:

Located on South Dean Street in downtown Spartanburg, the 110,000 square-foot, three-story Evans Building is the ideal site for the new campus, given its square footage and central location in a thriving and growing downtown, all of which will provide access to an underserved population. Because the Evans Building was the center of Spartanburg’s educational system for more than 50 years, this purchase returns the facility to its original educational roots. Built in 1921, it was the Frank Evans High School from 1922-1933, Spartanburg High School from 1933-1959, and last used for educational purposes. The Evans Building was Evans Junior High School from 1959-1978, when it was sold to the County.

 

As a part of the SC State Technical College System’s “SC Reach For Success” initiative in early fall 2010, SCC received and implemented a US Department of Commerce – National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Stimulus Grant of $363,955 to establish Public Computer Centers (PCC) at each SCC campus in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties. The computer centers provide free, onsite wireless Internet use and netbook computers, which are available for free checkout by students, faculty, staff and local residents. Along with SCC, the SC State Technical College System set up a statewide network of PCC’s with other partnering technical colleges across the state in service areas that include rural and underserved populations.
   

SCC honored Senator Harvey S. Peeler, Jr. on Wednesday, September 29 for his support of Spartanburg Community College’s Cherokee County Campus at a naming dedication of the Harvey S. Peeler, Jr. Academic Building. A native of Cherokee County, Senator Peeler was instrumental in establishing the SCC Cherokee County Campus. The dedication honors the Senator’s unwavering commitment to education and the economic development of his Upstate community over the years, as well as his many contributions to the state of S.C. throughout his tenure.
   

On October 26, 2010, officials from SCC, USC Upstate and Spartanburg Methodist College signed a joint resolution solidifying the University’s Upstate Direct Connect© partnership, an exclusive opportunity for two-year colleges that guarantees admission to USC Upstate for any student who graduates with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Sciences or select Associate of Applied Science degree. Not only does this partnership offer students an opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree in an affordable, seamless and convenient way, but it also reflects the value of the College Town brand and each of the institution’s commitment to the community’s 40/30 goal of increasing postsecondary education attainment to 40 percent of our population by 2030.
      

In October 2010, SCC and Clemson University signed an articulation agreement that offers students in SCC’s Early Childhood Development Program the opportunity for a seamless transfer to Clemson University’s College of Education to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. SCC is one of four Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and NAEYC accredited programs in the Upstate to participate in this new articulation, which also includes Greenville Technical College, Piedmont Technical College and Tri-County Technical College.
      

Spartanburg Community College was named one of the fastest-growing colleges in the nation, according to the December issue of Community College Week.  Based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, SCC’s enrollment grew from 4,701 to 5,713 students from fall 2008 to fall 2009. The College’s enrollment increase of 22 percent earned it the honor of 15th fastest growing among approximately 249 community colleges in the nation with enrollments ranging from 5,000 to 9,999.
     

For the second year in a row, SCC was named a Military Friendly School for 2011 by G.I. Jobs magazine, February 2011 issue. This honor is based on research, survey results and other data that ranks SCC in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide committed to recruiting military students.