USC Beaufort

Mission Statement

The primary mission of the University of South Carolina, a multicampus public institution serving the entire State of South Carolina, is the education of the state’s diverse citizens through teaching, research and creative activity, and service.

Teaching

The University is committed to providing its students with the highest-quality education, including the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for success and responsible citizenship in a complex and changing world. A particular strength of the University of South Carolina is the excellence, breadth, and diversity of the institution’s faculty.

Research

Convinced that research and scholarship, including artistic creation, are essential for excellent teaching, the University pursues aggressively an active research and scholarship program. The University is dedicated to using research to improve the quality of life for South Carolinians.

Service

Another important facet of the University’s public mission is service—to its community, state, nation, and the world in such areas as public health, education, social issues, economic development, and family support systems.

Founded in 1801 in Columbia, the University of South Carolina began providing programs in communities statewide in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, a network of campuses was established in response to community initiative and support for accessible, affordable educational programs principally for local citizens. In the 1970s, the Aiken and Spartanburg campuses were granted the authority to award baccalaureate degrees. While the regional campuses, the senior campuses, and the Columbia campus all pursue teaching, research, creative activity, and service, they do so with an emphasis suited to their individual campus missions.

Columbia Campus

As a major teaching and research institution, the Columbia campus has long offered a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs through the doctoral level. With a mission of teaching, research, and service, USC Columbia addresses the state’s needs for master’s level, professional, and doctoral education, for conducting and sharing research, and for responding to statewide and regional demands for educational resources and professional expertise.

USC Columbia aspires to national and international stature as it provides equitable access to its opportunities, resources, and activities.

Senior Campuses

Separately accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Aiken and Spartanburg take as their primary mission the delivery of basic undergraduate education to their respective areas. These senior campuses also offer graduate-level course work through the University’s Extended Graduate Campus Program and offer selected master’s degree programs in response to regional demand.

Regional Campuses

Accredited with USC Columbia by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the regional campuses in Beaufort, Lancaster, Allendale (Salkehatchie), Sumter, and Union principally provide the first two years of undergraduate education, as well as selected associate’s degree programs mainly for their locale. The regional campuses also provide for the completion of bachelor’s degrees by offering selected upper-division course work in conjunction with the Aiken, Columbia, and Spartanburg campuses as well as some graduate education through the University’s Extended Graduate Campus Program. In addition to providing these programs, the regional campuses bring the resources of the entire University to citizens throughout the state.

University of South Carolina Beaufort

Mission and Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the University of South Carolina Beaufort is to bring the varied resources of the University of South Carolina to the rapidly increasing and geographically isolated population of South Carolina’s southernmost rural region.

Founded in 1795 by official act of the South Carolina legislature, the original Beaufort College occupied a position of importance in the local community. Not only were certain lands in the District of Beaufort vested to local trustees in order to build and endow the college, but the legislative act also authorized these trustees and the faculty of the college full power to grant or confer degrees in the liberal arts or sciences as are usually granted and conferred in other colleges in Europe and America; and to give diplomas or certificates thereof, to authenticate and perpetuate the memory of such graduation.

In 1959, by another act of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Beaufort campus of the University of South Carolina was created on the same site where the original Beaufort College stood. A campus of the state’s largest public university, USC Beaufort offers associate of arts and associate of science degrees. The curriculum for the associate’s degrees is modeled on the USC Columbia general education core and requires all graduates to have basic competency in oral and written communication as well as a foundation in analytical reasoning, the humanities, and the natural and social sciences.

Obviously, this 200-year commitment to liberal arts education has remained constant in the Beaufort community while, at the same time, evolving to meet changing local needs. Today, USC Beaufort provides the challenge of a rigorous liberal arts discipline to over 1,000 diverse students from various levels of academic preparation.

To an additional 130-plus students, USC Beaufort offers local access to the USC Aiken bachelor degrees in nursing, business administration, and early childhood education, and to the USC Columbia Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. And, through the Extended Graduate Campus Program office at USC Columbia, USC Beaufort offers some 200 area residents access to graduate-level courses leading to teacher recertification and master’s degrees in early childhood education, elementary education, educational administration, counselor education, special education, social work, library and information science, business administration, and engineering. Students who complete University programs of study at Beaufort are prepared to contribute professionally and personally to their well-being and to the well-being of society.

Because USCB acknowledges an enduring commitment to the community that has supported it for so many years, this institution, in turn, strongly supports the study and appreciation of this area’s unique geography, ecology, history, and culture. Finally, USC Beaufort contributes to the overall quality of life in this region by serving as a local center for the performing arts.

Having pledged to serve all qualified students seeking access to higher education, USC Beaufort recruits and enrolls a wide variety of students, from those desiring no degree, to transfer students, and those working toward associate’s, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees.

In order to reach all students living in the Lowcountry, USC Beaufort schedules classes at various sites throughout the region. The main campus is located on Carteret Street in the historic district of Beaufort. Additional classroom and program offerings are available at sites on Hilton Head Island, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD, Parris Island), and the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS).

One of the significant strengths of USC Beaufort is its outstanding faculty. The geography and climate of the Sea Islands attract a wealth of nationally acclaimed scholars and professionals—offering an expertise and diversity unequaled in most colleges.

The University of South Carolina Beaufort prides itself on ensuring small classes with individualized attention provided to students. The student/faculty ratio at USCB is 19-to-one and enables students to receive quality instruction in a personalized setting from a highly qualified faculty. Classroom instruction is further enriched by the expertise of distinguished visiting scholars, artists, and practitioners. University of South Carolina Beaufort faculty are actively engaged in scholarship and research that enrich classroom experiences, enhance professional development, and add to the body of knowledge in various disciplines.

The diversity of the USC Beaufort student body reflects the diversity of the regional population and represents another strength for the regional campus. The median age of the student body is 24 years old. In addition to recent high-school graduates, the student population is also comprised of retirees, military personnel, and adults pursuing training for a first or second career. Most USC Beaufort students work (96 percent hold full- or part-time jobs). The dedication of our students evidences their belief in USC Beaufort as a pathway to the bachelor’s degree.

Thus, USC Beaufort continues its traditional role of providing higher education opportunities to the citizens of the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.

Region

Located in the middle of the southeastern coastal sea islands, a region of vast salt marshes and unique estuarine environment, Beaufort is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The area is noted for its enormous wealth of prehistoric and historic artifacts, including the ongoing discovery of the Spanish city of Santa Elena (1566–1587) on Parris Island. The ruins of unique tabby plantation structures and numerous Indian village sites which dot the coastal islands also continue to attract archaeological investigation.

In addition, the sea island region is a natural laboratory for research into the origins of African-American culture. It is considered the home of the purest Gullah language in America. Because of its long isolation as a remote island area, it has also been studied for remnants of unique African-American community and family organizations.

The town itself provides some of the most important examples of antebellum architecture in the South and has been designated as a National Landmark District.

History

USC Beaufort has one of the oldest traditions of higher education in the nation—dating back to 1795 when the original Beaufort College was chartered. Opened in 1802, the college continued operating until 1861 when, during the Civil War, it was closed.

Constructed in 1852, the Beaufort College Building originally housed two classrooms, two faculty offices, and a mezzanine library in the rotunda. The building was used as a Union Army hospital from 1861 to 1865 and was home to the Freedman’s Bureau during Reconstruction. In 1909 it became the Beaufort Elementary School, which it remained until 1959.

In that year, a group of prominent local citizens formed the Beaufort County Higher Education Commission and proposed the re-establishment of a college to serve the local community. As a result, the Beaufort Center of the University of South Carolina was created. Its official opening, in September 1959, was unexpectedly delayed by hurricane Gracie.

Throughout the years, the USC Beaufort campus has grown. In 1965, the back of the old elementary school was razed, the Beaufort College Building was remodeled, and the Sandstone Building was constructed for classrooms. The Sandstone Building was named for its sandstone facade, which depicts the history of the University in a time line. In 1983 the Marine Life and Science Building was constructed overlooking the Beaufort River, providing laboratories, classrooms, and offices for marine science students and researchers. In 1986 the elementary school adjacent to the University was purchased and renovated. Known as the Performing Arts Center, the building houses classrooms, faculty offices, an art gallery, chemistry laboratory, and the Performing Arts Center Auditorium. The Beaufort campus is now comprised of seven buildings within a four-block radius. Several of the campus buildings are of historical value, including the Beaufort College Building, which recently underwent restoration, and the Art Studio Building. The Art Studio Building, built circa 1900, is located in the Historic District and served initially as an African-American Presbyterian church and later housed the first public library for African Americans in Beaufort.

In response to demands for increased access to University services, many programs have been added over the years. These include the on-base military program, Extended Graduate Campus Program, the Hilton Head Island Program, the Creative Retirement Center, the Small Business Development Center, the Penn Center Initiative, the USCB Festival Series, and several degree programs offered through other USC campuses.

In 1994 Union Camp Corporation donated an 80-acre tract of land in western Beaufort County to the University as a site for a new, larger campus. With master planning for the new campus also under way, renovation to the Beaufort campus was implemented in 1995 to accommodate the interim needs of the campus.

In 1984 Pritchards Island, a 1,600-acre undeveloped barrier island, was donated to the University. This island property is maintained in its natural state and used for marine science research and instruction. Two projects underway on Pritchards Island involve the measurement of beach erosion and the maintenance of a hatchery for endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle eggs.

From its small beginning in 1959 with 82 freshmen, USC Beaufort has grown to an institution enrolling approximately 1,500 students each semester in its undergraduate, graduate regional studies, and continuing education programs. Courses are currently offered on the Beaufort campus, at the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), at the Marine Crops Air Station (MCAS), and on Hilton Head Island.

As the Lowcountry continues to grow and diversify, USCB will continue to provide academic and cultural enrichment for its residents by bringing the full resources of the University of South Carolina to the Beaufort area.

Facilities

Beaufort College Building. This historic two-story building was constructed in 1852 as the main structure of what was then Beaufort College. It is one of the oldest college buildings in the state. It is now an administration building, which houses senior administrative offices.

Performing Arts Center (PAC). Acquired from the county in 1986 and completely renovated, the PAC houses 12 classrooms, a chemistry lab, faculty offices, and a 500-seat auditorium for the performing arts and community events.

Sandstone Building. In 1965 the one-story general classroom building was constructed and adorned with a sandstone facade depicting the history of the administration building and the institution. Renovated in 1998 it houses the Academic Success Center, Admissions Office, bookstore, Business Office, computer lab, financial aid, library, Office of Student Affairs, and Opportunity Scholars Program.

Art Studio Building. In November 1977 USC Beaufort acquired a county-owned renovated church to use as an art studio and classroom. The building is located on the perimeter of the historic district and within two blocks of the campus. Used primarily for studio art courses, the building has also been used for community workshops, seminars, and film series. The building was renovated in 1994.

Library. USC Beaufort operates two library facilities: one at the main campus in Beaufort and one at the branch campus on Hilton Head Island. Together, they house a combined collection of over 55,000 volumes.

Life Long Learning Center. The former St. Peter’s Rectory at 804 Carteret Street is home to the offices of the Creative Retirement Center, Continuing Education, Extended Graduate Campus Program Office, and the Small Business Development Center.

Horne Faculty House. This building houses faculty offices. It was purchased by the University in the spring of 1980 and stands at the west end of the campus.

Marine and Life Science Building. Completed in 1983, the Marine and Life Science Building contains three laboratories, faculty offices, and an aquarium area.

Pritchards Island. USCB administers Pritchards Island, which is a 2.5-mile-long, 1,600-acre undeveloped barrier sea island located just south of Fripp Island and 15 miles from the campus. Accessible only by water, the island was given to the University in 1983 and is used as a center for research, instruction, and the USCB Loggerhead Sea Turtle Conservation Project. The heated and air conditioned facility includes bunkrooms, fully equipped baths, and a fully equipped double kitchen.

On-Base Education. In 1972, USC Beaufort began offering on-base education opportunities designed primarily for active-duty military personnel. Courses are held during the evening at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island and at the Marine Corps Air Station.

University of South Carolina Beaufort at Hilton Head. In the fall of 1973, USC Beaufort began offering courses on Hilton Head Island. Since then, the operation has grown steadily and provides access to a wide range of course offerings for students living in southern Beaufort County.

University of South Carolina Beaufort Art Gallery. With the assistance of private donations, the USCB Art Gallery was opened and dedicated in the fall of 1994. Located in the Performing Arts Center, the gallery is the host site for art exhibits featuring local, national, and international artists.

Activities

Festival Series. For over a decade, the USCB Festival Series has presented a variety of the world’s finest performances for the public to enjoy. Now hosted and directed by Charles Wadsworth, the festival series presents five concerts each year, featuring the world’s great chamber musicians. Brochures detailing each season’s performances are available on campus at the Arts Council of Beaufort County office located in the Performing Arts Center.

Penn Center Initiative. The Penn Center/University of South Carolina Education Partnership, through the Beaufort campus, provides clinical experiences for students both within the University and other teacher-child care training institutions.

Under the partnership, St. Helena Island families are enrolled in the At-Risk Family Initiative. The initiative seeks to involve students in parent education classes, home visits, field trips, and center-based activities with preschool children of the participating families.

An important feature of this initiative is a tuition supplement to assist parents in upgrading their skills and educational levels. With this financial assistance, enrolled parents can pursue an associate degree from USCB.

The opportunities for clinical experiences are flexible, and all disciplines are encouraged to be involved with the at-risk families and their children in meaningful ways.

Speakers Bureau. Members of USCB’s faculty and staff are available to speak to groups and organizations and offer noncredit minicourses. Topics such as "Beaufort History," "Marine Ecology," "Home Computing," "French Impressionism," and "Southern Fiction" are typical of available lectures.

Turtle Project. The USCB Loggerhead Sea Turtle Project has been active every year since 1982 during the summer months. Student staff members and community volunteers walk the beach nightly and protect turtle eggs from predation and natural disaster. The project is headquartered on Pritchards Island.

University of South Carolina Beaufort Theatre. The USCB Theatre presents three to four productions annually in the USCB Performing Arts Center Auditorium.

Military Programs

USC Beaufort offers five eight-week semesters each year at the Marine Corps Air Station and Parris Island. Military personnel, military dependents, and civilians are authorized to take courses on the military installations. An admission category of "Military Special Student" allows military personnel to be admitted initially to USC Beaufort quickly without the need to meet the admission requirements of regular degree-seeking students. Military personnel often earn an associate’s degree or a baccalaureate degree during their tour of duty in Beaufort. USC Beaufort is a Service Member’s Opportunity College (SOC).

Student Support Services

Some services are available at all USC Beaufort locations; others are available at only one location. Unless otherwise noted, the services listed below are available only at the main campus in Beaufort. Students are encouraged to use the facilities and services at any of these locations. Be sure to note hours of operation and whether or not appointments are required.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center (ASC), located on the main campus in Beaufort, is available to students at all levels in all subjects. Resources include computer programs, tutors in six subject areas, video and audiocassettes, and slides. The ASC has several components.

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)

Computers and printers are available to students at the main campus. The computers contain a variety of software for word processing, accounting, grammar review, mathematics, speed reading and comprehension, vocabulary, biology, chemistry, economics, and physics. A listing of software is available in the ASC. Appointments are recommended but not required.

Tutorial Services

Individual and group tutoring is available in Beaufort and Hilton Head to reinforce the content of classroom instruction. Students may be referred by instructors or may seek assistance on their own. Tutors can help in the areas of accounting, writing, biology, math, chemistry, foreign language, and study skills (managing time, taking notes and tests, conducting research). Tutors’ hours are posted in classrooms and on campus notice boards.

Early Childhood Education Curriculum (ECEC) Lab

The ECEC Lab contains resource materials to support students in the early childhood education program in preparing lessons and materials for their students.

The ECEC Lab is located in the library, which is open Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Call 843-521-4124 for more information.

Bookstore

The USCB Bookstore is located on the main campus in the Sandstone Building. The bookstore carries all required book and laboratory supplies, school supplies, study aids, and USC/USCB imprinted clothing and gifts. The bookstore is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bookstore has extended hours the first week of classes. Please contact the bookstore for specific hours.

Textbooks for classes on Hilton Head will be available beginning the week of registration through the third week of classes. After that, all textbooks are returned to the Beaufort campus bookstore.

Community Events

In addition to other services, USC Beaufort frequently sponsors lectures, concerts, and theatre performances that are open to the public. In the past, USCB has hosted The Best Reading the Best, a weekend of readings from Southern literature, history, and poetry; the South Carolina Playwrights Conference, a celebration of writing in the Lowcountry; the annual Martin Luther King Celebration address; the South Carolina Humanities Festival; the USCB Festival Series; and other important cultural events. Student tickets are provided to these and other area events, either on a complimentary basis or at a nominal fee, and are available through the Office of Student Affairs, Room 118, Sandstone Building.

Career Planning Center

The career planning component of Student Development Services is under the direction of the associate dean for student affairs. Career services include interest testing, career information, individualized planning, and SIGI PLUS —a computerized guidance system. This office is committed to helping students reach their career objectives. Contact the associate dean for student affairs or visit the center in Room 118 of the Sandstone Building for career planning.

Computer Services

The University of South Carolina Beaufort campus offers a computer lab housing over 25 computers, a networked classroom housing 26 computers, and a library setting that houses over 20 computers. Our Academic Success Center houses 16 computers used for tutorial services. There are 22 computers located at the Hilton Head site in a computer lab and library setting. In addition, there are two computers located in the Career Development Center available for specialized student counseling. All lab settings offer modern officesuite software. Additionally, several of our sites offer specialty software for computer-assisted instruction, Web development, and other computer-related tasks.

The support staff offers assistance to our students from basic word processing tasks to advanced programming projects. Computer Services of Beaufort offers hardware and software support for faculty and staff and provides training in many software packages. Lab hours vary depending on location, but generally are open for student use during all scheduled class times, as well as extended hours on nights and weekends.

The University of South Carolina Beaufort administration is committed to continually enhancing and upgrading USCB’s computer resources through the use of student technology fees and tuition. Every effort is made to provide our students with modern hardware, software, and network and Internet access. Computer resources are open to the entire University. The University of South Carolina Beaufort strives to provide an atmosphere for learning in all its computer facilities.

Learning Disability Support

Upon acceptance, learning disabled students may gain access to support programs by providing the following documentation of their disability to the associate dean for student affairs:

• a complete psychoeducational evaluation conducted within the past three years by a certified/licensed school psychologist

• verification that the student was diagnosed and received services as a learning disabled student

• any relevant educational, medical, or diagnostic records which would provide additional information.

Academic support for learning-disabled students may include academic counseling (advisement, progress monitoring, and advocacy); personal, interpersonal, and career counseling; study skills training; tutoring (in course content); textbooks and supplementary readings on tape (when available); and note takers and readers (when appropriate).

Libraries

The USC Beaufort libraries, in Beaufort and on Hilton Head Island, together house a collection of over 55,000 volumes and 250 periodicals and newspapers. The libraries provide Internet terminals and space for individual study and leisure reading. The Beaufort campus library serves as one of a dozen full-depository libraries in South Carolina for state government documents.

The USC Beaufort libraries offer students access to USCAN, the University’s online database, and to DISCUS, a collection of full-text, statewide databases. Additionally, the libraries provide searching capability via CD-ROM and a digital library of resources on the World Wide Web.

The USC Beaufort libraries are open to the public under a reciprocal agreement of the Lowcountry Library Federation. Library staff members routinely provide students with instruction on using library research tools in all formats. Interlibrary loan services are available to students and faculty upon request.

Library hours are extended during the regular fall and spring semesters when classes are in session but will vary during vacation periods and throughout the summer. Please call the libraries at 843-521-4122 in Beaufort and 843-785-3995 on Hilton Head for a listing of current hours of operation. You may also consult the library homepage on the Web at www.sc.edu/beaufort/library for the latest information on services, hours, resources, policies, procedures, staff, and Internet research sources.

Military Student Services

The University of South Carolina Beaufort has a director of military programs to provide special assistance to military students at two military facilities in the Beaufort area. The director of military programs maintains office hours at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS, Building 596) and at Parris Island (MCRD, Building 923). The director of military programs can assist military students with admissions, academic advising, registration, Marine Corps and Navy tuition assistance, Military Service School Evaluations, Service Member’s Opportunity College (SOC) agreements, and some counseling. In addition, a veterans’ clerk is available in the Office of Financial Aid to assist veterans and eligible dependents applying for veterans’ tuition assistance.

Opportunity Scholars

The Opportunity Scholars Program at USC Beaufort is a Student Support Services program funded by a federal TRIO grant. The program provides eligible students with services such as tutoring, academic advisement, and financial-aid counseling. The ultimate goal of all these services is to help students earn their baccalaureate degree. For more information, contact the TRIO director.