In addition to the 12 commencements at which he presides on the Columbia, four-year, and regional campuses, Sorensen traveled to Augusta, Maine, May 1 to shake hands with 56 of the 68 graduates of USC’s distance-education library science program. The program is a partnership between USC and the University of Maine at Augusta. This class was its second cohort of students.

“The students were very excited,” said Dan Barron, director of USC’s School of Library and Information Science in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. “They have a listserv called Lobster 2 that they use to communicate with each other about the school and professionally. There was a real buzz. When they found out President Sorensen was going to come, they were really excited and appreciative for his making that extra effort. Lots of them wanted their pictures taken with him.”

Two of the students from Maine came to South Carolina to march in the Columbia campus commencement. So far, about five students have made the trip from Maine to South Carolina for commencement. Students in this year’s graduating class came from all parts of Maine and one from New Hampshire.

The students included library technical assistants working for professional certification, school librarians, and people from academic and public libraries. “We had one medical doctor who completed the program,” Barron said. “She wanted to do something different. She’s going to be a special librarian in a health care facility.”

The program began in 1993, with more than 140 students graduating. Maine does not have an American Library Association–accredited library school. Students meet once a week, and USC library faculty members travel to Maine once or twice a semester to meet with students. The second cohort of students finished the program in four years.

The program uses a combination of technologies, including satellite courses and the Internet. “We use every technology that the students have access to, and we’re among the first to use those technologies to work with students,” Barron said.

Students from South Carolina also take courses, with Columbia as their on-site location.

The third cohort of students will begin in January, and a cohort of students from West Virginia is planned.

In January, the School of Library and Information Science received a $500,000 grant called the Palmetto/Pine Project funded by the Institute of Museums and Libraries (the pine tree is the state tree of Maine) to provide scholarships to 16 students in Maine and 16 students in South Carolina, especially for rural public libraries.

“I believe what happens in Augusta, Maine, can influence what happens in Augusta, Ga., and what happens in Augusta, Ga., can influence South Carolina,” Barron said. “We really need to be a part of helping people get this degree so that they can be professional librarians.”

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