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  • Graduate carries the Carolina Mace during commencement exercises.

Mission and Vision

Approved by the Board of Trustees - October 11, 2019

Approved by SC Commission on Higher Education – December 5, 2019

Next Board of Trustees Scheduled Review - October 2023

The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College campus is a branch campus of the University of South
Carolina Columbia. Salkehatchie has as its mission to provide higher education and intellectual
leadership for its service area. At the heart of this mission is a teaching faculty of high quality
dedicated to excellence in instruction, scholarship, public and professional service and creative
endeavor which enrich the classroom experience. The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College
campus offers a varied curriculum grounded in the liberal arts and focused on preparing students to
continue their education in the University of South Carolina System and throughout life.

The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College campus recruits students prepared to succeed in
completing a baccalaureate‐level education. While the institution does not offer remedial instruction, it
is nonetheless able to admit most students who apply due to the close working relationship between
students and faculty. The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College campus was established to
encourage higher education in the counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton and Hampton.
The original design of the institution incorporated a flexibility that has allowed changes in institutional
capability with increasing educational demands of constituents.

Through classroom and laboratory instruction delivered in a variety of face-to-face and distance
learning formats and modalities, the institution awards the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science
degrees and provides for the completion of selected bachelor’s degrees on campus through
cooperative agreements and delivery structures with other University of South Carolina System
institutions. The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College campus also provides general education and
upper division coursework applicable to baccalaureate degree programs offered through colleges and
universities nationwide. In addition to academic coursework, the mission of the campus includes noncredit
courses, seminars, and workshops made available to the community for cultural enrichment
and professional development.

The traditions of cultural diversity and freedom of thought are valued at the Salkehatchie regional
Palmetto College campus. In a learning environment that develops respect for racial, geographical,
intellectual, and economic diversity and an awareness of individual, societal, and global
responsibilities, Salkehatchie promotes courses, activities, and attitudes which influence the life of the
mind in men and women and instill in them a thirst to continue learning throughout life.

The Salkehatchie regional Palmetto College campus emphasizes the development of the whole
person and especially seeks to foster in students the disciplines essential to an educated citizenry.
Core competencies, including the ability to communicate through effective writing and articulate
speech; computational and quantitative mastery; creative and critical thinking; and the duties of
citizenship are strategically integrated within the curriculum. Classroom experiences, student
activities, and physical education programs also provide opportunities for cultural enrichment,
leadership development, intellectual growth and interpersonal relationships, all contributing to a sense
of self‐reliance and a joy of learning.

 

Vision

USC Salkehatchie will be recognized as a model rural “Community University” that plays a major role in enriching the cultural, educational, and economic opportunities of the citizens served.


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