The Union regional Palmetto College campus is a branch campus of the University of South Carolina
Columbia. Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union regional Palmetto College campus was established to encourage
higher education in the counties of Chester, Cherokee, Fairfield, Laurens, Union, and York. 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 Union 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 Union 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, Union
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 Union 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.