Charleston Southern approves Strategic Transformation Plan

CHARLESTON, SC – February 215, 2012 – The Charleston Southern University Board of Trustees approved a Strategic Transformation Plan last Tuesday, a 10-year development project designed to enhance key areas including academic growth, student success, enrollment, university finances, faith integration and institutional identity.

The University has put together a plan to meet continued growth in and out of the classroom. Charleston Southern University vice president of enrollment management Debbie Williamson anticipates enrollment to reach 4,000 students by 2020 (not including online course enrollment), including an estimated 1,500 students expected to live on campus.

Charleston Southern University currently enrolls 3,300 students. More than 80 percent of the current student body is from within the state of South Carolina; 65 percent of CSU students are from the local tri-county, and 2/3 of the population are commuter students.

This is exciting because we’re expanding academic programs and course offerings, said CSU president Dr. Jairy C. Hunter. We are increasing our nursing and online offerings and considering other initiatives students have communicated they would like to see – residence hall upgrades, food service expansion and an outdoor gathering place for students.

Charleston Southern’s College of Adult and Professional Studies will also expand its program offerings and staff in 2012. In addition to a complete four-year bachelor of organizational management degree program, CAPS currently offers concentrations in hospitality, human resources, healthcare and project management. The new transformation plan will also enable CSU’s adult and professional studies program to add online degree offerings in graphic design, bachelor of technology, computer science and a master of arts in organizational management this fall.

Providing an opportunity for personal, professional and spiritual growth through our online programs is essential to our vision of integrating faith in learning, leading and serving, said Dr. Jim Jones, dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies. We continue to enhance our online programs for the working adults who want to complete their degree while continuing to work.  Meeting the challenges of the present will ensure success in the future for our students.

Interim vice president of academic affairs and religion professor Dr. Skip Martin will introduce a Christian worldview course for all new and transferring students. The class will include pre- and postcourse testing designed to provide measurable results of knowledge of biblical worldview concepts.

This course will orient all of our students to life at CSU, highlight the critical thinking skills necessary for university-level academic work and most importantly help individuals to evaluate their total experience from a biblical perspective, said Martin. Our goal is to introduce our students to a distinctively Christian worldview and its application in the context of higher education and beyond.  The end result should be students who view their chosen field of study and subsequent career as a calling and not a mere profession.  They will be eager to impact their world in a way that is informed, positive and passionate.

The CSU campus will continue to transform over the next decade as well. In addition to current construction of the Christian Leadership Building and the first phase of a new Athletic Center, Charleston Southern will also expand the Derry Patterson Wingo School of Nursing.

The approval to double the size of the nursing facilities comes one year after the University approved a plan to triple CSU’s nursing program. Hunter said this strategic initiative will enhance academic growth and the quality of competitive prospective students.

The 26,500-square foot Christian Leadership Building will be located at the center of campus, and will be the core of the university and will house the Center for Christian Leadership, according to Hunter.

The expansive facility will include classrooms, seminar and conference space all focused on integrating faith into the curriculum and preparing faculty to teach from a biblical worldview. The Center will reach out to the community providing biblical worldview workshops and seminars to anyone who wants to participate.

The new athletic center is scheduled to open this August. Last week, trustees also approved additional funding to upgrade athletic locker rooms and construction of a new press box for women’s softball.

The enhancements to CSU’s athletic facilities underscore the university’s commitment to providing a competitive NCAA Division I athletic environment for our student-athletes, said Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president of student affairs and athletics. CSU’s athletic administration, coaches and student-athletes are committed to advancing the university’s mission and vision; these additions and improvements will encourage all members of the CSU Buccaneer family to pursue excellence on and off the fields of competition.

CSU trustees also approved a $1.5 million expansion of the Hunter Reception Center which will provide additional state-of-the-art offices for undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial aid and the University’s College of Adult and Professional Studies program.