Dr. Sonny White, President of Midlands Technical College

MidlandsBiz:
Tell us a little about your educational background.

Sonny White:
I am originally from York County, just south of Rock Hill.  I attended Rock Hill High School and went on to get an undergraduate degree in textile chemistry at Clemson University.

I first worked at Eastman Chemicals in Kingsport Tennessee, had a two-year commission in the military, went back to Eastman, and then eventually went back to Clemson for my Ph.D. in polymer chemistry.  I also had the opportunity to participate in the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.  All in all, I had more than 30 years in the global chemical business, living in Greensboro, North Carolina; New Jersey and Connecticut and working for the Swiss company Ciba-Geigy.  When I retired in 2001, I had also traveled to more than 70 countries.

MidlandsBiz:
From international pharmaceuticals to higher education and Midlands Technical College (MTC) – how did that happen?

Sonny White:
I had always wanted to do something in higher education. Ciba was always a big supporter of education and I had served on boards at North Carolina State, Clemson, and the University of Georgia.  I had also been an adjunct professor at Winthrop University and other colleges.

One day I was having lunch with the President of Guilford Technical Community College in Guilford County, North Carolina. He convinced me that I ought to apply for the job as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at his institution.  I had been working in that capacity at Guilford Technical Community College for four years when I learned about the job here at Midlands Technical College.

I had received all of my public education in South Carolina and it didn’t cost me a penny.  I thought it would be nice to return that investment back to my home state. My wife and I prayed about it, and here I am.

MidlandsBiz:
What roles should the high schools play in career training?

Sonny White:
With the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), we are witnessing a re-emphasis on career training throughout our educational system.  The dialogue on the importance of career selection is starting as early as kindergarten.  Students make a career plan in the 8th grade based on 16 different career paths during high school.

MTC can play a big role in helping K-12 students see the connection between what they do in school and what they may do for the rest of their lives.

MidlandsBiz:
What is your vision for how we are going to become more competitive in this state?

Sonny White:
Competitiveness for South Carolina has to come from education and career training.  Everybody needs skills in this knowledge economy.  When I graduated from Rock Hill High School, most people could do well finding employment in the textile or agricultural industries with only a high school diploma or less.  That’s not the case anymore.  Today about 90 percent of all South Carolinians need skills beyond what they get in high school.

Of that 90 percent, about 20 percent need a four-year degree or higher, while 70 percent need a two-year degree or similar training.  As a state, we’re pretty much on line with the 20 percent.  But for every one researcher, scientist or engineer that comes from a senior institution, we need seven or eight technicians educated in the technical colleges.

Seventy percent of South Carolinians need some type of technical training past high school.  Right now about 28 percent are receiving it.  That’s a dangerous gap.  We’re living in a flat world today. If we can’t train our workforce to succeed in South Carolina, how can we expect to compete in an economy where our competition comes from every corner of the globe?  My vision is that South Carolina must close that gap if we hope to be competitive.  It’s essential that we communicate this vision to the underemployed and the unemployed to help them get the skills they need to earn a good living here in South Carolina. We at MTC must be a part of the solution to lower the high school dropout rate so that we can get more in the pipeline for higher education.  Unless this happens, we will never get the 85-90 percent with skills and education post high school.

MidlandsBiz:
What are some recent developments in technical education?

Sonny White:
The concept of the middle college high school has become an important development.  We have two middle colleges located on MTC campuses – the Richland One Middle College on the Beltline Campus, and Midlands Middle College on the Airport Campus.  Because these high schools are located on college campuses, their students are exposed to the technical education MTC offers.  They get a first-hand look into high-demand programs like advanced machining, health sciences and automotive technology.  They are able to see how their education links up with the real world. It’s a great story.  Also, the concept of the Enterprise Campus is a recent important development.

MidlandsBiz:
Talk about the origins of the Enterprise Campus. 

Sonny White:
The 150 acres of land in Northeast Columbia was bought fortuitously by our MTC Commission when Dr. Jim Hudgins was president.  At the time, the commission looked at this land as a possible traditional campus for the future.  But now with the way the global economy has evolved, the college has had to change its focus on the best way to develop that land.

MidlandsBiz:
What is goal of the Enterprise Campus?

Sonny White:
Our goal is to foster enterprise, entrepreneurship, and small-business development.

We are now focused on a cluster approach to economic development in this state.  The University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University create the research, but that research has to be commercialized and brought to market.  We have incredible incubator programs associated with the universities.  But what happens then?

That’s where the MTC Enterprise Campus comes in.  We are building a business accelerator on that campus to facilitate companies that come out of an incubator program, or that might parachute in from outside the state.  These companies have to be ones that make sense for South Carolina – companies that improve our per-capita income by exploiting present or emerging technologies, and that can be a source of long-term competitive advantage.

We will continue to react to the needs of area businesses by offering the training they need.  But now we are being more proactive, looking ahead to see what these companies’ needs will be in the future, and then preparing a workforce for those jobs today.  That’s our vision for the MTC Enterprise Campus.   We continue to work with the Department of Commerce, the Central South Carolina Alliance, and other economic development forces to identify companies that would be a good fit for the MTC Enterprise Campus.  We can also help with small-business development by teaching and training entrepreneurs.

MidlandsBiz:
What are you most proud of at Midlands Technical College? 

Sonny White:
I am most proud of our great faculty and staff who have committed to our vision.  I spend about 75 percent of my time outside the walls of this college interacting with businesses, the community and with our partners in the school districts
and the research universities.  I serve on about 20 different community boards.  I would not be able to do this without the support and talents of this great faculty and staff here at MTC, and without a tremendously supportive wife.  I call our college employees Angels of Hope, because they give people of all ages and educational backgrounds an opportunity to get the skills they need to be successful.

We are proud of the college’s open access, accessibility and affordability for all students.  We’ve opened a new campus in Batesburg-Leesville and we will be building a new facility on the Harbison Campus to increase our course offerings. We’re growing at the Airport Campus to accommodate our very popular programs in Nursing and Health Sciences.  We are also looking to increase our presence in Fairfield County.

I’m also proud of the diversity we have at Midlands Technical College – we are 60% Caucasian, 40% minority, mostly African American.  And I’m proud of the impact we have in the Midlands.  About 90 percent of our students come from Richland, Lexington, and Fairfield counties.  And when they graduate and find jobs, they stay here and work in the Midlands.

I am proud of our Commission – the governing board here at MTC – they often dedicate 30 to 40 hours a month to the college.  That’s on top of their regular jobs.  They are great business and community leaders who are all aligned with what we are trying to achieve.

MidlandsBiz:
What leaders in the field of education do you admire?
 
Sonny White:
I admire Andrew Sorensen and Jim Barker, the presidents of USC and Clemson.  They understand and value the linkages between the technical colleges and the research universities.  We work hand-in-hand with the University of South Carolina every day in education and economic development.   We have more than 40 different initiatives going on with USC right now and an increasing number with Clemson.  That’s all directly related to the leadership of Dr. Sorensen and Mr. Barker. 

MidlandsBiz:
What other leaders have inspired you?

Sonny White:
Dr. Jim Bostic.  He was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Clemson and the first African American on the Board of Trustees at Clemson.  He was also a White House Fellow, and was the Executive Vice President at Georgia-Pacific.  I could go on and on.  He retired the end of last year and is now on the Progress Energy Board, the ACT Board, and the state of Georgia Board of Education.  He came from rural Marlboro County, and to be able to do all those things is remarkable. He has had a tremendous impact on people’s lives. In one of Colin Powell’s books, he calls Jim Bostic his little brother.

MidlandsBiz:
What are a couple of your favorite books about education?

Sonny White:
There’s a great book called Tough Choices or Tough Times that’s a short read, but an excellent overview of the challenges that this country is facing in the global economy. It was put together by experts on education at the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE).  Dick Riley, the former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education, served with this group. If we don’t try and implement some of the suggestions in this book, times will be even tougher for us as a nation.   I also frequently refer to Thomas L. Friedman’s book, The World is Flat.

MidlandsBiz:
What worries you about with the direction that high school education is taking in South Carolina? 

Sonny White:
Well, that is not my jurisdiction.  I appreciate all the hard work of the public schools, but I think we all recognize that the pipeline of students coming into higher education and technical education in particular is not as large as it needs to be.  You can’t have a high dropout rate and hope to have 85 to 90 percent of your population go on to post-secondary education.

We also need to appreciate our teachers more, and we need our best teachers in the areas of the state where they are needed most.  We need to make sure there is parity and equality in the resources that go all across the state.  The urban counties are affected by the small rural counties.  We need to recognize we are all part of the same state, and we are all affected greatly by what goes on in the other counties.

MidlandsBiz:
Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Sonny White:
As long as I’m healthy and I can provide value, I want to keep going!  I just want to keep getting out there, pushing the message about what we need to do here in South Carolina.

I see this as a calling; I get out of bed running every morning; I love it.