SMC – Accommodating the Needs of ALL Students for 104 years 

SPARTANBURG, SC – Spartanburg Methodist College has a long precedent for providing students resources for education and for life. When SMC’s visionary founder, Dr. David English Camak, established the college in 1911, he created the first cooperative education program in the nation – allowing students to work a week in the textile industry then attend classes for a week. This perceptive embrace of the immediate needs of students, coupled with the college’s affiliation with the United Methodist Church, resonates the “open Hearts, open minds, open doors” tenet of both the Church and SMC.

Although SMC does not have extensive programming and services for disabled students, the college has a formidable history of working with students who require accommodations due to physical or learning impairments. It begins with Admissions, who calls the SMC family together to talk with the student and parent/family to determine specific needs and how SMC can meet that need; such as, the Advisor and the Registrar who move classes around to get first floor access or elevator access; Student Support Services who make special note taking and testing arrangements, and provide tutoring, counseling, and mentoring; and Student Development staff who arrange for housing and cafeteria access.

SMC’s Student Support Services program typically serves 30-35 students per year and since the needs of each student are different, the accommodations for each student are especially tailored for that student and all accommodations are flexible and confidential. Students with cerebral palsy or other mobility issues due to injuries, etc. are directed to SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department programs that provide electric scooters for assistance around campus.

Halsey Carey French was a student at SMC from 2005 to 2007, graduating with an Associate of Arts – and, she happened to be hearing impaired. Described by her professors as a phenomenal student (3.574 GPA), Halsey continued her education at Belmont University in Nashville – earning a degree in Music Business. Halsey summarized her SMC experience as “without a doubt, the BEST two years of my life. I only wish SMC was a four year school.” Halsey was a member of the dance team, POPS, served as a Presidential Ambassador and was active in service leadership. She stated her professors were very accommodating to her needs and allowed her to sit close to the front of the classroom and were available to talk at any time. “I

would definitely encourage any student to attend SMC, you aren’t a number – you get individualized attention from professors who care about your needs and sincerely want you to succeed.” Today Halsey is married to Brian, her high school sweetheart and works as an instructional assistant in a special needs classroom at New Providence Elementary. SMC was recommended to Halsey by her Lexington High School Guidance Counselor, and it should come as no surprise, she plans to pursue a Master’s in Guidance Counseling.

Mike Queen, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Marketing for SMC, shared “Halsey was one of the very first students I toured around the campus when I started at SMC in 2004 and that experience left a lasting impression on me. When I informed Halsey of her acceptance, her mother and grandmother wept tears of relief and gratitude knowing Halsey had found a home where SMC’s support systems would allow her to not only receive an education but allow her to be a successful and independent college student.”

“The students with special needs who take full advantage of all SMC has to offer are our special joy! To see them walk across the stage at graduation brings me to tears with great admiration for their perseverance,” shared Dr. Ann Bowles, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

SMC is South Carolina’s only private, residential college exclusively for freshmen and sophomore students and one of only four colleges in South Carolina affiliated with the United Methodist Church. SMC’s mission is to transform lives in a values-oriented, student-centered atmosphere in the Christian tradition that encourages academic excellence, intellectual exploration, social awareness, and character development within the liberal arts tradition. Spartanburg Methodist College, founded in 1911, is proud of its heritage of providing “the opportunity TO BE your best and the inspiration TO DO great things.”