Spartanburg Community College celebrates relocation of School of Business to downtown campus
September 27, 2017
On Tuesday, September 26, Spartanburg Community College celebrated the relocation of the College’s School of Business to the SCC Downtown Campus, welcoming community leaders, elected officials, SCC students and business graduates, to the new location to discuss the value of this strategic move to Spartanburg’s thriving downtown.
“Today we celebrate a new page in the history of the Evans Academic Center – the move of our business programs in the heart of Spartanburg at our SCC Downtown Campus – so our students can benefit from studying and learning in a vibrant business district,” explained Henry C. Giles, Jr., SCC president. “This facility is a special place for Spartanburg, and it is magnificent. But, more importantly, it has been a vital part of our community and produced many graduates who have been, and are, leaders in Spartanburg, South Carolina and our nation.”
Giles added that moving the College’s business programs – accounting administrative office, marketing and management – was at the request of the business faculty. “They are excited about opportunities to work with local businesses to ensure that our students are prepared for their future, and so they can continue their education at one of our great partner institutions – Converse College, Wofford College and “The George” at USC Upstate.
Renee Trammell, SCC’s School of Business chair, said, “There are multiple business entities here – for-profit and non-profit organizations – so we are taking knowledge out of the confines of a textbook – the business, legal, medical, financial organizations that are here – and connecting all those facets that tie very closely into the programs we offer. Our move is the dichotomy of old meets new – the historic meeting the innovative; beautiful, gothic architecture meeting busy, urban streets.
Trammell adds that the new location will also make it easier for employers to visit the School of Business to meet students, and in turn, allow students to take advantage of internships and job shadowing opportunities with these employers.
Guest speakers at Tuesday’s event included Max T. Hyde, Jr., attorney/owner of Hyde Law Firm and Spartanburg City Councilman-elect for District 4, and Ben Stubbs, SCC business graduate and the Outreach/Veteran Treatment Court Coordinator with Upstate Warrior Solutions.
Speaking to students, Hyde asked said, “We can write our own scripts for our lives. What do you want your life to look like? I’m reminded of people who have walked these halls, these last decades, people who have sat in these same places. We have a whole spectrum of people who have accomplished and achieved from the highest spectrum – SC supreme court justice, doctors, singer, philanthropists. But, we all have to look within to find the truth – you have to remember who you are. That’s the essence of education – knowing who you are and being confident in your own skin.
Ben Stubbs, SCC graduate and the outreach/veteran treatment court coordinator with Upstate Warrior Solutions, shared his personal experiences of attending college after completing military service and SCC’s influence on his educational pathway. When introducing Stubbs, Renee Trammell said, “Next summer Ben will have graduated with an associate degree, bachelor’s degree and master’s degree within four years – all while remaining debt free utilizing the Post 9/11 GI Bill.”
Stubbs attended SCC and graduated in 2016 with an associate in arts degree, transferred to USC Upstate where he graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and business. In addition to working with Upstate Warrior Solutions, which is housed at the SCC Downtown Campus, Stubbs is also pursuing a master’s of business administration degree with an emphasis in entrepreneurial innovation from Clemson University and will graduate in summer 2018.
“Moving the School of Business programs to our Downtown Campus has been a wonderful opportunity for our students, faculty and staff given the growth and synergy that’s going on in the City of Spartanburg right now,” explained Trammell. “Our faculty felt strongly that this move would be a natural fit for our programs, and so far, we have not been disappointed. Learning in the historic Evans Academic Center has really been motivating for our students.”
