Stockwell Elected to Foundation Board
January 5, 2012
SPARTANBURG, SC – January 5, 2011 – The Spartanburg County Foundation is pleased to announce the election of John C. Stockwell, Ph.D., to Trusteeship. Dr. Stockwell’s term is for seven years.
John C. Stockwell served as chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate from 1994 to 2011, leading the University toward its vision as one of the leading metropolitan universities in the Southeast. Under his leadership, the University experienced outstanding growth in academic reputation, capital development and public/private partnerships. Enrollments doubled to nearly 6,000 students, including a diverse student population with 60 nations represented in the campus community and a minority enrollment of over 30 percent. In addition, Dr. Stockwell led the University toward completion of its campus master plan, including multi-million dollar capital developments in classroom space, academic support facilities, housing, athletics facilities, and, most notably, the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics in downtown Spartanburg. A number of access and beautification initiatives were also accomplished across the 320 acre campus, including a $50 million highway infrastructure project.
Prior to accepting his position at USC Upstate, Dr. Stockwell served as provost then as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside; dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the State University of New York-Cortland; chair of the Department of Speech and Theatre at Indiana State University; and director of theatre at California State University Northridge. Dr. Stockwell earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in theatre at Bowling Green State University, and his bachelor’s degree from Cedarville College. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management.
Dr. Stockwell has been actively involved in the Spartanburg community, serving on a variety of boards and committees. His past board involvement includes serving as the founding chair of Spartanburg’s Chapter of the Urban League of the Upstate and as a board member of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, chairing the Chamber Board in 2009. In addition to serving on The Spartanburg County Foundation’s Board, he presently serves on the boards of the College Hub, the Charles Lea Center Foundation, the Children’s Services Alliance and the Spartanburg Day School.
Known throughout the region for his community leadership, Dr. Stockwell is the recipient of numerous recognitions including the Neville Holcombe Distinguished Citizenship Award and the South Carolina Quality Forum’s Milliken Medal of Quality Award.
Dr. Stockwell and his wife, Dr. Diane Vecchio, a professor of history at Furman University, have four grown children and two grandchildren.
The Spartanburg County Foundation is a community trust established for the purpose of promoting such charitable pursuits, as in the judgment of the Trustees of the Foundation, will best make for the mental, moral, intellectual, and physical improvement, assistance, relief, and well-being of the citizens of the Greater Spartanburg County, South Carolina area.
For more information about The Spartanburg County Foundation, please visit www.spcf.org.
