University of South Carolina Beaufort

The University of South Carolina
Beaufort

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Type	Public
Established	1795; reestablished 1959
Chancellor	Al Panu
Academic staff	109
Undergraduates	1,875
Location	Beaufort , South Carolina , U.S.
Campus	rural, 208 acres (84 ha)
Colors	Navy blue, Sand, Garnet
Nickname	Sand Sharks
Affiliations	The Sun Conference
Website	www.uscb.edu
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The University of South Carolina Beaufort (often abbreviated to USCB or USC-Beaufort) is a public university serving nearly 2,000 students with two campuses located in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. The larger "Hilton Head Gateway" campus is located between Bluffton and Hardeeville near Hilton Head Island. The original Historic Beaufort campus is located in downtown Beaufort.

History

In 1795, a preparatory school and college in Beaufort was chartered as the Beaufort College to serve the families of local planters. Classes began in 1802 and the college reached a prominent status in the community during the antebellum period. The college was forced to close in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War and the Beaufort College building, constructed in 1852, was occupied by the Union forces for use as a hospital.

The college building was used by the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction and it was an elementary school from 1909 to 1959. In the 1950s, two factors brought about the return of higher education to the Beaufort region. The University of South Carolina sought to expand its reach throughout the state by the establishment of extension campuses and the Beaufort County Higher Education Commission was formed by prominent citizens of Beaufort to bring such a campus to the area. A branch campus of the University of South Carolina was established in 1959 at the site of the old Beaufort College, but the official opening was delayed by Hurricane Gracie.

The campus experienced steady growth through the years and it expanded south along Carteret Street. In 2002, the campus was upgraded from a regional campus to a senior campus offering bachelor's degrees. USCB opened a second, 200-acre (81 ha) campus with housing in Bluffton. In 2004, it also began offering programs for the Marine Corps on Parris Island.

Academics

USCB is one of the 3 senior campuses in the University of South Carolina system and is a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited four-year university. It also offers the bachelor's degree in human services online through Palmetto College. 1,875 students attended the University at one of its two campuses during the Fall 2011 semester.

USCB offers the region's only human services degree as well as more traditional degrees like English, psychology, business and education. The school opened a nursing facility in Spring 2009. Human simulators provide nursing students hands-on training opportunities. Another popular program capitalizing on nearby Hilton Head Island resorts is the hospitality management program which draws international students and provides internship experiences. The biology program allows students to explore and study first-hand the continental-shelf and estuarine environment with a new concentration in coastal ecology and conservation.

USCB is also home to the Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Institute (LRITI). The South Carolina Lowcountry region provides tourists a rich, distinct, and diverse vacation experience. In order to provide and enhance those experiences, conducting tourism research, understanding issues, and discovering trends are vital. Therefore, the primary goal of the LRITI is to investigate, examine, and interpret tourism information that will support the tourism directives for Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, and Hampton Counties. The LRITI is affiliated with the Department of Hospitality Management at University of South Carolina Beaufort. For more information about the Institute visit www.lriti.org.

Student activities

Student organizations

The University of South Carolina Beaufort has numerous student organizations. The largest organization on campus is the Student Government Association. It consists of twelve student senators and an executive board.

Gamma Beta Phi

A first-class organization which was incorporated on March 22, 1964. The Society is a non-secret, non-profit, scholastic, honor, education-service organization that recognizes and encourages excellence in education, promotes the development of leadership ability and character in its members, and fosters, disseminates, and improves education by appropriate service projects.

Athletics

Main article: University of South Carolina–Beaufort Sand Sharks

File:USCBSandSharks.png

Official Athletics logo

South Carolina–Beaufort (USCB) teams, nicknamed athletically as the Sand Sharks, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level, primarily competing in The Sun Conference, formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC). Men's sports include baseball, cross country, golf and track & field; while women's sports include cross country, golf, soccer, softball and track & field.

Both the Sand Shark baseball and softball teams currently practice and play all home games at the City of Hardeeville's Recreation Complex (The Richard Gray Baseball Complex).

Housing

Palmetto Village

Palmetto Village is located on USCB's South Campus in Bluffton. The seven apartment buildings are named after the surrounding counties and rivers: Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper, Chechesse, May River, Okatee River.,Port Royal and Combahee RiverStudents living in Palmetto Village are within walking distance from all campus buildings. Each apartment contains 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen and living room. Apartments are empty upon rent.

External links

• Official website
• USCB Athletics website