COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy auyellowjackets.com) — The Allen University Yellow Jackets Softball team spent some time away from campus as they gave back to their community to help the Columbia Miracle League this month. The Miracle League provides children with mental and physical handicaps an environment that allows them to enjoy America’s favorite pastime.

Sa’riyah Hartsfield is 4 years old and has Cerebral Palsy due to a non-accidental injury. According to her mom Alma, this is her first year with Miracle League. “It gives her an opportunity to enjoy herself with like peers. She had a ball. I was very happy to see young athletes so dedicated to a worthy cause and support it by volunteering their Saturday to ensure that the Miracle League game would be a success.”

Sophomore captain Kyla Reeves said, “Coming out to work the Miracle League was the best opportunity I could ever have. I always wanted to help because Miracle League really means a lot to me, as I have a sibling who has down syndrome.”

“Giving back to the community that supports us is very important to me,” said Head Coach Tatjana Matthews. “Watching my young ladies dance, laugh, play and make an impact on these young athletes fills me with pride and shows me that they truly get what this game is all about.”

Miracle League is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities while educating the public and promoting a greater understanding of matters concerning individuals with disabilities. Interested players or volunteers can contact Doug Elliott at douglas.elliott@columbiasc.gov or call 803-545-0456.

ANDERSON, S.C. (courtesy andersonuniversity.edu) — Anderson University and Tri-County Technical College (Tri-County) have formed a partnership designed to enhance the transfer of students from Tri-County to AU. The partnership is intended to serve students by providing program support and services through a seamless transfer pathway that prepares and acclimates students desiring to matriculate at AU.

The agreement establishes articulation pathways for Tri-County students seeking the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Bachelor of Business Administration (with concentrations in business adminstration, marketing, and operation management)
• Bachelor of Arts – Criminal Justice (with law enforcement operations concentration)

​Tri-County students who complete an Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Sciences (A.S.), Associate Degree in Nursing (A.D.N.) or an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Business or Criminal Justice are eligible to participate. Graduates or students who are pursuing the aforementioned degrees who complete 30 transferable credits (with grades of C or better) with a 2.50 grade point average (GPA) will be guaranteed admission to AU upon successfully completing all steps for enrollment. Additional admissions requirements may exist for particular academic programs. While admissions to AU is guaranteed, courses will be evaluated for transfer credit and applicability to the intended AU major/degree program. To support students in making progress towards both the Tri-County associate’s and AU bachelor’s degrees, students will have academic and advising support of both Tri-County’s faculty advisors and AU’s academic advisors. Students will have the option of completing their AU bachelor’s degree program by taking courses fully online, on-campus or a combination of online and on-campus. AU will waive the admissions application fee for students transferring from Tri-County through the AU Bridge Program.

As part of the AU Bridge Program students will be offered the opportunity to participate in identified AU programs and events, such as access to the university’s library and Trojan athletic events.

“We’re excited to strengthen our ties with Tri-County Technical College to benefit TCTC students as they continue their education while staying close to home,” said Anderson University President Evans P. Whitaker. “AU is committed to supporting TCTC students within the community by offering innovative programs alongside the dedicated academic support that AU is known for.”

“At Tri-County, we are committed to increasing access to higher education for the citizens of Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties, including access to a bachelor’s degree by way of applied associate degrees in our career programs,” said Dr. Galen DeHay, president of Tri-County Technical College. “Many of our students complete an associate degree in a career program so they are prepared for immediate entry into the workforce. We have made a concerted effort to create pathways that will allow them to go on to earn a bachelor’s degree, should they choose to do so, without loss of time, credits or money,” he said.

“With this agreement signed, a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University will be accessible, affordable and available to our graduates,” DeHay said.

The AU Bridge Program will begin in the Fall of 2020. Individuals and prospective students can contact Lucas Moore, assistant director of admissions and transfer coordinator at Anderson University, via email (lmoore@andersonuniversity.edu) and Dr. Kristen Karasek, director of bridge programs and educational partnerships at Tri-County, via email (kkarasek@tctc.edu).

COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy benedict.edu) — Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Artis: Bathsheba Benedict clearly had a plan for the future in mind (vision) and she demonstrated that she was willing to risk her financial investment during those turbulent times, when many who tried to create educational opportunities for the descendants of the former enslaved were met with violence. However, she forged ahead with the plan to provide a quality education for the newly emancipated men and women (entrepreneurial). Although education in general, and higher education specifically, was not a new idea or concept, providing a college education to Black men and women was indeed a disruption to the post-civil war education model (innovation).

That spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation continues today at Benedict College, where we have forged a path towards capturing and cultivating innovation and entrepreneurship amongst our majority first-generation college students.

First and foremost, we are meeting our students (and their talents) where they are. Tiger Cutz is one such example. We noticed that students are starting college with established small businesses – they are licensed barbers, cosmetologists and nail technicians. This “side hustle economy” provides much needed resources for college students struggling to purchase food, clothing and, in some instances, help pay for tuition and books. Having such an outlet can also serve (and service) the needs of students, as well as faculty and staff, right on campus. In addition, the proximity of Tiger Cutz on campus can also service the greater community in which the college operates.

But we did not stop there! Tiger Cutz is not only a salon, but it is a Cosmetology Makers Space! Our Tiger-stylists will be challenged by faculty and industry mentors to collaborate on innovations in this industry sector and bring them to market! Thus, positioning Tiger Cutz as a credible marketplace for local, entrepreneurial-based hair-skin product lines.

Benedict College is also realigning the Tyrone A. Burroughs Small Business Incubator to focus on developing and supporting the entrepreneurial needs of women and people of color. Thus far, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration (SBA), Benedict College has hosted two standing-room-only small business and innovation conferences, designed to educate and empower African American entrepreneurs and small business owners. Recently, Benedict was the launch location for HER+IDEA, the economic development initiative of the national NAACP that specifically targets female collegiate innovators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Finally, the evidence of the strength of entrepreneurism and innovation that is embedded in the soil of Benedict College is the history-making and comic-world-disruptor Bitter Root! Conceived in-between classes, dates and eating in the café, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown were young college students at Benedict when they developed the concept for Bitter Root, a captivating comic narrative set in the Harlem Renaissance. The popular comic book series, set to be a legendary film production directed by Ryan Coogler, has captured the attention of Harvard scholars and hip-hop artists alike. Greene, whose illustrative genius brought Black Panther to life, also serves as artist-in-residence, creator and instructor for Benedict College’s master class in sequential art.