HARTSVILLE, S.C. (courtesy coker.edu) — On behalf of Coker University and its board of trustees, Angie Stanland, chairman of the board, announced on May 7 the election of Dr. Natalie Harder as the institution’s 17th president. Dr. Harder, chancellor of South Louisiana Community College (SLCC), will begin her term as president of Coker University on June 1.

“In Dr. Harder we’ve found a leader who is truly unique in her commitment to expanding student opportunities and student success,” says Stanland. “Her track record is shaped by her expertise in building a culture of excellence and integrity, her emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration, and her devotion to developing community engagement. Dr. Harder is a nationally-recognized leader in higher education who has demonstrated the type of strong, dynamic, and enlightened leadership that will propel Coker in new directions.”

In the nationwide search, Dr. Harder emerged as the top choice from a diverse pool of more than 100 highly-accomplished leaders. Among the finalists, she received the unanimous recommendation of the presidential search committee, which consisted of Coker University trustees, staff, faculty, students, and alumni, and a unanimous vote from the board of trustees.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead this impressive institution and further its mission to educate the new student majority,” says Dr. Harder. “I hope to build on Coker’s many strengths, including its student success initiatives, academic opportunities, and career readiness. Coker’s faculty, staff, board of trustees, alumni, students, and the Hartsville community are great assets. I look forward to honoring Coker’s many traditions while moving the university to new levels of innovation and success.”

Since 2012, Dr. Harder has served as the Chancellor of South Louisiana Community College (SLCC), where she was responsible for all academic and operational aspects of the institution. In this role, she built a student-centered culture focused on support, engagement, and retention, expanded the college’s network of community partnerships, and grew enrollment from 6,100 students to over 18,000. Through her leadership, SLCC reached unprecedented success in student outcomes, including increasing the graduation rate five-fold between 2012 and 2017, and doubling the number of degree, diploma, and certificate programs. Dr. Harder also fueled fundraising at SLCC, securing a $12.6 million grant, the largest ever awarded to SLCC, and the development of an institutional advancement and alumni office which resulted in an increase of more than 15 times the number of scholarships awarded to students and the addition of 20 new endowed scholarships.

In addition to leading the growth of SLCC, Dr. Harder has held several state and system-wide responsibilities in Louisiana’s community college system, which has 12 institutions serving more than 150,000 students. Most recently, she was chairman of a statewide student success task force focused on removing barriers to enrollment, redesigning developmental education, and coordinating student services.

Dr. Harder’s contributions have garnered national recognition for SLCC including awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and a nomination for the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

Dr. Harder has served in numerous leadership positions in support of higher education and economic development, including serving on the executive committee for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges where she chaired its Public Policy and Government Relations Committee, and as a director on the Louisiana Higher Education Commissioner Task Force for the National Governors Association to increase adult student completion rates. In 2019, she was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Human Capital Advisory Council and elected Chairman of the Board for One Acadiana, a regional economic development organization where she also serves as co-chair for its Workforce and Education Committee.

Prior to her appointment as Chancellor of SLCC, Dr. Harder served as vice president of institutional advancement at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia and executive director of the Erie Community College Foundation in Buffalo, New York. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, SLCC, Old Dominion University, Patrick Henry Community College, and Ashford University.

Dr. Harder holds a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, an M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Dr. Harder and her husband, Cian Robinson, have two adult sons and will live in Hartsville.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Superior collegiate teaching transcends the traditional boundaries of the classroom, as shown by the response of SCICU’s 2020 “Excellence In Teaching” award recipients in moving to remote/online instruction related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 marks the 15th year that SCICU has recognized leading professors from the 20 member colleges and universities, but marks the first and hopefully only time the annual awards dinner and celebration is sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As in previous years, each Excellence In Teaching award winner is presented with a framed certificate and a $3,000 professional development grant. The certificates and professional development grant checks have been shipped to the award recipients via their respective college/university presidents.

The 20 Excellence In Teaching award recipients represent a wide diversity of academic disciplines. While many of the professors honored are leading academicians in the sciences, others are noted for their excellence in the humanities, including English, theatre, economics, international policy, history, and psychology.

Excellence In Teaching award recipients bring a wealth of knowledge, compassion, and enthusiasm to the students attending SCICU’s member colleges and universities throughout South Carolina. The professors nominated by their campuses for the 2020 SCICU Excellence In Teaching awards include:

• Allen University – Dr. Michael Lane
• Anderson University – Dr. Paige Ellisor-Catoe
• Benedict College – Ms. Ruby Blair
• Charleston Southern University – Dr. Mela Wyeth
• Claflin University – Dr. Harpal S. Grewal
• Coker College – Dr. Graham Wood
• Columbia College – Dr. AnnMarie C. Knight
• Columbia International University – Dr. Lynn Hoekstra
• Converse College – Dr. Chandra Owenby Hopkins
• Erskine College – Dr. Catherine White
• Furman University – Professor Maegan M. Azar
• Limestone College – Dr. Alex Richardson
• Morris College – Ms. Priscilla Patten
• Newberry College – Dr. Sara A. Peters
• North Greenville University – Dr. Melissa L. Cruver
• Presbyterian College – Dr. Charles Clinton Harshaw
• Southern Wesleyan University – Dr. Steven Hayduk
• Spartanburg Methodist College – Dr. Litasha Dennis
• Voorhees College – Professor Alicia A. Davis
• Wofford College – Dr. Britton W. Newman

SCICU appreciates the corporate sponsors who recognize the value of independent higher education through their financial support of the Excellence In Teaching program. Each year corporate sponsorships make possible the awards dinner and celebration for the Excellence In Teaching award winners and their guests. In previous years, SCICU hosted more than 150 guests at the annual Excellence In Teaching awards dinner at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

The following businesses are recognized for their support of the 2020 Excellence In Teaching program:

• Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd P.A.
• M.B. Kahn Builders
• McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
• TD Bank
• Total Comfort Solutions

SCICU also thanks M. B. Kahn for the redirection of their Excellence In Teaching dinner sponsorship funds to the SCICU Discretionary Scholarship Program, which helps students in times of financial emergency.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (courtesy converse.edu) – Converse College has announced that the Converse Board of Trustees unanimously approved the admission of men into the undergraduate residential cohort beginning in fall 2020, one year earlier than anticipated.

The College announced in February 2020 that the co-educational undergraduate residential component would be implemented beginning fall 2021. The Board noted that the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has changed the plans of many students and families, including those in the Upstate. In particular, regional students may need a more affordable option and may desire to remain closer to home. Converse recognizes that the current situation is anticipated to cause a 10-20% decline in enrollment across higher education and determined that this early adoption will help ensure a thriving future for Converse and for its current and future students.

“The careful, proactive planning that brought Converse to the February 2020 announcement and timeline was part of ongoing efforts to ensure a thriving future for Converse as it continues to build on its history of academic excellence,” said Converse president Krista L. Newkirk. “When we made the announcement in February to add an undergraduate co-educational college in 2021 alongside our women’s college, we never anticipated the current challenges. Today, students and their families are reconsidering what their fall semesters will look like as they face financial impacts that may require them to put a pause on spending.”

Newkirk continues, “Some students may wish to remain closer to home should a second wave of the novel coronavirus hit in the fall of 2020. Without a doubt, the preparation for the fall 2020 semester will be unlike any experienced in recent history for colleges and universities across the world.”

Phyllis Perrin Harris, ’82 alumna and Chair of the Converse Board of Trustees said, “The decision to accelerate the date to admit undergraduate residential men was made to open Converse to as many qualified students as possible so that they have the opportunity to learn from our dynamic faculty and be a part of the distinctive programming that Converse has to offer. Admitting males will also provide valuable input opportunities for our transition committees as we work to ensure a smooth transition where each student is supported and placed on a path for success.”

Immediately following the co-educational announcement in February 2020, Converse formed committees and charged them with thoughtfully and deliberately addressing the transition in areas such as traditions, athletics, student life, housing and security, communications, and more. Members of these committees represent Converse students, faculty, staff, alumnae/I, Board of Trustees and community members. Their work will continue as they examine the transition areas in depth and will be meeting over the summer and through 2021, providing reports and recommendations to the senior administrators at Converse and to the Board of Trustees. As Converse accelerates the admission of men to their undergraduate cohort, they will evaluate these areas as they apply to fall 2020 and make thoughtful adjustments as needed.

Converse’s plan for fall 2020 is to return to campus and resume a face-to-face learning environment. Converse administrators and the Board will constantly evaluate this situation and the projections and provide updates as they make these decisions, always placing the safety and health of the Converse community first.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCICU colleges and universities are changing campus operations to protect students, faculty, staff, and their surrounding communities. Please click on the colleges and universities below to access updated information regarding campus operations:

Allen University

Anderson University

Benedict College

Charleston Southern University

Claflin University

Coker University

Columbia College

Columbia International University

Converse College

Erskine College

Furman University

Limestone College

Morris College

Newberry College

North Greenville University

Presbyterian College

Southern Wesleyan University

Spartanburg Methodist College

Voorhees College

Wofford College

As with everything else, state government has been impacted by COVID-19.

The General Assembly passed and the governor signed into law emergency funding legislation allocating an additional $45 million to DHEC for responding to COVID-19.

Following the vote House Speaker Jay Lucas announced that the House would not be in session for two weeks, and perhaps longer. President of the Senate Harvey Peeler announced the Senate would not be in session last week and did not return this week.

Also passed was a continuing resolution directing the state government to continue operating under the FY 2019-20 budget during the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year, should the General Assembly be unable to pass a FY 2020-21 budget by June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

Looking down a dark road, we have yet to see any projections how the many shutdowns during COVID-19 will affect state revenue. The worst case (though not out of the realm of possibility) scenario is similar to FY 2008-09 when the Board of Economic Advisors projected reductions in revenue and thus automatic comparable cuts to state agency budgets. That would include the Tuition Grants Commission.

For his part Governor McMaster has issued numerous Executive Orders including declaring a state of emergency, closing on-campus operations at K-12 schools, closing public universities and colleges until the end of April, directing state employees to work from home, prohibiting restaurants and bars from offering table service (they can provide takeout for food and alcohol), and ordering law enforcement officers to disperse at their discretion gatherings of three or more people.