Benedict College is our Hidden Gem

Recently, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina was invited to visit Benedict College to receive the 2013 Community Leadership Award presented by the School of Business. The Foundation’s Board Chair, Dee Dee Chewning, along with Sister Nancy Hendershot, CSA, and all Foundation staff attended the special ceremony. President Swinton was extremely hospitable in welcoming us and I found the faculty, staff, and students to be engaging, kind, professional and truly interested in the work of the Foundation and the individuals and families we serve.

Although Benedict College is just down the street from my office, it had been several years since I visited the College’s campus. However, I had an “aha moment” after my visit.

Often times, perceptions overshadow reality when people look at an Institution like Benedict College. For example, did you know…

Benedict College is the home of the…

• Nationally-ranked, award-winning, Benedict College Gospel Choir.
• Honors Debate Team Champions.
• Basketball Team Champions (Men and Women).
• Cross Country Team Champions (Men).

 Benedict College has national academic accreditations:

• The School of Business and Economics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
• The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
• Social Work Program was the 1st HBCU social work program in South Carolina to be nationally accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• Benedict College is the 2nd HBCU in the nation and the 1st in South Carolina to receive national accreditation for its Environmental Health Program by the Environmental Health Accreditation Council (EHAC).
• The Child Development Center serves over 70 children and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Benedict has national academic rankings:

 

• Benedict College was ranked 1 of the top 10 colleges in the nation in producing African Americans with an undergraduate Physics degree, as reported by the Education and Employment Statistic Division of the American Institute of Physics.
• The Benedict College pioneering Service Learning Program is a national model program and serves over 114 non-profit organizations around the Midlands. The program recently won the 6th Annual Commission on Higher Education’s Service Learning Competition.

Benedict College is in the business of Community Development:

• The Benedict-Allen Community Development Corporation was established to acquire, rehabilitate, resell or lease sub-standard housing and remove blight from surrounding College neighborhoods.
• The Business Development Center recently partnered with the FDIC to implement its Money Smart program that teaches people how to understand credit, personal budgets, and assesses the cost and benefits of consumer and home loans.

Therefore, here is what I believe. I believe the reality is that Benedict College’s students and faculty are committed to learning and teaching and that, collectively, they are embracing higher education in exciting ways. I witnessed the magnificent choir, stellar student leaders, confident and poised and young people from all across the country that chose Benedict College for its mission and value added for being part of a Historically Black College/University (HBCU).

My hope is that you will join me in applauding President David Swinton, Dean Gerald Smalls, and the entire Benedict College for its contribution to the Midlands and to the state of South Carolina. I now realize more than ever what we have here in Columbia. Benedict College is a “hidden gem” that often does not get credit for the education it provides or for the impact they have on preparing students as future leaders. The reality is, they are a great Institution and I am proud to call them my neighbor.