| South Carolina State University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Scientia, Officium, Honos |
| Motto in English | Knowledge, Duty, Honor |
| Established | March 4, 1896 |
| Type | Public, Land Grant, Space Grant |
| President | Dr. George E. Cooper, Ph.D. |
| Academic staff | 550 |
| Students | 5,000 |
| Location | Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States |
| Campus | 447 acres (181 ha), (160 acres (65 ha) at Orangeburg campus, 287 acres (116 ha) additional acres at Camp Harry Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina) |
| Colors | Garnet and Blue |
| Athletics | NCAA Division I |
| Nickname | Bulldogs or Lady Bulldogs |
| Mascot | Bulldogs |
| Website | www.scsu.edu |
South Carolina State University is a historically black university located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only state funded, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.
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State and national rankings
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The school's campus size is 160 acres (65 ha), with an additional 287 acres (116 ha) at Camp Harry Daniels in Elloree, South Carolina. Three buildings, Lowman Hall, Hodge Hall, and Dukes Gymnasium were placed in the South Carolina State College Historic District, making all three buildings National Historical Landmarks.
Academic programs received more attention as the student population increased, but other programs, such as the university's high school, were forced to close due to the Great Depression. Fortunately, the New Deal Programs were used to create, among other things, Wilkinson Hall, the university's first separate library building (now home to Admissions and Financial Aid).
The college's campus grew, as it purchased over 150 acres (61 ha) for agricultural learning. After World War II, many students flocked to the college, creating a classroom shortage problem for the school. In 1947, the United States Army created an ROTC detachment, in which all male students were required to enroll until mandatory enrollment ended in 1969. The school's name changed, as well, as the South Carolina General Assembly renamed the school South Carolina State College in 1954. Because of the "separate but equal" laws in the state, the legislature gave the college large sums of money to build new academic facilities and dormitories, some of which still stand on the campus today, including the Student Union (1954), and Turner Hall (1956). This was done in order to give black students an environment of "equal" education. Also, the legislature created a law program for the college, mainly to prevent black students from attending the law school at the then-segregated University of South Carolina. The law program folded in 1966 after the University of South Carolina integrated.
During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, many students participated in marches and rallies aimed at ending segregation. The struggle came to a climax on the night on February 8, 1968, when three students were killed and 27 others were wounded by state policemen at the height of a protest that opposed the segregation of a nearby bowling alley. The tragedy, known as the Orangeburg Massacre, is commemorated by a memorial plaza near the front of the campus. From the late-1960s to the mid-1980s, under the leadership of Dr. M. Maceo Nance, the campus experienced unprecedented growth in the form of new academic buildings, such as Nance Hall (1974) and Belcher Hall (1986), new residence halls, such as Sojourner Truth Hall (1972), which, at 14 stories, is the tallest building in Orangeburg County, and a new library building (1968), not to mention enlargements and renovations of existing facilities. The school also opened the I.P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium, which is the only facility of its kind on a historically black university campus in the United States. After Dr. Nance's retirement in 1986, Dr. Albert Smith assumed the office of the school's president and, among other achievements, created an honors college in 1988.
During the tenure of Dr. Smith, the school also gained university status from the South Carolina General Assembly, becoming South Carolina State University in February 1992. In 1993, Dr. Barbara Hatton became the school's first female president and created many improvements for the campus, such as the 1994 renovation of Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, constructing new suites and a larger press box, as well as increasing its capacity to 22,000. Hatton also spearheaded the creation of a plaza which resides in front of the Student Union and passes by several dorms and buildings in the central portion of the campus. Under SC State's next president, Dr. Leroy Davis, South Carolina State University celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1996, and the school constructed a Fine Arts Center in 1999, giving the Art and Music departments a new home.
| In an attempt to resurrect the shootings of the "Orangeburg Massacre", filmmaker Dan Klores made a short film entitled, "Black Magic" that debuted on ESPN March 16, 2008. Also set to broadcast on PBS in fall 2008, is the documentary film "Orangeburg," by Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson, both activists from the 1960s. Both films set out to shine light upon an incident that lacked media coverage on the night it occurred and days following. Since it commenced at night, no one expected the shootings and therefore limited pictures or television images were available to the general public. The little attention that this tragedy received was not all accurate either. It was originally perceived that this confrontation was fueled by "black power advocates" and that gunfire was exchanged between the law enforcement officials and the protesters. Later it was discovered that the victims were in fact all unarmed. The recent media awareness and film interest regarding this event may influence the passing of a bill that was introduced in 2007 to reopen the investigation into Orangeburg.[1] |
Under the leadership of Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr., the school constructed a new 771-bed residence hall (Hugine Suites), which is the largest dormitory in South Carolina. The first four buildings in Phase One opened on August 26, 2006, and the last two in the first phase opened on September 10, 2006. With the opening of the new dorms, SC State has closed the following dorms, Bethea (freshmen male), Miller (female), Bradham (female), and Manning (female) Halls. Both Bradham and Manning Halls had been used since the World War I era, Miller Hall is being closed due to fire alarm system malfunctions, and Bethea is being closed after 50 years of service due to numerous building and health problems. Bethea Hall will be torn down to make way for a new $33 million complex for the School of Engineering.
The dining halls, both Washington Dining Hall and "The Pitt", located in the Student Union, received major facelifts, and the dining hall inside Truth Hall has been renovated into a cyber cafe, Pete's Arena. The university is also working to renovate Lowman Hall, which, when refurbished, will be the new administration building. South Carolina State recently broke ground on the new James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center (UTC), which will be home to the only UTC in South Carolina, one of only three among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and one of only 33 total UTCs in the nation. Currently work is being done to expand Hodge Hall. This science building will be gaining some much needed research and laboratory space.
South Carolina State hosted the first debate of the 2008 Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Debate series. This event, which took place on April 26, 2007 at the Martin Luther King Auditorium, was televised nationally on MSNBC. This debate made SC State the first Historically Black University to host a Presidential Candidate Debate on its campus.
Hugine's contract was terminated by the SC State Board of Trustees on December 11, 2007, only four days before the Fall Commencement Exercises, by a telephone conference meeting. According to the Board, his reasons for dismissal were a performance review of Hugine for the 2006-2007 school year, and a second education review. Hugine is on administrative leave, and his last day as president was January 4, 2008. The Board decided to conduct a national search for a new president immediately. On December 13, 2007, the Board selected Dr. Leonard McIntyre, the Dean of the College of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences at SC State to serve as Interim President.
Hugine is the fourth president to leave SC State since Nance retired in 1986.
Dr. George Cooper, formerly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, assumed the presidency of S.C. State on July 16, 2008 and was the tenth president to be at SCSU University. The SC State Board of Trustees voted to terminate Cooper's contract on June 15, 2010. John E. Smalls, senior vice president of finance, was appointed to lead the university in the interim.[2] President Cooper was reinstated two weeks later after a change in board membership.[3] His predecessor, Andrew Hugine, Jr., who was also dismissed and sued the university, eventually accepting $60,000 to drop his suit for defamation and breach of contract.[4] Mr. Hugine, now president of Alabama A&M University sought $1-million from South Carolina State and $2-million from the trustees who voted to oust him.
South Carolina State is a charter member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and participates in NCAA Division I (FCS for college football). The school sponsors basketball, bowling, golf, soccer, volleyball, softball, cross country, track, and tennis for women, and basketball, bowling, tennis, track, golf, cross country, and football for men. The athletic teams compete as the Bulldogs or Lady Bulldogs and the school colors are garnet and blue.
The school's football team has won more conference championships than any other school in the MEAC, with wins in 1974, 1975 (shared title with North Carolina A&T), 1976 (shared title with Morgan State University), 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982 (shared title with Florida A&M), 1983, 1994, 2004, when it shared the title with Hampton University, 2008, 2009, and 2010 (shared title with Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M). The team also has four Black College Football National Championship titles, with the most recent title won in 2009.
In 1994, head coach Willie Jeffries led the team to a 10-2 record and defeated Grambling State University and coach Eddie Robinson in the Heritage Bowl by a score of 31-27, which crowned South Carolina State the 1994 Black College Football National Champions.
The university currently has chapters for all nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations
| Organization | Symbol | Chapter | Chapter Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority | ΑΚA | Beta Sigma | ΒΣ |
| Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity | ΑΦΑ | Beta Delta | BΔ |
| Delta Sigma Theta Sorority | ΔΣΘ | Alpha Xi | AΞ |
| Iota Phi Theta Fraternity | IΦΘ | Zeta Lambda | ZΛ |
| Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity | ΚΑΨ | Alpha Lambda | AΛ |
| Omega Psi Phi Fraternity | ΩΨΦ | Xi Psi | ΞΨ |
| Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity | ΦΒΣ | Eta Alpha | HA |
| Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority | ΣΓΡ | Zeta Kappa | ZK |
| Zeta Phi Beta Sorority | ΖΦΒ | Psi Alpha | ΨA |
Other National Organizations include:
| Organization | Symbol | Chapter | Chapter Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity | ΑKΨ | Kappa Upsilon | KY |
| Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity | KKΨ | Zeta Eta | ZH |
| Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority | TBΣ | Epsilon Chi | EX |
| Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society | BΓΣ | ||
| Beta Alpha Psi Business Honor Organization | BAΨ | ||
| Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity for Women | ΣAI | Lambda Xi | ΛΞ |
| Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity of America | ΦMA | Nu Iota | NI |
| Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity | |||
| Sigma Lambda Gamma (Multicultural Sorority) | ΣΛΓ | Colony |
The university's marching band is known as the Marching 101. The band are regular performers at football games throughout the southeast, and nationally televised professional football games. There are approximately 360 members (380 including drum majors, dancers, and color guard). The band was organized in 1918 as a "regimental band" performing military drills as well as assisting with music in the college Sunday school and other occasions. From 1924 on, a succession of band directors influenced the growth of the band as it became part of the Department of Music program.
The university's ROTC program has commissioned over 1,900 officers to date and produced the highest number of minority officers in the country. Twelve graduates have achieved the rank of general.
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip Adams (American football) | Professional football player for the San Francisco 49ers | ||
| Willie Aikens | former Major League Baseball player | ||
| Rickey Anderson | former National Football League running back | ||
| Nefertari Imani Baraka | award winning educator, author, and internet radio host. President of the Riland Educational Corporation | ||
| Dr. George C. Bradley | 14th President of Paine College | ||
| Dr. M. Christopher Brown II | 1993 | Current President of Alcorn State University | |
| Orlando Brown | Professional football player for Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. | ||
| Rafael Bush | 2010 | Professional football player for the Atlanta Falcons | |
| Kenny Bynum | former National Football League running back | ||
| James E. Clyburn | 1961 | U.S. Representative from South Carolina (1993-present) and Majority Whip (2007-2011) in the United States Congress | |
| Harry Carson | former Professional football player for the New York Giants; inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 | ||
| Chartric Darby | Professional football player for Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks. | ||
| Leroy Davis | 1971 | former S.C. State President (1995-2002) | |
| Henry Doctor Jr. | 1954 | retired Lieutenant General in the United States Army | |
| Ernest A. Finney, Jr. | JD, 1954 | First African-American Supreme Court Justice appointed to the South Carolina Supreme Court since the Reconstruction Era | |
| Amos M. Gailliard Jr. | 1951 | retired Brigadier General in the New York Guard | |
| Juanita Goggins | First African-American woman elected to the South Carolina legislature | ||
| Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr. | 1971, 1974 | former S.C. State President (2003-2008); Current President of Alabama A & M University | |
| Willie Jeffries | Legendary college football coach at South Carolina State and Howard University. He was first African-American coach of a Division I majority white school. | ||
| Deacon Jones | former Professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins; inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 | ||
| Ernest Everett Just | Biologist; First recipient of the NAACP's Spingarn Medal in 1915; established Omega Psi Phi fraternity along with three Howard students (Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman) | ||
| Shombay Kimoni | Author, Entrepreneur and Artist | ||
| James Lee (offensive lineman) | Professional football player Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ||
| Arthur Love | former Professional football player for the New England Patriots | ||
| Dr. Benjamin E. Mays | 1916 | Minister, Educator, Scholar, Social Activist, and former President of Morehouse College | |
| Philip J. Murphy | former Professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams and principal for P J Murphy Co. Investment Banking Services | ||
| M. Maceo Nance | former S.C. State President (1968-1986) | ||
| Benjamin Franklin Payton | 1955 | Retired, President of Tuskegee University (1981-2009) | |
| Matthew J. Perry | 1948,1951 | United States Federal Judge | |
| Robert Porcher | 1992 | former Professional football player for the Detroit Lions | |
| George B. Price | 1951 | retired Brigadier General in the United States Army | |
| Raleigh Roundtree | former National Football League player | ||
| Richard G. Shaw | First African-American to serve as Insurance Commissioner in West Virginia | ||
| Donnie Shell | former Professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Mickey Sims | former Professional football player Cleveland Browns | ||
| Clifford L. Stanley | 1969 | U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness | |
| Abraham J. Turner | 1976 | retired Major General in the United States Army | |
| Stephen Twitty | 1985 | Brigadier General in the United States Army | |
| Essie Mae Washington-Williams | African-American daughter of former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond | ||
| Ron Westray | Jazz Trombonist, Composer, and Educator | ||
| Armstrong Williams | 1981 | Conservative talk show Host and Commentator | |
| Alfred (Al) Young | former Professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers |
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