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ABOUT GREENVILLE TECH HISTORY
The history of Greenville Technical College dates back to 1960. Early that year, the state technical education system was initiated by then South Carolina Governor Ernest F. Hollings, who felt that if South Carolina could offer a well-trained work force, the state could attract more business and industry. This training was to be provided by a statewide system of 13 technical centers (now 16 technical colleges). In September 1962, Greenville Technical Education Center first opened its doors to students.
The college's beginnings were modest: one building, eight acres and 800 full-time and part-time students. Three divisions of study were originally available: the Technical Division, the Industrial Division and the Extension Division. The staff consisted of 12 full-time and 20 part-time instructors and three full-time administrators. The college grew quickly. By November 1965, an additional 122 acres of land surrounding the original eight acres were acquired.
The Health Careers Division initiated its first program under a Manpower Development Training Act project in January 1966. The next month, the college began the Adult Education Program, which was highly publicized as SPACE (Special Program for Adult Comprehensive Education) and was an immediate success.
In September 1966, an agreement with Clemson University enabled the college to begin a two-year college transfer program. Under the administration of Clemson University, this program began as an experimental project based on the recommendations of the State Committee for Technical Education and the Governor's Office. In 1973, this agreement was terminated and the college formed an Arts and Sciences College Transfer Division which continued to offer, as part of the Tech program, essentially the same courses that had been offered through Clemson.
Two Industrial Division programs, Carpentry and Masonry, were moved from the main campus on Pleasantburg Drive to Donaldson Center in September 1967. The space on campus was quickly occupied by the Special Schools program, which was established to train personnel for the new General Electric Turbine Plant to be located in Greenville.
On December 11, 1968, the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Two years later, the student population for the school year reached 11,921. The number of faculty and staff had grown to 185 full-time and 182 part-time employees.
Health care training began with the formal dedication of the Health Careers Center on May 14, 1970. In 1971, the college accepted the responsibility of the Associate Degree Nursing program from the Greenville Hospital System, and in 1975, a Nursing building (renamed Health Annex in 1995) was completed to house this expanding program.
In 1972, the college received reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Business courses, which had been offered at the college since its inception as part of the Technical Division, were incorporated into a separate Business Division that same year.
In 1978-79, the college took part in the Appalachian Educational Satellite project, which brought live educational programs from a center at the University of Kentucky to the campus, using satellites for live video transmission, as well as voice communications. Also, throughout this period the college used its facilities to offer live television programs transmitted from the University of South Carolina through a closed circuit video cable.
The Center for Continuing Education for Women was formed in 1978 to assist women in exploring alternative career choices. Aligned with the counseling program in 1981, it became a full-service Career Advancement Center that provided pre-employment screening and testing for area industries, individual counseling services, interviewing techniques, resumé writing and job search skills to all area esidents.
In September 1981, Clemson University, in coordination with Greenville Tech, began to offer upper level courses in a four-year Engineering program in Computer Science, Engineering Technology, and Electrical, Computer and Mechanical Engineering on the Greenville Tech campus. Through this program, students who had completed the first two years of study in the Greenville Tech program could transfer to the "Clemson University at Greenville Tech" program to earn a bachelor's degree. Also in 1981, Greenville Tech was selected as the site for the state Advanced Machine Tool Resources Center, in order to provide a focal point for study of the technological advances in this area.
In 1982, the college was reaffirmed for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. By 1981-82, enrollment had increased to approximately 30,000 (unduplicated headcount) students per year in eight divisions of study, including credit and Continuing Education programs. Growth of the campus and buildings kept pace with enrollment.
The Greenville Higher Education Consortium was approved in July 1987 by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. The name was changed in 1992 to the University Center of Greenville. It is a partnership among eight colleges and universities: Clemson University, Furman University, Greenville Technical College, Lander University, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina Upstate. All but Furman University, which is located in Greenville County, offer courses at the University Center on Greenville Tech's campus. The center is governed by an independent board of university presidents and administrators. The center offers graduate and undergraduate courses year round. Degrees are awarded by each of the member universities.
In January 1990, the Southeastern Institute for Advanced Technologies (SIAT) opened the doors of a new facility, putting business, engineering and industrial technologies in an integrated manufacturing environment. SIAT is an "umbrella" under wich the college can expand its ability to provide training and resources to meet the needs of the region. In 1997, SIAT changed its name to the Computer Training Center and began offering Microsoft and Novell certification courses in network engineering.
Also in 1990, new alternative instructional delivery systems, the telecourse and teleclass, were implemented. A telecourse is an integrated learning approach that uses television to teach and inform and can be accessed via cable television or videotape. Teleclasses are live, interactive televised classes which originate at the main campus and are transmitted to receive sites throughout the county. Students at the receive sites hear and see the instructor and students at the main campus, and have the capacity to interact with the main campus classroom.
In Fall 1991, the college initiated an Advanced College Entrance (ACE) program for junior and senior high school students who wanted to get a head start on their college careers. ACE students could take one college course each term that would apply toward one of the college's associate degree, certificate or diploma programs and transfer to almost any college or university.
Supported by a grant from the South Carolina Department of Education, in 1991 the college began the first year of its partnership with the School District of Greenville County to develop and implement the Preparation for the Technologies Program (Tech Prep). This effort prepared students for postsecondary education at traditional or technical colleges or for the work place.
In June 1992, Greenville Tech was reaffirmed for accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Beginning Summer 1992, Greenville Tech also made the transition from the quarter to the semester system, a conversion made by all of the technical colleges.
In August 1996, property on South Pleasantburg Drive across McAlister Square donated by T. Walter Brashier to the college became the new home of the University Center following renovations. This move made room for new programs and the addition of day classes to a schedule that formerly included only evening offerings. The University center's move created space in the center's former building on the main campus. Among the programs to occupy this building was the Upstate Dental Clinic, a 10,000-square-foot facility for the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs, which included classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices and a 21-chair, full computerized, state-of-the-art dental clinic.
The college received approval to establish campuses in Greer and Golden Strip in 1994, and a year later ground was broken for these projects. The two new campuses, which opened in August 1996, enable the college to better serve Greenville County's growing need for training and retraining. The Brashier Campus at Golden Strip houses Greenville Tech's Welding, Industrial Electricity/Electronics, Computer Electronics/Repair and Industrial Maintenance Technology programs, along with University Transfer, Business, Related Studies and Continuing Education classes. The first building at the Brashier Campus was named in honor of George E. Bomar. The Greer Campus houses programs in Visual Arts, which includes photography, art and sculpture, Physical Therapist Assistant, Occupational Therapist Assistant and Health Information Management. Materials Management, Criminal Justice, Paralegal, University Transfer, Related Studies, Business and Continuing Education classes are also offered.
In the 1990s, the college focused on teaming teaching with technology, resulting in a technology plan that made the classroom of the future an important part of Greenville Tech's campus today. The plan has created open access to computer labs across campus, which provide a current ratio of one work station for every 60 students. These classrooms and labs allow students to gain experiences that are relevant to the work place, bringing concepts to life and energizing the learning process.
As technology changes the classroom, it is also opening new avenues to Greenville Tech. The newest option is College Online, which allows students to take classes through the Internet. The college plans to offer several programs online, one or more classes at a time, so that students can go online and stay online to finish a Management, Associate in Arts, Associate in Sciences or Computer Technology degree.
Another option offered by the college is Fast Track. These accelerated programs and courses allow students to prepare for a career, a promotion, or transfer to a four-year college or university quickly. Jump Start classes, which allow high school students to get a head start on college, were first offered at one pilot school in 1996. This option caught on quickly, and by the next year there were over 200 students enrolled at eight high schools.
The college added a fourth campus in 1999 in the northwest part of the county. The Northwest Campus offers University Transfer and general education courses in addition to a wide schedule of continuing education courses. Many of the courses offered at the campus are presented in both English and Spanish versions, reaching out to the county's large Hispanic population.
In April 2000, the main campus on Pleasantburg Drive was dedicated to the college's only president, Dr. Thomas E. Barton President of Greenville Tech since the college opened in 1962, Barton is the longest serving president of a two-year college in the country. Thanks to his vision and energy, the college has grown from its humble beginnings with one building and 800 students on the site of a former landfill to today's thriving four-campus system where more than 10,000 students attend classes.
Throughout its history, Greenville Tech has been responsive to the needs of industry and the community. As the Upstate experiences phenomenal growth, the college is proud to have played a role in this progress.
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