STEM, standing for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is a familiar acronym to most students, especially as UofSC Aiken develops to be more inclusive to those interested in the aforementioned disciplines. Some students have expressed their concern, however, that as a liberal arts college, the shift comes as a little daunting.
Dr. Darren Timmons, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs shared, “The Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and the South Carolina National Guard’s Cyber Security Dream Port reflect some of the latest initiatives in our community and our nation.”
The DoE’s AMC will be an innovation hub for manufacturing, fostering modern industrial practices, advancing new technologies and training the future manufacturing workforce with a focus on chemical and materials manufacturing. The South Carolina National Guard Cyber Security Dream Port is a state-of-the-art facility that is expected to make South Carolina a leader in cybersecurity. Dr. Timmons expressed that these initiatives will not only help raise the reputation of the university, but give more opportunities to Pacers.
Dr. Timmons elaborates, “Our commitment to the liberal arts remains strong and can be seen in the high-quality degree programs we offer in these areas as well as in the critical foundational studies required for STEM and professional degrees.” The university is proud of their faculty and new degree programs as well as the Constitution Week programming and Mock Trial team. "As a comprehensive university with a regional focus, UofSC Aiken continues to take pride in responding to the needs of our community, regardless of discipline, and we all grow stronger as a result."
The academic deans shared the same sentiment and excitement as Dr. Timmons.
Dr. Thayer McGahee states, “We are working to expand all programs and bring in new majors that are pertinent for our students and our region of the country. As Dean of nursing, I can say that the liberal arts background is critical to our students, and we build upon many of those courses in our nursing curriculum.”
Dr. Chad L. Leverette, Dean, College of Sciences and Engineering, directs students to the tree graphic on the college’s website under the “mission” tab that shows liberal arts as the foundation for the STEM developments. He emphasized that UofSC is a public comprehensive institution and that the university will constantly look for ways to expand to offer students more opportunities.
Dr. Mick Fekula, Dean, School of Business Administration, seems left behind, stating that there are “no explicit STEM-related business programs at this time.” On the other hand, the School of Business Administration has interdisciplinary courses required of some students and are developing tracks in the science and computer science fields within the management concentration.
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences have had and are expecting big developments. The BA in art with concentration in studio and digital arts as well as graphic design was recently approved. The BA in communication and digital arts and BFA in professional and creative writing are in their second year of operation. The dean, Dr. Mark Hollingsworth, shared, “Future plans include the development of a Communication and Digital Arts degree with a concentration in social media and a degree in Spanish translation.”
