Benedict College is a co-educational private liberal
arts college dedicated to its tradition of preparing students to become “a
power for good in society.” Among the
most rapidly growing institutions in the nation, the College is aiming to be
the best in its class in the Carolinas.
The College began its thrust toward significant improvements in 1995 and accelerated its momentum with the appointment of the current Chief Executive Officer, President David H. Swinton, in 1994. With an enrollment that is currently nearing 3,000 students, an expanded campus, extensive renovations to the infrastructure, and several new and recently acquired buildings, the College is in a position to continue preparing its graduates for entry-level professional, managerial, technical, and leadership careers, as well as graduate and professional schools.
Benedict College operates on a five-year planning cycle that sets forth the strategic directions and goals of the College. Annual reviews and appropriate modifications of the College goals serve as the guiding force for its day-to-day operations. This comprehensive Self-Study is a critical analysis of the period from 1993-2000 in the context of the College’s Strategic Plan, as well as a study of the College’s compliance with the criteria set forth by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. The report also includes a brief history and description of the College and its Self-Study process.
A number of factors have contributed to the current direction of Benedict College: the need for more and better-prepared African Americans and others in the state and nation; the need to update the College’s curriculum and teaching methodologies; the need to increase the physical and financial resources available for student support and program development; the need to enhance the overall organizational structure of the College; the continuing need to address issues and conditions of our immediate and general community; and the need to continually assess the College’s effectiveness in fulfilling its mission and purpose.
The College responded to a need in 1993 to halt a downward spiral of its enrollment to better ensure the education of African Americans in the state and nation. Hence, enrollment has more than doubled in six years. The entire College curriculum, including the general education core and each major program of study, has been analyzed and revised to reflect higher educational standards, to provide more opportunities for our students to compete in the current job market through internships, part-time, and permanent employment, and to prepare our students for graduate and professional studies.
Instruction at the College has been enhanced in numerous ways, including increasing the number of full-time, faculty with terminal degrees; maintaining a 19:1 student/faculty ratio; extending class offerings; providing additional classroom and laboratory facilities; providing an array of part-time faculty who have life and professional experiences that positively affect student learning; providing opportunities for continual development of current faculty and staff; and using varied up-to-date instructional delivery systems.
The College increased its financial base through revenues from additional tuition and fees as a result of a steady increase in enrollment, as well as through increased grants, gifts, and contracts. Hence, the College is better positioned to offer more scholarships, grants, and loans to its students, and to provide the facilities, technology, and other resources needed for an enhanced learning environment.
Benedict College has an investment grade bond rating that is shared by only five other historically Black colleges and universities in the nation. This has allowed the College to more effectively secure funding to obtain major physical facilities, i.e. new dormitories, a new and expanded campus center, and up-grade nine existing buildings all required to support its record student growth.
State and federal grants averaging from 10-12 million dollars annually have enabled the College to implement national programs such as Service Learning and AmeriCorps; community programs such as the Benedict/Allen Community Development Corporation and the Small Business Development Center; and campus based programs such as the Minority Access to Teacher Education (MATE) and the South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation (SCAMP). The Faculty/Student Science Research Programs and varied partnerships provide training and valuable experiences for the full development of students. These grant funds have been used to provide tuition and scholarship support for students, purchase additional technology resources, as well as improve campus facilities. One such project is the renovation and upgrading of facilities in Alumni Hall, the science/mathematics building, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Lily Foundation through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
In an effort to more effectively and efficiently serve students, college personnel, and the community, the College recently reorganized its major units from four areas--Academic and Student Affairs, Business Affairs, Institutional Advancement; and Government, Grants and Contracts-- to six Divisions including Academic Affairs, Business and Finance, Institutional Advancement, Community Development, Institutional Effectiveness, and Student Affairs. A Vice President heads each of these Divisions. The newest Division, Community Development, includes the Center of Excellence, which reflects the College’s emphasis on community outreach and involvement. Among the early developments of the current administration was the establishment of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness which addresses a major function of the College as well as the recommendations of the 1991 SACS Self-Study Site Visit Team. The recent designation of this area as a major division of the College reflects the commitment of the administration to maintaining continuous planning and assessment activities throughout every unit of the College.
The effectiveness of these developments and changes
at the College are assessed in this report, which summarizes the findings of
the eleven Principal Committees. Each
committee report provides an assessment of College goals related to the
assigned SACS Criteria section, followed by the compliance of the College with
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Criteria. Each committee report also
provides a list of strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations related to its
study section as appropriate.
Brief History of the College
Benedict College, originally Benedict Institute, was
founded in 1870. Mrs. Bathsheba A.
Benedict of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with a small bequest from her husband,
purchased an eighty-acre plantation near Columbia as the site for a new school
for recently emancipated African Americans.
Under the auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission Society,
Benedict Institute set out from humble beginnings in a dilapidated former slave
master’s mansion to prepare men and women to be “powers for good in society.”
During the first quarter century of its existence, Benedict Institute developed its educational program to focus on the severely limited economic and social conditions of the African-American population in the South. The Institute’s original objective, therefore, was to train teachers and preachers, and its first curriculum included, of necessity, reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, and religion. Later, the curriculum was expanded to include shoemaking, printing, and painting. Benedict won its college charter in 1894 and awarded its first Bachelor of Arts degree that same year. Under improving economic and social conditions, Benedict broadened its objectives and developed a diversified academic program. The curriculum was continually reorganized and revised, and staffing and facilities were improved. In 1946 Benedict received an “A” rating from the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the SACS Accreditation in 1961. The College has continuously been accredited since that time.
The College is in its 130th year of providing quality education to its constituencies. Over the years, more than 10,000 graduates of this institution have succeeded in all areas of human endeavor. The Benedict graduate is the most important part of the success story of this institution. Benedict College is well-suited to continue its role as one of the nation’s premier historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The College offers bachelor degree programs in twenty-three major areas of study. The programs provide diversified educational experiences to challenge each student to develop his/her full potential. Such programs enable the College to foster the leadership potential in students who can become “powers for good in society.” Further, the College perceives its unique mission as that of offering programs planned to enable each student to learn to be his/her best.
The College continues to pursue its historic mission of educating its students to serve in professional capacities in their communities. The current curriculum also prepares graduates to be competitive in the global, high technological society that characterizes America in the twenty-first century. The College’s curriculum includes preparation of students for business, government, social and health service, public and private school instruction, military, civic, cultural, and scientific work. Students are provided opportunities to become involved in the arts and humanities to increase their aesthetic appreciation and enhance the quality of their lives as well as promote their interests and talents. Experiences are provided to awaken the social, cultural, and economic awareness of students and to encourage participatory citizenship. The College encourages experiential learning alternatives and acquisition of competencies that enable students to become independent thinkers and self-directed adults.
The ultimate goal of education at Benedict College is to provide opportunities for the total development of students academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. The College realizes the need to provide students, as well as the local community, reinforcing intellectual and recreational experiences that will promote the growth of the whole individual and loyalty to and from community constituents. In keeping with the mission and purpose of the College, Benedict seeks to recruit and retain quality students and competent faculty and staff from various ethnic backgrounds and geographic areas. Moreover, the College realizes its responsibility to nurture the creative talents and abilities of students, faculty, and staff in order for academic proficiency to be realized. Therefore, the College continues its provision of a balanced curriculum that preserves the essential values of the humanities while updating its curriculum to adhere to trends in higher education and meet the needs of a changing society.
Purpose of the Self-Study: The Benedict College Self-Study was designed to assess the College’s effectiveness in all areas, identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, provide a basis for determining the potential for adding graduate programs, and provide a basis for planning over the next ten (10) years.
The goals of the Self-Study were to provide:
1. A basis for affirming or revising the Statement of Purpose (mission).
2. An opportunity for re-evaluating the College’s goals within the context of the purpose.
3. The identification of significant institutional issues, strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for addressing concerns raised in the Self-Study.
4. An improved/strengthened process of evaluating the institution’s effectiveness.
5. A comprehensive report and supporting documents to be used by the institution as part of its planning and by a SACS visiting committee during its review of the institution.
6. An assessment of the extent to which the institution meets or exceeds the Criteria for Accreditation.
7. A basis for determining the potential for the College to consider adding graduate degrees and, if so, in what disciplines.
8. The involvement in and development of an enhanced sense of cohesiveness among all members of the College community (Trustees, Administrators, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni).
9. The continued development and implementation of the College’s second Five-Year Strategic Plan under the current administration.
Self-Study Procedures: Benedict College initiated its Self-Study Program for Reaffirmation of Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, in August of 1998 with the appointment of Dr. Juanita S. Scott as Self-Study Director. The appointment of eleven Principal Committee Chairs who also serve on the Steering Committee followed soon after. Six special committees were established to support the work of the Steering and Principal Committees. Twenty-nine (29) Division and Administrative Unit Self-Study Committees were established to ensure that every facet of the institution was thoroughly analyzed. Total participants in Self-Study process included:
§ 143 persons serving on eleven principal committees; among these were fifteen Trustees and ten students.
§ 81 persons serving on six (6) special committees; among these were five (5) students.
§ 165 persons serving on twenty-nine (29) Division and Administrative Unit Committees.
All key administrators served either on committees and/or as resource persons for various committees. All other administrative faculty and staff served on one or more committees.
The Self-Study Kick-Off with the former Benedict College SACS Liaison, Dr. Tom Benburg, was held on March 11, 1999. During this visit, Dr. Benburg provided orientation for the Self-Study Director, Steering Committee, Principal Committee Chairs, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and top College Administrators. He also reviewed the Self-Study Plan and recommended that it be combined with the Self-Study Manual. The Plan and Manual provide the over all guidelines for the Self-Study process, including the timetables, responsibilities of the various committees, and the procedures to be followed during the Self-Study.
Self-Study questionnaires were developed with input from the Principal Committees to ascertain the perceptions of the College constituents regarding the effectiveness of the institution. The following groups were surveyed: trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Results of the surveys were tabulated by the Institutional Effectiveness staff, and used to provide input for the preparation of the various Principal Committee, Division, and Administrative Unit reports.
All of these reports were consulted in the preparation of the following sections addressing the key areas of:
§ Principles and Philosophy of Accreditation,
§ Institutional Purpose,
§ Institutional Effectiveness,
§ Educational Program,
§ Educational Support Services, and
§ Administrative Processes.
This report was organized into 6 sections. Each section corresponds to the sections of the SACS criteria. Section I - Principles of Philosophy of Accreditation; Section II – Institutional Purpose; Section III – Institutional Effectiveness; Section IV Educational Programs; Section V Administrative Processes; and Section VI – Educational Support Services. The Benedict College constituents devoted considerable energy to relating the College Goals in the Strategic Plan for the Future of Benedict College to the Self-Study process. Therefore, each section of the report is presented in three parts: Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Related College Goals; and Part 3 Assessment of Compliance with SACS Criteria.
Previous Page Next Page (Section I)
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | |||||
| Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 | Section 5 | Section 6 |
| Committees | Foreword | Introduction | Mission | Tables | Vision |
© 2001 Benedict College, 1600 Harden St., Columbia, SC 29204
Last Modified: February 25, 2001 1:39 PM