Colleges And Universities The Upstate is home to several outstanding institutions of higher learning, whose role in creating a better-educated community is crucial to the area’s continued growth. The broad business base found in the Upstate makes technical education a vital component of training qualified workers. Three technical and community-college institutions offer an extensive array of courses leading to a two-year degree, and nearby Clemson University has long been a leader in undergraduate and graduate education in engineering, architecture and business. The Upstate also offers plenty of choices for liberal arts students, including a campus of the University of South Carolina and two institutions that have received high rankings from U.S. News & World Report. Here’s a rundown: The University of South Carolina Upstate (864-503-5000, www.uscupstate.edu) offers associate and bachelor’s degrees, as well as master’s degrees in education. With about 4,500 full-time students, it has for several years been the fastest-growing institution in the state university system. USC-Upstate offers the academic and social opportunities of a larger university while maintaining a small-campus feel. Clemson University (864-656-3311, www.clemson.edu) is highly regarded in both academics and sports. With over 17,000 students, this land-grant institution offers 74 undergraduate, 68 graduate degrees and 37 doctoral degrees within its five colleges: Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts and Humanities; Business and Behavioral Sciences; Engineering and Sciences; and Health, Education and Human Development. Clemson attracts students and faculty representing 85 different countries and all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The average freshman SAT score in 2004 was 1,204 and 38 percent of freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. In addition, members of the faculty are well regarded nationally and internationally for teaching and research. In 2001 Time named Clemson “Public College of the Year,” and U.S. News & World Report ranked it 34th among the nation’s public universities for 2006. Clemson students are passionate about sports. Offering eight Division I men’s sports and seven Division I women’s sports, Clemson is a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the nation’s most competitive. Death Valley, Clemson’s football stadium, is one of the 10 largest stadiums in the country. Furman University (864-294-2000, www.furman.edu) is noted by U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and the Princeton Review as one of America’s top liberal arts colleges. Located just north of Greenville, Furman is an independent, coeducational college comprised of 2,600 undergraduate and 470 graduate students. Founded in 1826, the university provides a distinctive undergraduate education emphasizing engaged learning, a hands-on, problem-solving and collaborative educational philosophy that encourages students to put into practice the theories and methods learned in the classroom. Among its graduates are Richard Riley, former S.C. governor and U.S. secretary of education; Nobel Prize-winning physicist Charles Townes, inventor of the laser; as well as LPGA golfers Betsy King and Beth Daniel. In Spartanburg, Converse College (864-596-9000, www.converse.edu) is an independent, residential, liberal arts college for women with a favorable undergraduate student-faculty ratio of 9:1. It was founded in 1889 and is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top college in the South and named in The Best 201 Colleges for the Real World. Converse offers academic challenges, leadership development, study travel, internships and service learning that enable students to approach the world with intelligence and compassion. The Petrie School of Music at Converse is the nation’s only comprehensive professional school of music within a liberal arts college for women. The College of Arts and Sciences awards bachelor’s degrees in 33 academic areas, including the social and physical sciences, history and politics, economics and business, math and computer science, studio art and interior design. The coeducational graduate program offers advanced degrees in music, education and the liberal arts. Just a stone’s throw from the Converse campus is Wofford College (864-597-4000, www.wofford.edu), a private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church that focuses on giving personal attention to a carefully selected student body of 1,152 men and women. Students can choose from 24 majors, and about one-third of the members of each class immediately go on to graduate or professional schools. Wofford is one of the few independent, higher-education institutions in the Carolinas with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest scholastic honor society. It is the smallest college in the United States fielding an NCAA Division I football team. Recent additions to the campus include the Roger Milliken Science Center and the restoration of the original bell which dates back to the 19th century. About five miles north of Clemson, Southern Wesleyan University (864-644-5000, www.swu.edu) in Central is a four-year liberal arts college. Affiliated with the Wesleyan Church, the university offers 18 majors including teacher certification programs. With an enrollment of about 2,200 students, Southern Wesleyan offers a range of student organizations, clubs and sports. In Anderson, Anderson University (800-542-3594, www.ac.edu) is a four-year, private liberal arts school affiliated with the Baptist Convention that was founded in 1911. With about 1,600 students, Anderson University offers more than 50 academic programs and features a lovely campus covered with oak and dogwood trees, wisteria and azaleas. Webster University in Greenville (864-676-9002, www.webster.edu/greenville) offers MBA and master’s degree programs in computer resources and information management, counseling, human resources and management. Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic (800-849-8771, www.sherman.edu), a private, nonprofit school in Spartanburg, serves 475 students. Founded in 1973, the college is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education to award the doctor of chiropractic degree. The technical schools so important to the area’s industrial future are Greenville Technical College, Spartanburg Technical College, and Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton. All state-supported, they offer associate degrees, certificates and diplomas. The largest, Greenville Tech (864-250-8111, www.greenvilletech.com), serves more than 14,000 students, making it one of the largest post-secondary educational institutions in the state. The school offers more than 130 programs of study on four different campuses in the area. At Spartanburg Tech (864-592-4600, www.stcsc.edu), computer engineering and medical-related courses are popular with the school’s students. Tri-County Tech in Pendleton (864-646-8361, www.tctc.edu) enrolls up to 10,000 students annually and serves Anderson, Pickens and Oconee counties. Bob Jones University (864-242-5100, www.bju.edu) in Greenville has a strong fundamentalist Christian focus and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees. With about 5,000 students, it is also known for its collection of religious art and its drama and film programs. Limestone College in Gaffney (800-795-7151, www.limestone.edu), an independent, four-year, private coed school with 600 students, provides liberal arts programs leading to bachelor’s degrees in 17 different majors. Two small, church-affiliated colleges also offer liberal arts programs. North Greenville College (800-GOTONGC, www.ngc.edu), a coed Southern Baptist school at Tigerville in northern Greenville County, offers bachelor’s and associate degrees to its 1,700 students. And Spartanburg Methodist College (864-587-4213, www.smcsc.edu) has more than 700 students pursuing associate degrees or planning to transfer to a four-year university. Finally, an unusual and valuable higher education resource is found in Greenville near the Greenville Tech campus. The University Center (864-250-1111, www.greenville.org) is a consortium offering courses through Clemson University, Furman University, Lander University, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College. PHOTO COURTESY OF USC UPSTATE