At Benedict College, the word “BEST” is synonymous with our name. It is a rallying cry for excellence in every area of the institution. The term “BEST” is a challenge to our students to always do their best, give their best and strive to be the best version of themselves. It is a charge to our faculty to commit themselves to achieving at the highest levels in teaching, research, and service. And, it is a clarion call to our alumni to be the best in all of their endeavors, professionally and personally.
Our commitment to the word “BEST” is evidenced in our scholarly work, innovative programs, and the achievements of our faculty, staff and students. It is more than a word at Benedict College, it is an acronym for excellence that our visionary president, Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, emphatically and purposefully uses to empower and drive positive transformation across the campus. For example, B.E.S.T. related to student engagement and success means a Benedict Education = Student Transformation. Every school and department at Benedict has a unique “BEST” acronym which translates into a charge for excellence.
The “BEST” culture at the Benedict College grounds us in our mission of providing transformative learning experiences characterized by high quality academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programming, intentionally designed to develop superior cultural and professional competencies for a diverse student body. Our trademarked slogan #TheBESTofBC amplifies this commitment.
Scholarly, innovative, and transformative work abounds at Benedict College. We are growing and transforming at an exponential pace. With this in mind, we realize that some of our endeavors and successes may be perceived as best kept secrets by the community at-large. Therefore, we are proud to share four “BEST” things about Benedict College that you may or may not know about. Please join us in sharing these awesome programs and initiatives with your family, friends, and circles of influence.
B Business B Business
The B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab
To supplement classroom instruction, business faculty encourage business students to engage with the awardwinning Burroughs, Enterprise, Startup, and Technology (B.E.S.T.) Innovation Lab. The B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab offers a plethora of programming that is open to all majors,
Design Thinking Seminars
Pitch Competition Preparation
Entrepreneurship Week Activities
BOSSUp Speaker Series (bringing successful entrepreneurs to campus)
Idea2Launch Workshops facilitated by Chris Heivly, co-founder of MapQuest
The Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business & Entrepreneurship is fast becoming one of the nation’s premier HBCU business schools for innovation and entrepreneurship. The school offers a number of unique experiences that prepare Benedict’s business students to be innovators capable of meeting the complexities of the future.
On-line Marketplace for student entrepreneurs to sell their goods and services
Pre-accelerator Program through HBCU Founders Initiative, a nonprofit organization that supports HBCU students and alumni along their entrepreneurial journey. Benedict College is one of 12 HBCUs that offers this program on its campus.
Benedict College Tigers Create (BCTC) Consulting Group, a student-run organization that partners with campus departments and local organizations to develop solutions to challenges.
BC Men and Women of Enterprise, an organization for student entrepreneurs
After only one year of operation, the B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab was awarded the Rising Star Award for Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship in June 2023 by the Deshpande Foundation, an organization that supports sustainable, scalable social and economic impact through innovation and entrepreneurship in the United
To strengthen and expand the programming across campus, the B.E.S.T Innovation Lab has received two significant grant awards, an inaugural $25,000 Entrepreneurship Education Innovation Grant from the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship and a $400,000 grant through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s first-ever Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program. The NSF EPIIC grant is an investment of $19.6 million to nearly 50 teams at U.S. institutions of higher education, including teams from historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions and community colleges.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION –BURROUGHS & LAB
Thought leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship is thriving on Benedict’s campus. Dr. Tracy Harrell Dunn, dean of the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship, was selected as inaugural Faculty Fellow by the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship (HUxPNC Center), an innovative initiative recently launched to support entrepreneurship at HBCUs and Black business owners across the country. Dr. Dunn received funding to study how South Carolina HBCUs are deploying entrepreneurship education across their campuses. She will travel to Washington, DC in Summer 2024 to share her research findings.
The B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab is also establishing thought leadership in the state through statewide forums. In April 2023, the Lab hosted a half-day virtual event exploring the crucial role of higher education in South Carolina’s thriving startup ecosystem. An earlybird HBCU session that focused on the unique challenges facing HBCUs in supporting minority entrepreneurs and competing in innovation opened the event. This roundtable discussion provided an opportunity for representatives from South Carolina HBCUs to connect, network, and learn from other leaders in the field.
The main event brought together leaders from higher education institutions throughout the state, startup accelerators/incubators, and successful startup founders to discuss best practices, strategies, and actionable plans for creating a more collaborative and effective innovation ecosystem in South Carolina. The South Carolina institutions that attended the main event included Benedict College, USC (Columbia), USC (Upstate), Wofford College, Allen University, Bob Jones University, and Clemson University.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The economic development units within the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business & Entrepreneurship are growing at a rapid pace. Since 2002, the College’s Business Development Center (BDC) has increased the capacity of entrepreneurs, small- and minority-owned businesses throughout South Carolina.
The BDC’s core objectives include:
• Promotion of the growth of small and minority businesses throughout the community
• Provisions for technical support, mentoring and business training to entrepreneurs
• Expansion of access to financial resources and business networks
• Promotion of the use of technology
To achieve these objectives, the BDC features the following:
1
. Small Business Incubator that assists and nurtures small business growth through training, technical assistance and below market office space,
2. Business Skills Training to provide management training for small business owners, and
3. Women’s Business Center (WBC), the first to be housed at an HBCU with a gender focused federally funded statewide entrepreneurial initiative for disadvantaged small, minority, and women-owned businesses in the United States. The WBC provides:
• Customized business one-on-one counseling.
• Lender referrals and loan package preparation assistance.
• Seminars and classes (web-based), focused on key business topics.
• Review and feedback on written business plans.
• Networking opportunities to find mutual support, access to resources, and business referrals.
• Certification assistance and review.
• Local and global business development.
Launched in 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the WBC is accelerating and now positioned to expand its services through a recent award of $2 million from the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Capital Readiness Program (CRP). The grant will be used to provide accessible and flexible technical assistance services, which will include both virtual and in-person resources, including agnostic and retail-specific accelerator programs, mentoring, consultation services, and networking events tailored to the diverse needs of the participants.
To complement the existing services delivered to the community through the BDC, Benedict College has recently added the Benedict College Statewide Investment Accelerator (BCSIA) to its portfolio of economic development resources. Funded by a $525,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build to Scale Program, the BCSIA is an accelerator that offers programming for underrepresented and minority early-stage entrepreneurs in South Carolina. The BCSIA seeks to provide much needed resources around acceleration and investment for minority, women, veteran, and other underfunded demographics. In doing so, the BCSIA advances South Carolina’s effort to become a hub for innovation and a place where all entrepreneurs can grow and succeed.
To implement this historic program, Benedict College is partnering with an accelerator provider to execute this virtual 12-week concierge startup investment accelerator program in South Carolina. Unlike other accelerator programs, there is no cost to apply; no cost to participate if accepted; and those who successfully complete are guaranteed a non-dilutive investment. The program targets minority, women, and veteran founders, who operate in the life sciences, tech, and tech-enabled industries but encourages all South Carolina founders to apply.
The BCSIA will accept five startups per cohort and operate two cohorts per year. During the accelerator program, startup founders will work to refine their value propositions and business models, connect with international mentors, customers, and investors, access to partner resources, and acquire the fundraising skills to achieve business milestones. After completion of the program, alumni will receive support with numerous opportunities to ensure their success as a company via partner networks and refresher offerings.
SYNERGY BETWEEN BURROUGHS ACADEMIC AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UNITS
The academic and economic development units in the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business & Entrepreneurship complement each other. BDC and WBC clients submit their business challenges to the school that become consulting projects for students. Additionally, these clients hire business students to work with them as interns, who can apply their creativity, skills, and knowledge to help grow their businesses. Business faculty offer consulting services and workshops for the clients to provide them with information and perspectives needed to tackle a wide range of challenges and opportunities that they face as entrepreneurs.
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E is for Engineering E Engineering
Benedict College is the only HBCU in South Carolina and one of only two (2) HBCUs in the nation with an ABETaccredited Environmental Engineering program. Our Environmental Engineering program is filling a critical need for skilled young professionals in the water and wastewater workforce. As our nation’s aging infrastructure faces the new pressures imposed by climate change, we are producing graduates with engineering design skills and a sustainability mindset.
Housed in the School of Science and Engineering, our curriculum covers a range of Environmental Engineering fields that our graduates may decide to pursue: water or wastewater treatment, solid waste management, air quality, green infrastructure for stormwater management. A unique aspect of our program is the experiential learning opportunity students are able to partake in due to small class sizes.
Current curricular engagements that undergird the Environmental Engineering program include:
• Partnership with City of Columbia and Woolpert Inc: stormwater BMP design and development of stormwater management course.
• Senior Design projects in partnership with Savannah River Mission Completion (a contractor of the Savannah River Site) and SouthWest Water Company.
• Student chapter of South Carolina Water Associations, WEASC and SCAWWA, two nonprofit educational and technical associations representing water professionals in South Carolina (provides professional development, networking, funding opportunities for students and exposure to water industry careers).
• Annual participation in the South Carolina Environmental Conference.
• Dominion Energy HBCU promise program, a $400K grant for laboratory equipment and additional funding for STEM scholarships.
• Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management grant award ($5M) to upgrade engineering infrastructure, increase research activity, and the enhance Environmental Engineering curriculum.
The core mission of the School of Science and Engineering is to provide students with quality preparation for graduate, professional schools, and employment in science and engineering disciplines. Students enrolled in the School of Science and Engineering are provided with the necessary academic, social, scientific, computer, and mathematical skills needed for success in their chosen profession. These abilities are developed through curriculum experiences that are enriched, by critical and analytical thinking skills.
The School of Science and Engineering is composed of two departments: Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Health Science and Computer Science, Physics and Engineering. It offers the following majors: biology, chemistry, environmental health science, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, and physics.
· BENEDICTCOLLEGE’ S ENVIRONMENTAL
MARGORPGNIREE OITATIDERCCASEVIECER
Benedict College has a rich history of providing enriching educational experiences to our students. In honoring this commitment, the college launched a groundbreaking study abroad program in 2019. The inaugural experience included taking a group of fifteen (15) students to Beijing, China, for an immersive cultural and academic experience. The experience was the result of a collaborative effort arranged through the China-United States Exchange Foundation in which Benedict College and several other HBCUs collaborated to ensure that students had an opportunity to participate from multiple institutions. This endeavor marked a significant step in promoting diversity, global awareness, and cross-cultural exchange at Benedict College.
Since 2019, the study abroad program has significantly expanded, demonstrating the College’s commitment to global engagement, cross-cultural learning and transformative experiences. In the summer of 2023, Benedict students had the opportunity to study in three continents - South America, Europe, and Africa. This extraordinary initiative spanned Africa, South America, and Europe, offering students an unparalleled opportunity to explore diverse cultures and broaden their horizons. Students selected to engage in study abroad experiences receive thorough preparation prior to their travels, including language lessons, cultural sensitivity training, and academic orientation.
African Odyssey
Benedict College’s journey across continents began in Africa, the cradle of humanity and a continent of immense cultural richness and historical significance. Students embarked on a transformative adventure that took them to the less explored territories of East Africa, specifically the countries, Uganda and Rwanda. They immersed themselves in African traditions, visited historical sites, engaged with local communities, and participated in impactful service-learning projects. Students engaged in environmental conservation efforts and learned about sustainable agriculture. This African odyssey not only deepened their understanding of the continent but also instilled a profound sense of connection to their ancestral heritage.
South American Exploration
From Africa, Benedict College’s global exploration continued in South America, a continent known for its vibrant cultures, stunning landscapes, and diverse ecosystems. Student (Olivia Ferguson) ventured to Argentina, to participate in a Language Immersion Program that focused on Global Health in Argentina. Olivia experienced the rhythm of Samba, the beauty of the Amazon rainforest, and the rich history of indigenous peoples. She learned about the Argentinian government’s efforts to provide care to a large percentage of the population without health insurance, joined lectures and discussions on case studies with local residents and medical students, shadowed healthcare professionals in various rotations in specialties including infectious disease, HIV/AIDS, surgical care, oncology, dermatology, pediatrics and psychology, and built lasting relationships with South American communities. This leg of the journey broadened her perspectives on global environmental challenges and cultural diversity.
European Enlightenment
The final continent in Benedict College’s summer study abroad endeavor was Europe, a continent steeped in history and art. According to researchers, nearly forty percent of African Americans have Irish ancestry, and African Americans share many other cultural, historic, and social justice affinities with Ireland. The AAIDN/CIEE Intern Scholars in Ireland Program provides a life-changing opportunity for Scholars to explore their heritage, gain international business experience, and polish tangible work skills that will aid them in their future careers. Benedict College Mass Communication major, Mia Douglas, had the opportunity the be among the first scholars to travel to Ireland to study abroad.
In this inaugural year of the program, Douglas attended CIEE’s Summer Global Internship in Dublin; this program included an eight-week work placement, housing, and a three-credit academic course. During her eight-weeks in Ireland, She attended lectures at prestigious European universities, explored world-renowned museums, and delved into the continent’s intricate history. Mia’s chief opportunity included an internship in which she served as a writer for the The Journal, the market leader in online news for Ireland. This European enlightenment expanded her intellectual horizons and fostered an appreciation for the interconnectedness of global ideas and cultures.
T is for Technology T Technology
In a world where technology supports nearly every facet of our daily lives, colleges and universities have a responsibility to prepare students to be proficient in their application of technology and to foster a deeper understanding of how it impacts the world around them. Benedict College understands this need and even the greater need to fill the diversity gap in the technology industry – the fastest growing in the world. This disparity is due in large part to an absence of trained and certified minority software engineers. Benedict College is providing a solution to help address this progressive problem by partnering with big tech companies to increase training opportunities to increase the diverse talent pool.
In just five short years, Benedict College has developed a robust technology training hub for students and the surrounding community. Some of our signature technology partnerships and initiatives are provided below and in the following pages.
Signature Benedict College Tech Partnerships
ServiceNow and Benedict College
Formed in 2021, ServiceNow, a multi global billion-dollar cloud-based workflow automation platform company that helps businesses and organizations streamline work processes established a $1 million partnership with Benedict College to help close the talent gap for Black software engineers. The partnership includes a built-out state-of-the-art Silicon Valley style tech center and maker space, five years of ServiceNow-awarded scholarships for Benedict students pursuing science, technology, engineering arts or math degrees, internships, exclusive employment recruitment opportunities, immersion experiences, and an HBCU Technology Bootcamp program taught by ServiceNow engineers.
Apple and Benedict College
Benedict College is proud to have a multi-engagement partnership with tech giant – Apple. Since 2020, the following initiatives have launched:
• HBCU C2 is a national teaching and learning initiative that empowers any HBCU to bring coding and creativity experiences and program opportunities to their home campus and community. HBCU C2 promotes innovation, educational equity, and aims to address community challenges using app design and Apple’s Swift programming language. Benedict College is a sub-grantee for the HBCU C2 program which is housed at Tennessee State University.
• In 2021 Benedict College partnered with the University of South Carolina system and Apple to provide critical infrastructure support to students and communities throughout South Carolina, who had been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Governor Henry McMaster approved the use of $6 million out of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund – part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 – to provide underserved communities additional resources, including technology and educational programming, to help those whose education or economic situation has been disrupted by COVID-19.
The collaboration built out a new network of learning labs feature Apple products and curricula. The network includes hubs in Columbia’s Bull Street District and at Benedict College, along with satellite labs at six sites of UofSC’s regional Palmetto College campuses. These labs supplement the statewide efforts undertaken by the Office of Regulatory Staff, which utilized CARES Act funds to expand broadband technology to over 100 South Carolina schools and over 200 communities. This initiative reflects a statewide effort to level the playing field and ensure that all South Carolinians have access to top-tier computing and educational resources.
• Established in 2020, Apple awarded Benedict College over $200,000 in funding and in-kind products to launch a Digital Center for Social Justice and Racial Reconciliation as part of its Community Education Initiative. The Digital Center for Social Justice and Racial Reconciliation is an intensive hybrid educational program that simultaneously serves as a think tank to spark dialogue and cultivate ideas that can be effectively applied to foster social justice and racial reconciliation. Housed on Benedict’s campus, the Center is designed to help develop new age activists and leaders that are attune to the current issues related to social justice and racial reconciliation while helping to educate the community at-large.
Benedict College Cybersecurity Center
Benedict College is the first HBCU in South Carolina to establish a Center for Cybersecurity. The Center supports the College’s 4-year degree program in Cybersecurity, as well as a minor in the field. Since 2016, Benedict has been actively involved in promoting online safety and Cybersecurity awareness to over 1,000 K-12 students and undergraduates. We currently have a diverse group of nearly 70 undergraduate majors specializing in Cybersecurity. Our students have successfully completed internships and secured employment with renowned organizations such as Boeing, AgFirst, Palo Alto Networks, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Our curriculum includes student-selected certification prep courses in areas such as Security+, Network+, and A+, and we have secured funding to cover the costs of certification exams for our students. The College also launched the first cybersecurity - ESports Educational lab designed to help students to gain hands-on experiences in various aspects of cybersecurity and gaming. Currently, the Benedict College Cybersecurity Center is developing the first HBCU Educational Security Operation Center to provide students with hands-on experience in networking and security that focuses on area such as the evolving threat landscape, analyzing attack trends, refining security policies and procedures, and exploring new technologies while staying up to date with emerging cyber threats.
First HBCU in the Nation to Launch a 4-Year Esports Degree Track Program
As Esports has quickly risen among gamers worldwide, even with space opening for the sporting category in the 2024 Olympics, many colleges are following suit, academically. Benedict College is the first HBCU in the nation to step into the academic Esports field offering a 4-year degree track program along with a minor. Esports is a billion-dollar industry. It’s growing every year and there are more opportunities, especially for African Americans and people of color.
Along with being the first HBCU with an Esports major and minor, we offer certifications, which is in partnership with Blaze Fire Games, an Esports Club Team, and opened up a state-of-the-art Esports Lab, one that rivals most in the country. Our major and minor includes courses in Esports Event Management, Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Coaching, Analytics, and Game Design.
Google and TalentSprint Program
In April 2023, Google and TalentSprint celebrated the successful implementation of the TechWise program on the campus of Benedict College. Benedict is among the first schools in the United States to be included in the program. TechWise is a diversity, equity, and inclusion program offered by TalentSprint and supported by Google. The 18-month virtual program aims to help students become entry-level software engineers. The first cohort was launched in February 2022 and included 18 Benedict students.
The second cohort for the program will include 120 students nationwide from eight partner colleges across the country. Seven of the students will come from Benedict College. Students selected for the program receive the training at zero cost and a $5,000 stipend to help offset the additional time needed to complete the program. Additional help is provided through one-on-one mentorship with a Google engineer.
