In a Class By Itself
USCB
returns to Hilton Head Island BY BARRY KAUFMAN
42
TASTEOFHILTONHEAD.COM
Hilton Head Island is a place built on hospitality. Beyond the remarkable array of restaurants you’ll find within these pages and around this great town, there are countless hotels and vacation rental agencies. Hospitality forms the bedrock of the island’s economy, providing a foundation upon which every real estate agent, doctor, golf pro and attorney depends. Few people know this as well as Charles Calvert, who began his academic career at the old USCB Hilton Head campus and will serve as Dean of new USCB Hospitality Management campus. “We definitely feel like we will ultimately improve the level of guest experience on the island,” said Calvert. As this issue was going to press, construction was running apace on the $24.5 million, 40,000-squarefoot campus located on Office Park Road. That same spot once housed USCB’s original Hilton Head campus, and will now sport a stunning new campus rife with Lowcountry-inspired architectural elements from tabby to glass. But more important than the building itself is the potential it represents, particularly to the hospitality industry and to the students who will one day work on its front lines. “This campus will be an experiential learning campus. Over half of our students already do internships on the island,” said Calvert. “We’re going to be really connected to the industry, so students can approach local businesses for their junior and senior projects.” With a focus on practical education in the field, this new USCB campus will provide upper-level hospitality students a chance to gain first-hand experience in an area renowned on the island. “Many of those students stay on the island because there are just so many great positions here and students can move from internship to supervisory roles,” said Calvert. “They get to live and learn in a world-class destination.”
