This is a big year for USCB, the jubilee year, which marks 50 yrs in the area. In some ways the celebration culminates on Tuesday with a medallion ceremony at which the president of the University of South Carolina system presents our chancellor, Jane Upshaw, with an official medallion with the school's seal. It is kind of a big deal.
I always wonder the extent to which this sort of thing - not the ceremony explicitly, but the awareness of the school's history and its relationship to the community - matters to the student body. I wonder this particularly when it has to do with a school like USCB, which understands its education mission and goals as rooted to explicitly in the needs and strengths of the local community. If it is your week to post, I'd like you to reflect on what, if anything, the school's history means to you, or if you think there is some value in being aware of that history and/or relationship to the community. If you think there is some value, tell me what it is explicitly. I don't need you to fake thinking this is important if you never think about it, I am just genuinely curious about what these things mean from the students' point of view.
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Im not too sure the history of USCB means a whole lot too the current students at USCB. I do believe it serves a genuine purpose to the students who have graduated from USCB and who did a senior internship in this area through USCB. For many graduates especially in the hospitality industry there is a good chance they still work at a local business or hotel in this area.Im sure they would love to see the college they graduated from succeeding and growing in every way. I also believe many of the locals who have lived here for many years are happy to see the college was presented with this award. It shows the school is succeeding and progressing which brings more people to this area which ultimately brings more money to the area.
ReplyDeleteWell first off, the post was a comment again and not a seperate post, ha..but anyways; I agree I dont think the history of USCB means a whole lot to the current students. I dont even know very much about the history (I should probably learn it before I graduate). I know that in University 101 you have to learn the history. I did not take that class but two of my roommates did and they hated having to learn all of those dates and memorizing them. But in the long run they were sort of glad they know about their school's background now.
ReplyDeleteFor the graduates of USCB, I know that it is important to them and a sense of pride knowing they graduated from USCB. The relationship of the community to the school is important also and the better the relationship is the better it is for the school to get noticed. That might help with getting more students to apply and helping USCB keep growing!
The history of USCB doesn't really mean that much to me, but on the other hand, I haven't really been exposed to the history of our school. Knowledge of a school, business, church, or organization's history can make members have a sense of comradery, although I feel that the information should be researched personally. I'm always giving examples, so here goes. Where I attended high school, the administration thought that we should all know EVERYTHING about our school(alma mater, all parts of the seal and what they meant, school colors and what they meant, etc.). They pushed it so much that we were tested on it. The students of my school found the stuff boring and tedious only because we were FORCED to learn it. What I'm trying to get at is, that it's nice to know what your school has been through in the past, but not necessarily vital.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Carson has to say. To me, the history of our school does not mean too much to me. Then again, I also do not know much about USCB and I have lived in the Hilton Head and Bluffton all of my life. If I were to be “forced” to know about our schools history, I know that I would not be as interested in learning about it. I think that we should have a class that is optional for people that want to learn about things like our schools history but no one should have to be “forced” to learn about it.
ReplyDeleteI also completely agree with Carson. I also don't think that kids look at this school as something that possesses a history; just an institution where they go to further their education. I know the only reason I am at USCB is because it was easy to get into, close to home, and because it was my last resort school. I know that it has a lot to offer, but I think that most people come to USCB as a temporary thing and really don't care about the history or what it has been through. I think that once USCB grows and learns more about what it means to be a University that kids enjoy and take passion in, things will be different. USCB is not a university like UGA where there are so many programs, majors, clubs, and community events that get the community as well as the student body involved because it has not reached its growth potential.
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