Life has taught David Thiem many things.
A partner in a successful accounting firm, Thiem has learned the importance of building personal relationships with the people behind the paperwork he receives from his clients. A community servant, he has offered his professional skills within civic and nonprofit organizations. A father, he has encouraged his children to get an education and watched them earn their academic degrees.
But despite all he learned from life, Thiem still desired the college degree that eluded him more than 40 years before. Now in his 60s, he didn’t need his college degree for promotion in the workplace, because he was already successful.
He wanted it for himself.
“That was it for me,” Thiem said, “being able to say, ‘By George, I finally did it.'”
Also, Thiem’s son Ashley provided some of the strongest words of encouragement that motivated him to go after his dream.
“He said, ‘Daddy, you said we needed to get our degree. When are you going to get yours?'”
So Thiem invested two-and-a-half years and drove a total of about 8,000 miles from Thiem, Jackson and Pace in downtown Charleston to Charleston Southern University. He was going to capture the dream within him that had never died.
He enrolled in the university’s evening college and started on the coursework to earn a bachelor of management arts degree. The BMA is a degree completion program, said Stan Parker, dean of the evening college. It is one of the best options for an adult student who has had prior college learning. It takes about 20 months to complete, if the student can transfer some previous college credit, but the program also helps students with no college experience.
“That sounded tailor-made for me,” Thiem said. “The BMA program recognizes that you’re working full-time and adapts its schedule to that of a full-time employee.”
Thiem had attended the University of Texas for about two years when he was younger. He joined the U.S. Navy and eventually settled down in Charleston, where he met his wife Gloria.
When he took the state accounting exam in the 1960s, a college degree wasn’t required. Today, with more than 30 years under his belt, Thiem has built a solid accounting career, 21 of which have been at Thiem, Jackson and Pace.
With family and friends at graduation.While enrolled, Thiem usually attended classes from 6 p.m. until around 10 p.m. A Mount Pleasant resident, he would often drive to class straight from work, with only a few minutes to grab something to eat after contending with afternoon traffic.
Thiem earned his bachelor of management arts degree in December, during one of the largest fall commencement ceremonies in the university’s history.
Thiem, a member of First Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant and strong in his faith, said he appreciates Charleston Southern University for upholding its mission: academic excellence in a Christian environment.
The Thiem family are longtime supporters of Charleston Southern University. Both of Thiem’s sons are CSU graduates. His wife, a member of the board of trustees, received an honorary doctorate from CSU. Thiem is a member of the board of directors for the university’s Buccaneer Club, which helps students in financial need through scholarships.