As students start a new semester on the campus of North Greenville University this fall, they will find both physical and academic changes to the Southern Baptist institution. The school is also expected to announce another enrollment record for this fall.
Students wait outside Turner Chapel on the first day of classes at North Greenville. Changes were evident as construction and academic advancement continue.Campus construction has become an annual summer tradition in Tigerville. Houses owned by the school have been renovated and opened for student housing this fall. Numerous other buildings were renovated and improved for academic purposes, including faculty offices and student classrooms. Major landscaping changes also took place at NGU. The front entrance has been remodeled with a waterfall under construction nearby.
But construction was not the only work going on this summer. Hundreds of hours of work by NGU deans and faculty came to fruition this summer with the approval of three new degree programs.
The College of Education partnered with the College of Humanities and the College of Science to submit a proposal to the South Carolina Department of Education for two new secondary teacher education programs. This June, the SCDE approved both proposals: a secondary education degree in English language arts and a secondary education degree in broad-field science (with biology). Both of the programs will begin this fall and will enable students interested in teaching in public or private high schools (grades 9-12) to become certified teachers.
“We are very pleased with the open door that God has given us to train highly qualified individuals to become future teachers. Much effort has gone into these proposals and programs, but the collaborative effort has made us a better university for it,” said Richard NeSmith, dean of education. “After much work by the Colleges of Education, Humanities, and Science, we are encouraged by what we believe to be the best secondary Science and Language Arts teacher-training program in the country. We are already looking forward to the new students who will be attracted to this tremendous opportunity.”
Two additional proposals for secondary education in mathematics and social studies will be submitted to the SCDE next spring, with a goal of beginning classes in those programs next fall.
In addition to the new education degrees, an Interdisciplinary Studies degree in Linguistics has also been approved for this fall. The foreign modern languages and linguistics department will direct the degree program. According to Victor Prieto, a NGU linguistic and Spanish professor, the program can be the primary or secondary component of the interdisciplinary studies degree and can also be taken as a minor. Prieto also said that several students plan to graduate from the program next school year.