Faulkner Inaugurated Fourth President
B. Keith Faulkner ’98 was inaugurated as Charleston Southern’s fourth president on March 25.
During the ceremony, Faulkner said, “Casting a vision is not enough. Faith requires us to act. Walking in faith requires vision and action. Vision with action can change the world.”
After serving in the U.S. Navy, Faulkner worked as an attorney, and held leadership positions at Campbell University, Liberty University, and as president of the Appalachian School of Law.
Purple Heart University
CSU was named a Purple Heart University by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, recognizing CSU’s efforts in supporting Purple Heart and military-affiliated students in their education.
A Look at Academic Achievements
Almost 400 hundred students graduated in December with the return of Fall Commencement to campus. The graduate and undergraduate ceremonies also included a service recognizing the 45 members of the inaugural graduating class of Doctor of Physical Therapy students.
Nielsen College of Business
Dr. Emory Hiott ’14 MBA, assistant professor of marketing, was named the Royce W. Breland Jr./Harold H. Adams Jr. Endowed Chair of Business – the first endowed chair for the Nielsen College of Business.
College of Education
The College of Education’s programs that lead to licensure are recognized by either the state of South Carolina or the specialized professional association appropriate for the program.
The secondary math education program earned national recognition as an accredited program through the National Council of Teachers and Mathematics.
College of Science and Mathematics
The aeronautics program had its largest incoming freshman class in fall 2024. CSU aeronautics maintains an impressive student pass-rate of 95.91%, significantly above the Federal Aviation Administration’s required 80% first-time pass rate to maintain certification as an FAA Part 141 Flight School.
In the department of biology, 100% of the medical laboratory science graduates passed the national licensing exam. CSU’s Herbarium was awarded registration with the most prestigious botanical garden in the country, the New York Botanical Garden, for the 10th year.
Computer science launched the Master of Science in information technology in fall 2024. The cybersecurity team won the competition server at Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition. In the classroom, several students created apps and games that are being picked up by app stores and web browsers.
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Luke Baur captured second place in the nation for his vocal performance at nationals of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Ten choral students advanced to the Southern Regional Performance Competition, with three advancing to the national round. Forty-eight Horton School of Music and Performing Arts students traveled to the United Kingdom and presented concerts in Dublin, Edinburgh, and London.
The South Carolina FBI National Academy board of directors appointed criminal justice professor Dr. Gary Metts to serve as the official historian.
The English department received a grant from the S.C. Humanities Council to bring authors to campus and host writing workshops with CSU students.
College of Nursing
The Roper St. Francis Healthcare System recognized the College of Nursing for collaborative research partnership between the college and RSFH.
The college began a pilot program for prenursing students in a living and learning community in the residence halls.
College of Christian Studies
The college entered an agreement with textbook provider Slingshot to supply students in every 200-400 level Christian studies courses with a personal copy of Logos Bible Software, including a 250-book personal ministry library, and their Christian studies textbooks. The Logos for Life program supplies ministry graduates with the most powerful biblical/theological research software available that is theirs to retain after graduation.
College of Adult and Professional Studies
More than 1,600 students at CSU are enrolled in at least one course online.
The project management curriculum was updated to align with Certified Associate in Project Management and Project Management Professional certification examinations.
College of Health Sciences
The college has two programs in the accreditation process: Doctor of Physical Therapy has completed their on-site visit, and Clinical Counseling has submitted its application for accreditation to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs.
The first DPT class graduated in December 2024. The athletic training program exceeded its admissions goals for the year.
Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership
The Biblical Worldview Institute offers a C.S. Lewis Institute reading group to students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Cole Jeffrey, assistant professor of English, leads the group.
Development Sees Increase in Giving
Development has exceeded the $7.5M five-year goal for student scholarships 2.5 years ahead of schedule in the Limitless Campaign. More than $500,000 was received for nine new endowed scholarships during the fiscal year. Overall donors and alumni donors increased from 2022-23 to 2023-2024, and individual gifts in 2023-2024 increased by more than 100 gifts over the former year.
In honor of CSU’s 60th anniversary, Buccaneer stories were collected for an oral history project. More than 1,400 alumni have participated. The alumni office hosted its second All Alumni Brunch during Homecoming 2024, and the Golden Buccaneers of the Class of 1974 were honored.
Going Global
Global Charleston is the realization of a long-held regional desire to welcome the global community well. Charleston Southern partnered with One Region – Charleston Regional Development Alliance, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Council of Governments – to provide information international residents and businesses need.
Recent projects of Global Charleston include signing international recruitment agencies, translating documents for the Latin American community, and offering an Ecommerce entrepreneurship course in Spanish.
Campus Improvements Dominate Business Affairs
Improvements and regular maintenance dominated the time of business affairs employees. Roof replacements, replacing donor seats at Buccaneer Field, revising event policies and procedures, and more highlighted the year for the business affairs team.
Aramark’s The Galley at Russell and The Galley at Wingo opened to provide convenient one-stop shops for residents and commuters.
The campus masterplan is in the process of being updated and will look at improving pond health, improving turf maintenance on the core of campus, and more. The plan will ensure future buildings and projects enhance the Charleston Southern experience.
Finance Rolling Out New Processes
New processes are benefiting employees and students. Introducing a new human resource software allowed for streamlined recruiting, onboarding, and payroll processes. And students are enjoying a new e-check process for student refunds that will significantly reduce paper checks and administrative burden.
Focused on Student Success
Working with ideas from a consultant and the university’s strategic goals has resulted in a major reworking of all services related to student success.
All services were combined to create The Hub. Part of the second floor of the Rivers Library was renovated to provide a central location for student success services.
This one-stop shop for academic support features tutoring, writing and math centers, testing, advising, and accessibility services.
Athletics Takes Second in Sasser Cup
CSU athletics placed second overall in the Big South Conference’s Sasser Cup trophy – which measures each school’s success in athletics. This was CSU’s best finish since the 1994-1995 season.
Team honors:
- Women’s Cross Country was the runner-up in the conference, matching their best finish in program history.
- Women’s Basketball had their highest finish in league standings since 2010.
- Women’s Indoor Track and Field finished second in the Big South, their highest in school history.
- Men’s Indoor Track and Field finished second, tying their best finish.
- Women’s Outdoor Track and Field finished second, tying their best finish.
- Baseball had their best season finish since 2011.
- Women’s Tennis finished as Big South runners-up, making their fourth consecutive championship appearance.
Once a Buc, Always a Buc:
- Saah Nimley ’15 was named Head Coach for Men’s Basketball
- Trey Johnson ’18 was named an assistant Men’s Basketball coach and recruiting coordinator.
- Nate Louis ’20, ’24 is the video coordinator for Men’s Basketball
- Ben Carroll ’23 has been named assistant coach for Men’s and Women’s Golf.
Enrollment Hits Record
Enrollment received a record number of applications – 6,800 undergraduate. Two new initiatives are gaining traction with incoming students. The Buc Promise Scholarship is a tuition guarantee offered to low-income South Carolina residents who have earned a 3.5 or higher GPA. Enrollment hosted the second annual Honors Competition where 30 students competed for one of five full-ride scholarships. They also hosted the first honors banquet for incoming students.
Student Life Highlights
CSU’s newest residence hall was named Barbara C. Mead Hall in memory of Barbara Mead, a 55-year employee, to honor her servant leadership. The official naming ceremony took place during Homecoming Weekend.
Elevate, our weekly campus worship, had a high attendance of 430 students and averaged 242 students each week in 2023-2024. The women’s discipleship ministry had 87 women in one-on-one discipleship relationships, and 87 students served in summer missions: 13 internationally, and 74 domestically in organizations, camps, and churches.
Sweet 16, CSU’s premier student activities, hosted 8,305 attendees during the 2023-2024 academic year. Did you know, since the CSU family committed to packing more OCC boxes than any other university in the U.S. in 2019, 63,388 boxes have been packed at CSU?
All members of the Career Center team are certified with Myers-Griggs and administered and interpreted more than 120 MBTI assessments.
Campus Security installed a new camera monitoring system with better security features and enhanced quality imaging.
