Coastal Carolina University, commonly referred to as CCU or Coastal, is a public, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The campus is located eight miles (13Â km) west of the oceanfront resort town of Myrtle Beach. The university is a national sea-grant institution and owns part of Waties Island, a 1,105-acre (4.47Â km2) barrier island which serves as a natural laboratory.
Coastal Carolina University's Conway campus is also the home of the Horry County Schools Scholars Academy, a high school for gifted students.
History
Coastal Carolina University was founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, a two-year community college, by the Coastal Educational Foundation, a group of citizens who wanted a post-secondary institution in the Grand Strand. The college originally operated under contract as an extension of the College of Charleston. Classes met at night at Conway High School and were taught by part-time faculty. After the College of Charleston closed its extension programs, Coastal became an independent community college supported by Horry County.
The Horry County Educational Commission was created in 1959 to oversee some of the tax money. This body was responsible for contracting out operations to the University of South Carolina a year later under the name Coastal Carolina Regional Campus. The deal was finalized at the Chat N' Chew restaurant in Turbeville, South Carolina, a town halfway between Conway and Columbia. The site of the present-day campus was chosen in 1960, on a plot of land between U.S. Highway 501 and South Carolina Highway 544, on land owned by Burroughs Timber Company and International Paper. The university officially opened 1962 under a new name, Coastal Carolina College of the University of South Carolina. The Edward M. Singleton Building was the first to open in 1963.
A decade of growth led to the school becoming a four-year institution in 1974. The university's first residence halls (currently "The Woods" residence halls) opened in 1987. By 1991, enrollment had grown to over 4,000 students, leading the Coastal Educational Foundation and Horry County Educational Commission to seek independent status for the school. On July 1, 1993, the school officially became an autonomous institution under the name Coastal Carolina University, in a bill signed into law by South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell on the steps of the Singleton Building. After a decade of growth, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team opened its inaugural inaugural game vs. Newberry College on September 6, 2003 in front of a crowd of more than 8,000 at the newly-opened Brooks Stadium. In 2004, Coastal Carolina University celebrated its 50th anniversary; the same year, enrollment reached 7,000 students and the University opened the first phase of the University Place housing complex across Highway 544.
Throughout the 2010s, the University experienced a building boom achieved as a result of a local 1-cent sales tax for education-related construction (Brittain Hall was originally dubbed "Penny Hall" in honor of the penny tax that helped fund its construction). In 2014, the University established its first doctoral degree program, in coastal and marine science systems science. In 2016, enrollment reached over 10,400 students; the same year the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers athletic programs officially joined the Sun Belt Conference and the Chanticleers baseball team won the NCAA College World Series, the first national title for the university.
Academic organization
The E. Craig Wall, Sr. College of Business Administration
The business college, most commonly referred to as "Wall," offers six undergraduate majors: accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing and hospitality and resort tourism management. The PGA Golf Management program is one of only 20 programs in the nation accredited by the PGA of America. Business students can also minor in business, economics, international business or marketing. The business college also offers two graduate programs, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program and the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program, and a graduate certificate in fraud examination. The Wall College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
The Wall College is also home to several programs and centers.
- BB&T Grant Center for Real Estate and Economic Development
- Clay Brittain, Jr. Center for Resort Tourism
- Professional Golf Management Program
- Wall Fellows Program
- Wall Center for Excellence
William L. Spadoni College of Education
The Spadoni College of Education grants the degrees Bachelor of Arts in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Middle Level Education, and Special Education / Learning Disabilies; Bachelor of Science in Physical Education; Master of Education in the areas of Educational Leadership and Teaching & Learning; and Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Education in six specialization areas, as well as an Online Teaching Endorsement. The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and each of its constituent programs is recognized by the South Carolina Department of Education and its corresponding specialized professional association (SPA).
The Spadoni College of Education is home to several research and outreach endeavors, including the Biddle Center for Teaching, Learning, and Community Engagement and the Learning is for Everyone (LIFE) Program, a "post-secondary education and transition program for young adults who have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities". Beginning with the Fall 2015 semester, the College will also host Teaching Fellows cohorts. Teaching Fellows is a program of the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement intended to "address the need to recruit high quality teachers" in South Carolina.
Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts
The Edwards College or "EHFA" houses the departments of Anthropology and Geography; Communication, Media and Culture; English; History; Languages and Intercultural Studies; Music; Philosophy and Religious Studies; Politics; Theatre; and Visual Arts. It offers over fifteen undergraduate degree programs in the humanities and fine arts, as well as twenty-five undergraduate minor programs. In addition, the Edwards College offers graduate programs in Writing (MA) and Liberal Studies (MA).
The Edwards College houses several university initiatives, institutes, and centers, including the Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy, the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values, and the Athenaeum Press. The press is a student-driven publishing lab that offers students professional-level hands-on experience in authoring, designing and producing innovative stories.
As the home of the Department of Music, all university bands are housed within the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. These include: Concert Bands; The Spirit of the Chanticleer Marching Band and Pep Band; CCU Jazz Ensembles; POP 101; Saxophone Ensemble; Brass Quartet; Flute Choir; and Percussion Ensembles.
College of Science
The College of Science currently offers 20 academic programs (majors, minors, and graduate degrees), including a Master of Science degree in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Coastal and Marine Systems Science. The Marine Systems department houses four sea vessels for both teaching and research. The flagship of the fleet is the R/V Coastal Explorer, a 54Â ft. coastal region research vessel. In addition to the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies and the School of Coastal and Marine Systems Science, the College of Science houses the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Computing Sciences, Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Management, Marine Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology, and Sociology. In 2016, the university opened a new $30 million, 71,150 sq. ft. science complex, initially called "Science Annex II."
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
Coastal Carolina University is home to the Chanticleer Company of the U.S. Army ROTC program. The university's Center for Military and Veterans Studies records and preserves the oral histories of South Carolina veterans for the Library of Congress.
The Kimbel Library and Bryan Information Commons
Opened in 1977, the Kimbel Library provides research collections and resources to support students, faculty and the surrounding community. The library also serves as a government repository. and houses the Horry County Archives Center. Study spaces in the Kimbel library include technology equipped study and presentation rooms for student use and instruction rooms for librarian led instruction sessions. Located on the first floor, the Peter C. Bolton Help Desk is the main information service center of the library and commons and is staffed during all hours that the library and commons is open. Students can purchase beverages and snacks at the Starbucks located on the first floor.
The Bryan Information Commons is a state-of-the-art, two-story addition to the Kimbel Library. The Information Commons provides individual computer workstations, collaborative group media:scape workstations, high-tech study and presentation rooms and additional seating for study. The library and commons buildings are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Accreditation
The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In addition, several of the University's other programs have been accredited. They include:
- The E. Craig Wall, Sr. College of Business Administration - accredited by AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business).
- The Spadoni College of Education - accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) as well as the South Carolina State Board of Education.
- The Department of Computer Science - accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
- The University is also an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Leadership
Media and campus publications
Coastal Carolina University has a rich and diverse array of media outlets and publications for students, faculty, alumni and the broader community. These include:
Radio and television
- WCCU - Student-run online radio station launched in Spring 2009.
- Coastal Now - A program produced by the university that is broadcast on local television and online.
Print media
- Coastal Carolina Magazine
- Atheneum Newsletter
Student publications
- The Chanticleer - The student newspaper
- Archarios - A student-produced literary art magazine
- Tempo - A student-produced features magazine
Student life
Student facilities
The Lib Jackson Student Union serves as the hub for student life at Coastal Carolina University. It contains a 250-seat movie theater/auditorium, conference rooms, a convenience store, as well as an entertainment and gaming area.
The HTC Recreation & Convocation Center was opened in 2012. The LEED-certified convocation center features a 3,370 multi-purpose arena, bookstore, as well as a recreation center open to students, faculty, and staff. The recreation center features a large workout area with cardio machines, weight training, and a full indoor track. It is also home to several group exercise studios, a rock climbing wall, as well as ping pong tables.
The arena portion of the HTC Center is home to both men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams, whose games were formerly held in Kimbel Arena. The arena is overlooked by private suites and a catering and banquet facility.
University housing
The university requires all Freshmen and Sophomores to live on campus; the university houses approximately 3,700 in on-campus living facilities. Freshmen are primarily assigned to the university-owned Ingle, Eaglin and Woods residence halls. The Gardens are also available to Freshman students. Sophomores are primarily housed in University Place. For upperclassmen, there are several off-campus student housing apartment-style complexes located near the university.
The CCU Student Housing Foundation was created in 2003 as a non-profit corporation to lease, manage and contract for the construction of student housing facilities. The Foundation oversaw the construction of University Place, and the university's trustees moved to purchase University Place from the foundation in 2014.
The most recent student housing is the 1,270-bed complex on the north end of the campus. The first two halls, Tradition Hall and Chanticleer Hall were completed for the Fall 2015 semester. Tradition and Chanticleer Halls include clusters of rooms reserved for honors students as well as three special interest communities; "TEACH Community" for education majors, "Wall $treet Business Community" for business majors, and the "SEA Floor" for social and educational programming focusing on marine sciences. The last two buildings, Teal Hall and CINO Hall opened for the Fall 2016 semester. The four-building complex also features office space, conference and meeting rooms, recreation and a new dining hall.
University Place
Located 1/2 mile from Main Campus off Highway 544, University Place consists of 46 apartment-style buildings, separated into five distinct neighborhoods; "Blue Ridge" and "Piedmont" (Also known as the "Blue Tops"; constructed by the University in 2004 and 2005), as well as "Grand Strand", "Sandhills", and "Low Country" (Also known as the "Red Tops"; constructed in 2006 and 2007 by a third-party developer as private off-campus housing, later purchased by the University). University Place contains an activity house with a fitness center and outdoor pool, several basketball and volleyball courts, as well as the "UP Cafe" and convenience store. Shuttle buses run every 10â"15 minutes between University Place and main campus.
Campus dining
Coastal Carolina University has several options for campus dining. The primary venue for dining on campus is the cafeteria-style Hicks Dining Hall, which includes various stations offering a variety of food, such as a salad bar, sandwich station, pizza bar, and desserts. Adjacent to the Jackson Student Union is the CINO Grille, a food court featuring a Subway, Chick-fil-A, Grille Works, Chauncey's Queso Corner, as well as a Grab-n-go station. Other dining options include the UP Cafe located in University Place, a grab-n-go eatery in the Science Center, a late-night pizzeria, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Starbucks Coffee, as well as a dining facility at the Hackler Golf Course.
The university also runs a food truck, the Road Rooster, which serves breakfast on Prince Lawn, and serves late-night fare over the weekends at University Place. In 2014 the university was one of three college campuses in the country selected to receive a mobile Starbucks Coffee truck. The truck, which operates like a normal Starbucks retail location, is operational on weekdays on both Prince Lawn and University Place.
Campus transportation
The university operates a free shuttle system that runs on both weekdays and weekends. The shuttles, modeled after classic trolleys, run approximately every 10 minutes during peak hours, but stop less often during non-peak times. The Teal Shuttle route runs on weekdays between main campus and University Place. The Black Shuttle route runs between main campus and the Science Center and Band Hall across Highway 501; the Black Shuttle also stops at the Myrtle Ridge Wal-Mart during evening hours. The Bronze Shuttle runs on weekends and services all stops on the shuttle routes. The university also runs free shuttles during Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks, shuttling students to and from the Myrtle Beach International Airport and the Florence Amtrak station. The shuttle routes converge at a solar-powered bus shelter, donated by the Santee Cooper electric company in front of the Student Center.
In addition to free shuttles, the university has over 100 bicycles that are available to be checked out by students for use on campus, as well as an on-campus fleet of Zipcars.
Student activities
Student organizations include the Student Government Association (SGA), S.T.A.R. (Students Taking Active Responsibility) and the Coastal Activities Board, along with a number of other academic, honor, service, interest, social and religious organizations. Intramural sports are also offered through the Department of Campus Recreation.
The SGA is the governing body of the campus and is in charge of allocating and disbursing funds to the clubs and organizations on campus. Executive positions include President, Executive Vice-President, Chief of Staff, President Pro-Tempore, Vice President for Finance and Vice President for Public Relations. Elections for SGA positions are held each spring. The SGA's legislative body is composed of two senators from each grade and college who are elected by the student body. SGA has passed legislation to change various policies on campus. Over the years, they have passed legislation to create the HTC Center, Rowdy Rooster and have made replacement CINO cards free to students as well as more. SGA meetings are currently held on Mondays at 6:30Â p.m. in Wall building 317.
Club sports
Coastal Carolina University also boasts an array of competitive and non-competitive club sports including : Baseball, Hockey, Soccer (M), Soccer (W), Lacrosse(M), Lacrosse(W), Triathlon, Wrestling, Saltwater Anglers, Surfing, Wake Sports, Rugby, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Fishing, and Quidditch.
The Chanticleer Rugby club, a member of USA Rugby South, won the Small College National Championship in 2009. The club also won the 2009 NSCRO Men's Division III Rugby Tournament.
Greek life
Athletics
From 1983 through the 2015â"16 school year, Coastal Carolina's athletic programs competed in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big South Conference, while the football team, which began play in 2003, competed in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced they would leave the Big South Conference following the 2015â"16 school year to transition to FBS-level football and the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.
The football team plays at the 9,214-seat Brooks Stadium, which is notable for its teal artificial turf. Following the announcement of the university joining the Sun Belt Conference, Brooks Stadium will undergo construction to expand the stadium to 20,000 seats; the NCAA requires FBS programs to maintain an average attendance of at least 15,000 over a rolling two-year cycle. The addition will complete a lower-level seating bowl between the home, visitors, and student sections, as well as adding a second level to the section backing up to S.C. 544.
Coastal Carolina 's athletic teams were once known as the Trojans. Once the school established an affiliation with the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina decided tp select a mascot in line with the parent institution's mascot, the Gamecock. The ultimate choice was the Chanticleer (pronounced SHON-ti-clear), the proud, witty rooster made famous in "The Nun's Priest's Tale" of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The university's teams are affectionately known as the Chants (pronounced "shonts") and the mascot itself is named Chauncey. When Coastal Carolina became an independent university in 1993, despite some calls for "a complete split from USC" (i.e., change the mascot), the Chanticleer remained the school's mascot. The university also has a live rooster (Chanticleer) that appears at events periodically, such as home football games. As of 2016, the live mascot is "Maddox".
In 2013, TD Bank gave CCU a $5 million gift. In September 2014, CCU officially renamed its sports facilities as the TD Sports Complex. In 2016, CCU won its first NCAA national title in baseball at the College World Series in Omaha, winning the deciding game 4â"3 in the best-of-three final series against the University of Arizona. The championship was won mere hours before Coastal officially joined the Sun Belt.
Notable alumni
Athletics
Arts, entertainment, and media
References
External links
- Official website
- Coastal Carolina Athletics website