Dear Chasers,

On January 17, 1781, over 242 years ago, General Daniel Morgan and his joint cadre of Continental troops and local militiamen – one of which I count as an ancestor – notched a significant victory against Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s infamous dragoons and British Regulars.

The battle, which took place in close proximity to our Cherokee County Campus, was the pivotal turning point of the Revolutionary War with British forces being chased out of the Carolinas and into Virginia. Ten months later, the British would be forced to surrender at the Siege of Yorktown. The road to victory and the beginning sparks of self-determination and hope for freedom were paved by those brave souls at Cowpens.

That advancement of freedom and the realization of dreams moved forward even further in 1963.  60 years ago, the same year and the exact same month Spartanburg Community College opened its doors to its first 150 students, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his inspirational “I have a dream” speech to the world on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. There, he set the stage for all Americans to further chase their dreams on the promise individual hard-earned skills and character. 

Sixty years later, SCC is the cornerstone of prosperity of the communities we serve. Our many thousands of students uniquely personify the ideals laid out by Dr. King, seeing themselves not segmented by race, religion, or background but rather unified in a joint identity as Chasers; each one pursuing the common goal of living out their dreams.

Our motto of Dream It, Chase It, Live It is more than just a phrase or a slogan. Our belief system embodies the liberties and freedom secured on the battlefield at Cowpens and the fight to rise above division and barriers to seek a better future for all.

Go Chasers!

SCC Welcomes Dr. Lisa Satterfield as New Chief Academic Officer

Spartanburg Community College is pleased to welcome Dr. Lisa Satterfield as the College’s new Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Satterfield comes to the SCC Chaser family from the South College Asheville campus, where she has served as Campus President, Dean of Academics and Student Success since 2018. With more than 15 years in higher education leadership, Dr. Satterfield is well-poised to manage and expand SCC’s more than 70 academic programs of study. 

"I am proud to welcome Dr. Satterfield to the Spartanburg Community College Chaser family as our new Chief Academic Officer," said Dr. Michael Mikota, President of SCC. "Her extensive experience and accomplishments in academic operations and performance will greatly enhance the College’s capability to execute our new mission and vision to drive future prosperity throughout the communities we serve."

"I am eager to immerse myself in the Spartanburg community and become a part of Spartanburg Community College," said Dr. Lisa Satterfield. "With the ever-changing landscape of higher education, we are challenged to be creative and innovative in the development and delivery of higher education. As leaders, we must be catalysts of change that foster student achievement and preparation for the workforce."

VIDEO: Dr. Mikota Welcomes Students to 2023

"It's an exciting time across our five campuses at Spartanburg Community College as the 2023 Spring Semester is well underway.

"2023 represents our 60th year of empowering students to #DreamItChaseItLiveIt, and I look forward to celebrating this diamond jubilee all year!"

-Dr. Mikota

SCC's HVAC Program to Expand to Cherokee County Campus Thanks to $50,000 Grant from Duke Energy

Spartanburg Community College will be expanding its Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) program to the College’s Cherokee County Campus thanks to a $50,000 grant from The Duke Energy Foundation.

"We have seen historic investments in Cherokee County, South Carolina during the past year, and the future of the economy locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally rests on building capacity through innovation and adaptability in the arenas of education, energy, and the environment," said Dr. Michael Mikota, President of SCC. "We are extremely proud to partner with Duke Energy to invest in a new innovative HVAC education program that will support and strengthen adaptive energy efficiencies in Cherokee County and beyond as well as strengthen Duke Energy’s mission to power the vitality of the communities we collaboratively serve."

With historic levels of investment and new development (both residential and commercial) occurring throughout the Upstate, there exists an immense need for HVAC technicians. 

This field is projected to grow significantly over the next ten years and SCC’s newly expanded HVAC program provides the local pathway for students to find success in this expansive and lucrative career path.

The first courses for the new program will begin in the upcoming Fall 2023 Semester.

SCC Alumni Panel Inspires Students for Success

Students from a variety of different programs at Spartanburg Community College got a chance to hear stories of success from individuals who once sat in their shoes at an alumni panel event held jointly by the College’s Career Services department and the SCC Foundation & Alumni Association.

Panelists shared examples of why they chose to attend SCC and how it prepared them for their careers, obstacles and challenges faced during their studies and ways the College helped them overcome them, and advice for recent graduates just setting out in their respective careers.

At the conclusion of the event, Molly McKinney of the SCC Foundation and Alumni Association provided students and panel participants with information on the newly revamped Alumni Association as the College seeks to engage further with its thousands of alumni across the world.

The panel consisted of the following proud SCC Alumni:

Lekesa Whitner, ‘00, of the Northside Development Group

Cody Wheeler, of Morgan Corp

Dr. Tamara Cook, ’08, Pediatric Nursing Instructor at the USC-Upstate Mary Black School of Nursing

Dr. Lichelle Jones-Wilkins, ’02, Assistant Principal at Jesse Boyd Elementary School (Spartanburg District 7)

Ed & Ysante McDowell, ’09, Business owners of Ed’s All-Purpose Seasoning, LLC

Ray Gilpin, ’09, CEO of Specialized Respiratory Services

SCC Welcomes Representatives from Ford Motor Company

"SCC recently hosted representatives from Ford Motor Company and regional Ford dealerships to showcase our innovative and successful apprenticeship model -- the Ford Asset Program -- that transforms students into Ford-Certified Technicians.

"Henry Ford was an innovator that streamlined the vehicle production process and dramatically increased quality of life.

"Through a similar focus on innovation, Spartanburg Community College is dedicated to eliminating barriers to educational attainment and the cultivation of resources and talent that drive wealth, prosperity, and achievement throughout the communities we serve."

-Dr. Mikota

SCC Celebrates Dean's List Honorees

“You know it’s going to be a great day when you get to start it by providing donuts to Chasers! Join me in congratulating the 634 Chasers who earned Dean’s List honors for the Fall 2022 semester.”

-Dr. Mikota

Click here to view the full list of our Dean's List recipients

On Friday, January 20th, the College held a retirement party recognizing Mr. Andre Kerr for his 28 faithful years of service. 

A graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College, Officer Kerr was the founding father of the SCC Police Department. After initially working in Public Safety at Wofford College, he officially began his long career in law enforcement here at SCC becoming not only our first police officer, but also our first Police Chief.

Most recently, Officer Kerr has served as the Campus Police Officer for our Cherokee County Campus in Gaffney.  Please join us in wishing Officer Kerr a wonderful and restful retirement!

For the fifth year in a row, Spartanburg Community College's Beta Sigma Psi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa has officially been recognized as a Five Star Chapter! 

According to Mr. Warren "Tim" Arnold, who serves as Chapter Advisor, there are 83 PTK chapters in our region with only 15 of those chapters achieving the coveted "Five Star" status.

What's more, ours is one of only three chapters in South Carolina to accomplish this significant achievement for 2022. 

Congratulations!

Register Now for the Inaugural Chaser's Cup!

The SCC Foundation is hosting the Inaugural Chaser's Cup Golf Tournament on Monday, April 10, 2023, at the beautiful Carolina Country Club.

Participating teams will enjoy a day of fun on the course, followed by a special dinner for participants. The winning team will be honored with bragging rights and may display the Chaser Cup trophy at their organization for one year until the next tournament!

Your support will enable the SCC Foundation to empower SCC students and support the continued growth of the College.

Space is limited, so click here to reserve your spot today!

New Year: New Traditions

The College kicked off a new tradition in January: Coffee with the President! 

In this new tradition, Dr. Mikota meets with newly-hired members of faculty & staff to welcome them to the SCC Chasers family, walks them through the mission, vision, and goals of the College, and gets to know a little bit about them.

Please give a heartfelt welcome to these new members of our faculty and staff!

If you asked anyone who knows Kaylee Bright Pridmore to describe her, they would all say the same thing: she has an incredible work ethic. 

In 2014, Kaylee made two great leaps of faith that would forever impact her life: she opened her own small clothing boutique and enrolled in Spartanburg Community College’s Radiologic Technology program.  

 "There were so many faculty members that helped throughout the year -- that’s what I loved about SCC. Each faculty member brought their own style of instructing and each of them had something different to offer. Furthermore, not only did they teach me what I needed to know, the clinical experiences were amazing. You get to learn and practice at the hospitals you could potentially work at, so it was not only an opportunity to learn a skill but also a way to network and ‘interview’ while learning."

Upon graduation, Kaylee began working in one of the very same facilities in which she conducted her clinicals, Mary Black Hospital, before moving into her current position as a Certified Radiological Technologist and Computed Tomography Technologist at the Spartanburg Medical Center’s Center for Urology.  

When not working to deliver quality healthcare service, Kaylee can be found managing her small business, Bright Pink Boutique, a store on the Westside offering unique, high-quality items for women that was recently featured in a small business highlight by WSPA 7News.  

Click here to read more about Kaylee.

Thank you for your support of Spartanburg Community College and our mission to drive prosperity and improved quality of life factors across Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties and beyond.

Please click here to visit the website of the SCC Foundation to learn more about the various ways you can empower our communities to Dream It, Chase It, and Live It!