South Carolina State University, the historically Black educational institution in Orangeburg, has entered into an agreement with Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College that will make it easier for students to transfer from OC Tech to South Carolina State University in order to earn bachelor’s degrees.
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College enrolls about 2,800 students. African Americans make up a majority of the student body and women are nearly two thirds of all students. A large percentage of associate’s degrees awarded at the college are in the health professions.
Under the agreement, OC Tech students who sign up for the Bulldog Gateway Program will be able to transfer credits earned while pursuing an associate’s degree toward their bachelor’s degree at South Carolina State. While still enrolled at OC Tech, students will be able to participate in campus events at South Carolina State University. In a second phase of the agreement, students who successfully complete their associate’s degree program at OC Tech will automatically be admitted to bachelor’s degree programs at South Carolina State.
Walter A. Tobin, president of Orange-Calhoun Technical College, stated that “OC Tech has a record of preparing students for good jobs and great careers, and inherent in that mission is that we create opportunities for transfer. This relationship gives our students another option in terms of preparing for the workforce. Our collective task is to educate our citizens for jobs so they can become globally competitive in this society and across this state.”
Dr. Tobin is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina, where he majored in mathematics education. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of South Carolina.
