South Carolina State University recently launched its Institute of Business, Environment, Communications and Transportation (BECT). The institute will focus on preparing students for careers in business, environmental science, communications, and transportation and supply chain management.
“We look forward to bringing important partners together to enhance opportunities for our students in these critical areas of infrastructure,” said Alexander Conyers, president of South Carolina State University. “The Institute of Business, Environment, Communications and Transportation will be one more way we make connections between academia and practical applications in the world outside our campus.”
The South Carolina General Assembly appropriated $18 million toward the development of educational institutes at each of South Carolina’s seven HBCUs. Each institute was established with specific focuses and disciplines united to increase opportunities and exposure for their student bodies and the surrounding community.
“The Institutes of Innovation and Information is one of the most powerful tools that historically Black colleges and universities will see for years to come,” said John L. Scott, the state senator who proposed the creation of the institutes. “As each HBCU creates its own institute to look at issues affecting South Carolina you will begin to get more involvement with our colleges and universities. The students, faculty, and staff will notice that having corporate partners will bring about scholarships, opportunities for young people such as internships, as well as jobs after graduation, and even some during their tenure at school.”
