Clinton Junior College, in 2010, marked the 116th year of continuous service to Rock Hill, the state of South Carolina and indeed the nation. Students still come from a diverse background and from fourteen states this academic year, as well as two foreign countries to the college on Crawford Road, only one mile from downtown Rock Hill and the center of the fastest growing county in the upper state.
During the more than a century of service, the college has graduated outstanding men and women who have distinguished themselves in careers in business, education, the church, our military, and in new sciences that are opening up in a computer and microchip driven global economy. In the first decade of the 21st century the college has completed the largest capital campaign in history, with a 15,000 square foot library and now looks to build a complex which will, in the words of former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, “transform the college.” The college is conducting a feasibility study to determine if a new complex of buildings might be added to the campus. These capital improvements will completely reshape the academic footprint of the college. The college will add class rooms with science labs, liberal arts classrooms and administrative space, as well as a health and athletic complex and finally a fine arts building.
The 64,000 additional square feet will enable the college to position for increased enrollment and bring science laboratories and classrooms up to a new level. In 2007 the college also received notice of major support from the South Carolina Education the amount of $250,000, and another grant from HUD of $400,000, which added to the amount of $400,000 received in 2005 to build homes near the college for qualified buyers. This total of $800,000 will do much for the City of Rock Hill and Crawford Road area in upgrading the entire community. In addition, the State of South Carolina funded a new academic initiative, the Early Childhood program with a grant of $150,000. Key gifts that have accounted for the success of the college came from the AME-ZION church. The largest gift in the library campaign of $1.5 million dollars came from the church, along with $85,000 received at the 2010 Founders Day, and another $22,000 was awarded to the school from the four conferences held annually by the AME-ZION churches The College received a department of Energy grant of nearly 400,000 in 2009 to renovate the residences halls and $25,000 from the Lutz Foundation. Another 2 million dollar US Department for Energy Grants has been received to enhance our science program.
To all these donors and friends we say thank you for helping make 2010 a building year for other projects to come, and to other success to be realized in 2011 and beyond. |
