Maria Pharr, president of South Piedmont Community College, spoke with members of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce at a Business After House event Oct. 23.
In her address, she outlined what has transpired in her tenure of just under two years. She explained the education and training that meets the needs of county residents, investments into the county and marketing efforts. Part of her discussion correlated with what was transpiring across campus as about 1,000 people gathered for the school’s Trunk or Treat.
College employees and students, also attired in costumes, greeted the princesses, comic book heroes, goblins and ghouls. Candy was plentiful.
“South Piedmont is invested in the future of Anson County, and we are committed to engagement with community members, to providing programs that support economic development, and to offering quality, convenient, and affordable education and training to area residents,” Pharr said.
The president commissioned an Anson County Task Force within her first few weeks on the job.
“The task force is a partnership among South Piedmont Community College, area secondary education leaders, and economic development partners in Anson County to determine needs for education and training in our area and to recommend classes and programs that meet those needs,” she said.
The task force includes South Piedmont employees, members of the Anson Economic Development Partnership, the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, and principals from Anson High School and Anson County Early College. The group is due to deliver recommendations for future programming to college administration this month.
In addition to creating the task force, Pharr invested in research to understand future employment trends in Anson County, and college staff members conducted listening sessions throughout the area to determine programming that best supports Anson County residents and fosters economic development in the area.
“Our goal is to use research from the task force, listening sessions and economic studies to add programs beginning next year that complement existing educational and training efforts,” Pharr said.
The college offers an array of programs in Anson County, including degrees for students who plan to transfer to four-year colleges or universities, various programs at Anson High School and Anson Early College, a slate of business programs, and several health programs. The college offers its agribusiness and practical nursing curricula exclusively in Anson County.
South Piedmont also offers training in veterinary assisting, auto body repair, welding, notary public, programs for public safety officers, health and wellness for senior citizens, and GED/high school equivalency programs.
New courses this year include holiday cooking classes at the Lockhart-Taylor Center this month and food safety and Class B commercial driver’s license training in the spring.
Not only has the college expanded its programs since Pharr took the helm, but it witnessed growth in enrollment as well. Since 2016, enrollment in curriculum programs in Anson County increased by more than 15 percent.
On top of enhancing education and training programs, South Piedmont continues to invest financially in its Anson County locations and in Anson County residents.
“The environment in which students study is important to their experience and impacts learning, so South Piedmont is investing significantly to provide much needed updates to our Anson County facilities and to offer our students an inviting and engaging environment,” Pharr said.
Since 2016, the college devoted over $1.2 million to update its campus in Polkton and the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro. Improvements to the Polkton campus include new sidewalks, heat and air conditioning updates, a renovated auditorium, a state-of-the art welding lab and landscaping improvements. At the Lockhart-Taylor Center, the college updated audio-visual technology.
South Piedmont has committed an additional $180,000 to update classroom and student spaces at the Polkton campus and the lobby at the Lockhart-Taylor Center.
Along with facilities updates, South Piedmont reinvests funding from Anson County to support area residents with tuition assistance. Since 2016, the college provided $161,000 in support for Anson County residents.
“Many students are balancing families, jobs and economic situations that make it difficult for them to achieve their educational goals, and South Piedmont provides much needed tuition assistance that allows students to pursue their education without worry of financial constraints,” Pharr said.
As South Piedmont expands education and training opportunities and invests financially in the area, Anson County residents will soon see a lot more about the college. Since coming to South Piedmont, Pharr restructured the college’s marketing efforts to provide for a more robust connection with community members.
“One of the challenges I noticed when I came to South Piedmont is that we weren’t the best at telling our story and at informing the community about the value the college brings to the area and about what programs we have to offer,” she said.
Recently, South Piedmont hired an outside company to implement a broad marketing strategy, including monthly television interviews, streaming television commercials, and expanded social media marketing efforts. Soon, community members will see new billboards featuring South Piedmont lining the roads of Anson County.
For decades, South Piedmont Community College has supported education and workforce development needs in Anson County. Pharr wants South Piedmont to be uniquely positioned and dedicated to continue as the backbone of education and workforce training in Anson County through its programming and enrollment growth, investments in facilities and new marketing efforts.
As the “Trunk or Treat” event demonstrated, residents are finding new and exciting ways to connect and explore what their community’s college has to offer — hobgoblins, ghosts, superheroes and all.
Anson County residents, with children dressed as princesses, comic book heroes, goblins and ghouls, line the sidewalks and parking lots of South Piedmont Community College at the school’s ‘Trunk or Treat’ community event.
South Piedmont President Maria Pharr speaks with members of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce at a Business After Hours event.