In recognition of the more than $138.5 million Coastal Carolina University has received from the Horry County Penny Sales Tax that supports local education, the University has renamed one of its buildings Penny Hall. CCU’s board of trustees and President Michael T. Benson will hold a dedication ceremony for Penny Hall (115 Chanticleer Drive East) on Monday, March 27, at 10 a.m. Previously known as Academic Office and Classroom Building II, the naming of Penny Hall is a symbol of gratitude to the citizens of Horry County.

The Penny Sales Tax, officially known as the Education Capital Improvement Sales and Use Sales Tax, was initiated in 2008 and renewed in November 2022 through a vote by Horry County residents. The sales tax funds capital improvements for public schools and the county’s two institutions of higher education. The revenue is shared by Horry County Schools (80%), Coastal Carolina University (13.3%), and Horry-Georgetown Technical College (6.7%). The 2022 vote reimposes the Penny Sales Tax for an additional 15 years.

CCU’s allocated Penny Sales Tax funds have been instrumental in building facilities such as the newly named Penny Hall as well as Science Annex II, HTC Student Recreation and Convocation Center, Clay D. Brittain Jr. Hall, and Thompson Library, which is under construction. Acquisitions funded through the sales tax revenue include the General James Hackler Golf Course, Student Health Center, and Coastal Science Center.

Penny Hall is a 52,954-square-foot academic facility that was completed in 2017. It provides 16 classrooms/labs, three student study rooms, multiple open collaborative spaces, offices for more than 100 faculty and staff from various disciplines, and Information Technology Services headquarters.