From the President
Let’s Keep It Going
As my family and I approach our second anniversary at Coastal Carolina University, it is very gratifying to see the collective progress the University is making to enrich the educational experience for our students. We’re adding new degree programs; increasing the diversity of our campus community; welcoming new administrators, faculty, and staff; and enhancing facilities. In recent months, we broke ground on the Thompson Library, our second library, and we opened the Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance, our seventh college.
CMC’s partnership includes a transformational $10 million donation, which marks the largest gift ever received by the University. This new college will certainly provide our students with valuable experiential learning experiences. In turn, they will have ample opportunities to secure gainful employment and help alleviate the health care workforce development needs within our region. CMC’s historic gift also enables us to move forward with the construction of a new indoor practice facility to be used by our intercollegiate athletic teams, intramurals, clubs, and other activities on campus and within our community.
During the year, I had the pleasure of attending alumni gatherings in Raleigh, New Jersey, and Boston. Having the opportunity to meet so many alumni and hear stories about their lifechanging experiences at CCU is incredibly rewarding. Their personal and professional accomplishments are making the world a better place and bringing positive recognition to the University. Our alumni are the cornerstone of this University, and we cannot succeed without their support.
From our ongoing commitment to first-generation students to recently recognizing our first Ph.D. graduates in education sciences, it gives me great pleasure to celebrate our diverse student body. In Spring 2022, I interacted with students while teaching an upper-level course: History of the American University. Each time I return to the classroom, I gain a new appreciation for the invaluable work our faculty members do on a daily basis and the dedication they have for our students. Sharing, discovering, and applying knowledge is fundamental to the success of our society.
The Chanticleer football program is in the midst of celebrating its 20th year of competition. The national exposure the program has brought to the University in recent years is unprecedented. It has certainly enhanced the Coastal Carolina brand. And I’d be remiss not to mention the outstanding efforts of former CCU track standout Melissa Jefferson. A native of Georgetown, S.C., she won the 60-meter dash at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships to become the school’s first-ever individual national champion.
Coastal continues to excel in all that we do, and we have you – our loyal alumni and friends – to thank for supporting our upward trajectory. Let’s keep it going.
Go Chants!
Michael T. Benson,
President