At its quarterly meeting today, Coastal Carolina University's board of trustees approved the adoption of an initiative that will begin the process of making CCU a smoke-free and tobacco-free campus.

CCU's Tobacco-Free Campus initiative includes smoking cessation support programs and an educational campaign that promotes healthy living in general. The initiative follows national and state trends that show more and more institutions of higher education going tobacco free. Nationally, more than 1,100 campuses have adopted 100 percent smoke-free policies, including 20 higher education institutions in South Carolina.

Smoking cessation classes and other aids will be made available to all members of the CCU campus community beginning in January 2014. The Tobacco-Free Campus policy will go into effect at the beginning of the Fall 2014 semester.

Board approval was granted for the renovation of the Edward M. Singleton Building, constructed in 1963 and the campus' oldest building. The total cost of the project is not to exceed $9 million.

The board also approved a cooperative venture between CCU and Horry-Georgetown Technical College for an undergraduate degree program in Civil and Coastal Engineering Technology. The purpose of the program is to develop technologists who can apply the latest civil engineering technology to address needs that are unique to coastal regions of the Carolinas. The program is expected to begin in the Fall 2014 semester.

The board approved a motion to establish a Bachelor of Arts degree with Certification in Special Education - Multi Categorical. This will replace CCU's current certification in learning disabilities in response to a need expressed by K-12 educators in the region.

The following new academic programs were also approved by the board: a Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Content Development; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrated Humanities; and a Master of Science degree in Sport Management. These programs require approval by the S.C. Commission on Higher Education.