About College of Charleston

Core Purpose

To pursue and share knowledge through study, inquiry and creation in order to empower the individual and enrich society.

Institutional Core Values

Integrity

Adherence to the highest ethical standards in all our professional obligations and personal responsibilities.

Academic Excellence

Commitment to a dynamic intellectual community, high academic standards, strong academic programs, and a high-quality faculty of engaged and engaging teacher-scholars.

Liberal Arts Education

Dedication to a liberal arts and sciences education that encourages intellectual curiosity and fosters each student’s ability to think creatively and analyze, synthesize, apply and communicate knowledge from many sources.

Respect for the Individual Student

Devotion to the intellectual, ethical and social development of each students.

Diversity

Commitment to a globally-oriented and diverse academic community.

Community

Commitment to compassion, mutual trust, respect, civility, collegial shared governance, teamwork and the general welfare of the institution and the individual.

Public Mission

Commitment to our social responsibilities and to serving the education needs of the state of South Carolina and our community.

Statement of Institutional Mission

The College of Charleston is a state-supported comprehensive institution providing a high quality education in the arts and sciences, education and business. The faculty is an important source of knowledge and expertise for the community, state, and nation.

Consistent with its heritage since its founding in 1770, the College retains a strong liberal arts undergraduate curriculum. Located in the heart of historic Charleston, it strives to meet the growing educational demands primarily of the Lowcountry and the state and, secondarily, of the Southeast. A superior undergraduate program is central to the mission of the College of Charleston. As a prominent component of the state’s higher education system, the College encourages and supports research.

In addition to offering a broad range of baccalaureate degree programs, the College incorporates the University of Charleston, South Carolina (UCSC), established by state statute in 1992, which serves as a research institution where the graduate and research programs associated with the College are housed. UCSC provides master’s degree programs and anticipates offering a limited number of doctoral degrees should location and need warrant. The College also provides an extensive credit and non-credit continuing education program and cultural activities for residents of the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

The College of Charleston seeks applicants capable of successfully completing degree requirements and pays particular attention to identifying and admitting students who excel academically. The College of Charleston serves a diverse student body from its geographic area and also attracts students from national and international communities. The College provides students a community in which to engage in original inquiry and creative expression in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom. This community, founded on principles of the liberal arts tradition, provides students the opportunity to realize their intellectual and personal potential and to become responsible, productive members of society.

The Mission Statement (also called the Statement of Purpose) has been approved or revised by the State College Board of Trustees or the College of Charleston Board of Trustees on January 16, 1974; March 12, 1986; January 16, 1991; February 15, 1994; July 13, 2006; July 23,2014; and August 25, 2014.

Executive Officers of the Administration

Andrew T. Hsu
President

Frances Welch
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Edward B. Pope
Interim Executive Vice President for Business Affairs

Alicia D. Caudill
Executive Vice President for Student Affairs

Chris Tobin
Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement

College of Charleston Board of Trustees

Charles J. Baker III

R. McLaurin Burch

Elizabeth Middleton Burke

John H. Busch

Demetria Noisette Clemons, Vice Chair

L. Cherry Daniel

Henry A. Futch, Jr.

Henrietta U. Golding

David M. Hay, Chair

Shawn M. Holland

Randolph R. Lowell

Toya D. Pound

Penelope S. Rosner

Renee Buyck Romberger, Secretary

August G. Swarat II

Brian J. Stern

Steve D. Swanson

Craig C. Thornton

Michael Todd Warrick

Ricci Land Welch

John B. Wood, Jr.

Elizabeth W. Kassebaum - Executive Secretary to the Board of Trustees