A mission to lead: Our responsibility as the state’s flagship university

One of the reasons I was drawn to serve as president of the University of South Carolina is its established position as the state’s flagship university. The term “flagship” evokes many things, but in the higher education sphere it typically denotes the largest, most comprehensive public institution in the state, devoted to both research excellence and service to residents.

The University of South Carolina is a quintessential flagship in many regards. Our Columbia campus is home to 56 nationally ranked academic programs, including the nation’s best international business program and the top honors college. Our enrollment has ballooned from about 13,000 students 50 years ago to more than 32,000 students this fall. And while we are educating more South Carolinians than ever before, we also enroll students from every state in the nation and 94 countries.

But a flagship university must not only have preeminent programs that attract only the very top students nationwide, we must also recognize that we exist to principally serve students from the Palmetto State. As such, we have a responsibility to develop our relationship with South Carolina families and to help them understand college eligibility standards. It’s also imperative that we ask ourselves as an institution what we’re doing to help students meet those standards.

Our university recently convened a two-day retreat involving academic and administrative leadership from our entire eight-campus system. The goal was to begin the work of charting a path forward that takes into account the changing demographics of the higher education landscape. We discussed not only who we need to serve, but how to best serve them. The next decade is expected to bring an increase in non-traditional student populations, such as working adults aiming for degree completion. A coinciding decrease in the traditional college-aged student population means we must seek new models to stay competitive and attract a diverse — and increasingly skeptical — client base.

Mounting nationwide student debt and dwindling state and federal support has eroded public confidence in traditional higher education, to the point where just over half of Americans today believe that earning a college degree is worth the cost. That’s despite evidence that graduates will still earn on average more than $1 million more over a lifetime than non-college graduates.

To win back the trust and lead as South Carolina’s flagship, we must offer students flexible delivery models, practical beyond-the-classroom experiences, interdisciplinary degree offerings, and professional development opportunities for those whose careers are already underway.

We can’t accomplish all of these goals alone. That’s why I’ll begin traveling throughout the state to meet with education, business and community leaders. The tour will start in Greenville and will take me to nearly every region of the state, with the goal of soliciting input on collective solutions to move South Carolina forward.

Those may include new mentorship programs with K-12 school districts to put more students on the path toward college readiness. In a spirit of outreach and service, you will see our students working with K-12 students across the state, going into schools to encourage and inspire young people to make a commitment to pursue higher education opportunities. Other strategies include creating specialized internships for our students so they’re better prepared to meet industry needs; and working with elected leaders to expand access through sustainable funding and increased needs-based aid. We also need to find better ways for students to access our online offerings and make it easier for them to move across our system campuses, which play a vital role in their respective communities.

Navigating through change is never easy. But change always brings about opportunities, and the University of South Carolina will adapt to new realities without losing sight of our primary mission to serve. That’s what a flagship does.

Bob Caslen, the University of South Carolina’s 29th president, is a retired Army lieutenant general and former superintendent and president of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.