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Rename Spartanburg Technical College?

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Renaming Technical Colleges  

22 members have voted

  1. 1. Should STC be allowed to be renamed?

    • Yes
      18
    • No
      1
    • Not Sure
      1
    • Don't Care
      2

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hub-city Hamlet

hub-city

Posted
Posted

I voted "not sure" even though I lean toward yes. The college has made sugnificant ground in both marketing and facility improvement. I know much more needs to, and can, be done and I'm not sure if the name change will help or confuse the mission of the college. In either case, I think the legislature will over-ride the veto anyway.

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goodbye Metropolitan Area

goodbye

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I voted yes, mostly because I don't think the Governor alone should have a say on whether or not a school is renamed. If the Spartanburg community is in support, or even if only the school board backs the change, that should be their decision, not the Governor's. My main point is that the local government should be the majority voice on how to shape their own community. Just my opinion.

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willum Unincorporated Area

willum

Posted
Posted

governor sanford shouldnt have say in whether they change the name or not. The name change is a very positive thing for the school marketing wise and community wise. The school truly no longer is just a tech school, it's so much more, and Gov Sanford isn't here to see that.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

The governor's opposition I understand, but I am not entirely convinced that our "______ Technical College" system is that great of a "brand." They are essentially community colleges. SC doesn't have a true 'tech' school (like VA Tech or Georgia Tech).

That said, I do not like that the legislature (both parties!) just laughs at this veto, saying that they will just overturn it. No biggie.

Tech will get its new name, of that I am sure. The most frustrating part is that I won't be able to call it 'Tech' anymore, even though I know most people still will (much like people still call Upstate, USCS).

Here is a link to that article.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

The House has overridden the Governor's veto.

Article

There was only one vote in opposition (it was a guy from Irmo).

It probably doesn't hurt that the Speaker Pro Tem, Doug Smith, is from Spartanburg.

The Senate takes the issue next week.

I wonder how long it will take STC to change its name officially?

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

Welcome to the forum SpartanTS!

Tech's main hold up is at the legislative end, so I have no doubt that it will change. I am now wondering why it was so easy for USCS to change the name, where Tech is having to go through hoops to do it. Maybe its just the fact that it is a branch campus rather than the main one?

Ultimately I agree that it is a positive change for the school. Its appropriate that they change the name to reflect the school's expansion and presence in the region. Even still... Go Rifles!!

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
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And "Community College" doesn't have a negative stigma? Why not "Spartanburg Institute of Technology" like Cal Tech, MIT or Georgia Tech? ;)

That has a nice ring doesnt it? ;)

I think that the idea propsed here was a good one.... disban the 'Tech' system in SC, and revert to the community college moniker. Then convert Greenville Tech into a 4 year tech school and call it the South Carolina Institute of Technology... or we could pull a VA and call it the South Carolina Polytechnic Institute and State University.... either way it can be SC Tech- a real Tech school.

Then, merge Spartanburg and Tri-County Tech and any other schools that I am leaving out into an Upstate Community College System (similar to Midlands Tech in the Columbia region).

Now, that would NEVER happen considering that adding new shcools is not something that we can afford right now. Fun to think about though.

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  • 1 month later...
hub-city Hamlet

hub-city

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According to the HJ, it is back to Spartanburg Tech. It appears that three senators have threatened to cut Spartanburg Tech's funding if they change the name. While the bill allowing them to change the name says they will remain under the techincal college's umbrella, the senators say that they won't recognize it as a community college.

Check the ARTICLE

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

This example of strong-arming by our legislature is one of the many many reasons they tick me off. To be fair, they essentially tookback their decision to override the Governor's veto. But why they didn't support it to start with is beyond my comprehension.

I think that since this is a local college it should be a local decision.

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  • 3 months later...
Fiddlestix Whistle-Stop

Fiddlestix

Posted
Posted

Sorry, if this is too political a response but I'm not crossing party lines to make this observation: Sanford governs like he's a computer. He brings to office some very sensible and laudable principles for the way government should work. But he applies them so rigorously and unflinchingly that you wonder how much discernment, reflection and contemplation he brings to the office.

This is one of many examples of him applying a principle as part of a sort of "calculus for government" -- except that calculus can describe curves and his formula tends to be pretty much a straight line.

A governor ought to exhibit the wisdom and courage to show that guiding principles are fraught with exceptions and subject to nuances and, yes, flaws and deviations. He should not be a slave to those principles, but a master of applying them as warranted and having the perception to understand when exceptions are likewise warranted.

A year ago he vetoed funding for an expansion of STC into Cherokee County. Sure it would help train a larger segment of the state's workforce. And it was well-planned and well-conceived. And it was supported by Spartanburg and Cherokee County politicians alike. But that didn't matter. A school by the name of Spartanburg Technical College shouldn't be in Cherokee County. Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute.

He's wrong. I appreciate the principles he believes in, but he shows no leadership in applying them as though they were universal truths.

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krazeeboi Gigalopolis

krazeeboi

Posted
Posted

Sorry, if this is too political a response but I'm not crossing party lines to make this observation: Sanford governs like he's a computer. He brings to office some very sensible and laudable principles for the way government should work. But he applies them so rigorously and unflinchingly that you wonder how much discernment, reflection and contemplation he brings to the office.

This is one of many examples of him applying a principle as part of a sort of "calculus for government" -- except that calculus can describe curves and his formula tends to be pretty much a straight line.

A governor ought to exhibit the wisdom and courage to show that guiding principles are fraught with exceptions and subject to nuances and, yes, flaws and deviations. He should not be a slave to those principles, but a master of applying them as warranted and having the perception to understand when exceptions are likewise warranted.

A year ago he vetoed funding for an expansion of STC into Cherokee County. Sure it would help train a larger segment of the state's workforce. And it was well-planned and well-conceived. And it was supported by Spartanburg and Cherokee County politicians alike. But that didn't matter. A school by the name of Spartanburg Technical College shouldn't be in Cherokee County. Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute.

He's wrong. I appreciate the principles he believes in, but he shows no leadership in applying them as though they were universal truths.

LOL, that's a pretty astute observation you've made, and I do think you have a point. As far as Cherokee County getting a branch of STC, perhaps the name could have been amended to include Cherokee County, like Spartanburg-Cherokee Technical College, like Orangeburg-Calhoun TC and Florence-Darlington TC.

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Fiddlestix Whistle-Stop

Fiddlestix

Posted
Posted

And where was our all knowing legislature to override his veto?
I'm not one to freely throw encomium in the direction of our state legislators, but they did send the measure to the Governor, didn't they? It's hard to condemn them for not also going to the point of overriding his veto. That blame falls upon the swing votes that stood in the way of an override. They did override his 2005 veto on funding for the expansion into Cherokee County -- an expansion that reinforces I-85 as a corridor with plenty of automotive industry manufacturing infrastructure (as the Cherokee County campus, situated at the Peachoid, will include facilities for students seeking to specialize in truck manufacturing and service). I'm not taking sides on the battles Sanford has with the legislature controlled by his own party. My regret is that he isn't more judicious and circumspect about exercising his veto power, making it easy for legislators to override even those items that Sanford should veto. If Sanford singled out the very worst items for veto, he'd still make his point and leave legislators with little room for cover should they vote to override him. By vetoing even inconsequential things -- like the name for a technical college -- legislators can override the stupidest of laws with no justification beyond a generic objection to his broad exercise of his veto powers: "There he goes again, vetoing us all the time."

LOL, that's a pretty astute observation you've made, and I do think you have a point. As far as Cherokee County getting a branch of STC, perhaps the name could have been amended to include Cherokee County, like Spartanburg-Cherokee Technical College, like Orangeburg-Calhoun TC and Florence-Darlington TC.
Or...how about Bi-County Technical College? No? Really? What's wrong with that?
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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

Well if we're going that route, why not expand into Cherokee and call it Upstate Commuity College (or Upstate Technical College). Other places have done this... Tri-County Tech, Midlands Tech, Trident Tech, etc. I think that Cherokee County would benefit tremendously from a community college. All they really have in the higher learning area is Limestone, or a commute to Spartanburg. Of course is 20-25 minutes really that bad of a drive?

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  • 1 month later...
Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
Posted

Spartanburg Technical College ceased to exist on Monday, and it is now called Spartanburg Community College. The commission recieved written backing from the Spartanburg County Legislative delegation, which should mean that if (and more than likely when) the State House addresses this issue, they will come to their defense.

I am glad they went ahead with this move. I hope that this will cause something to be changed in the state.

Herald-Journal article

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