The Graduate Services Center celebrated its grand opening Jan. 28 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Located on the first floor of Jones Hall, the Graduate Services Center will become the hub of activity for CSU’s graduate programs.

The oversight of the graduate degrees at Charleston Southern until now had been decentralized. Each director was responsible for advising, promotion, recruiting, enrolling,
advertising, and retention of its students. “The creation of the Graduate Services Center puts into place a new organizational structure that should enhance the visibility of Charleston Southern’s graduate programs while at the same time centralizing functions in an effort to gain greater benefit from concerted efforts,” said Dr. Jim Colman, vice president of academic affairs.

Dr. Bill Bowers of the School of Business has been named the Director of Graduate Studies. Bowers will be responsible to lead the Graduate Studies program in the areas of marketing, recruitment, and retention.

CSU currently offers graduate degrees in criminal justice, education and business administration. A master’s in nursing is scheduled to begin in the fall of ’09. “According to
Business Week magazine, since 2001, the only group with positive growth in their ‘real wages’ are those Americans who’ve earned a graduate degree,” said Bowers. “If you are a school teacher, if you work in law enforcement, if you are a registered nurse, or if you are employed in business you could benefit by earning one of Charleston Southern’s graduate degrees. The Graduate Services Center exists to better serve the educational needs of the Charleston community,” said Bowers.

The Graduate Services Center is already meeting the needs of students at the University. “We are very excited about the new Graduate Services Center,” said Alison Harrison, an enrollment counselor for the center. “Students will benefit from being able to come to one place and receive information on everything from financial aid to applying for a particular program.”

For more information about the graduate programs at Charleston Southern call 1-800- 947-7474 or go online at www.csuniv.edu/academics/graduate.