SC’s Coastal Carolina could get healthcare college as early as July. What we know so far
Students at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) could soon attend a new school geared toward increasing the quality of education in healthcare and similar fields.
The university’s academic affairs and retention committee heard a proposal for the new school from Provost Daniel Ennis at a meeting Thursday morning, giving unanimous approval to the new college, moving the proposal forward to the broader board of trustees.
The school targets healthcare and human performance programs, and would include majors in nursing, public health, health administration, exercise and sports science, recreation and sports management and a master’s program in sports management, according to Ennis’ presentation. Those programs are included in CCU’s Gupta College of Science, but having a separate structure for this purpose would allow for those areas of study to thrive at the school, Ennis said.
“It’s not like there’s anything wrong, I just think we could do better and an organizational structure would increase our capacity in that area,” Ennis said.
He cited the need for more healthcare employees in the area and across the state that’s been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Horry County, there are nearly 1,500 unfilled healthcare positions, according to Ennis. The industry has been growing along with the area’s population, and several hospital systems have announced plans to build new facilities and create more jobs as the state health department has identified a need for more hospital beds in the county.
Under current enrollment numbers, the school would house around 1,400 students. An official name hasn’t been selected yet, but the working moniker is the College of Health and Human Performance.
The school, if approved, could be open as early as July 2022 to align with the fiscal year, Ennis said. Initial costs would include hiring a dean and other administrative staff, and the college could eventually have its own facility, though it’s unlikely that will happen ahead of next summer.
A few trustees spoke up about the opportunity to bolster the university’s nursing program and other healthcare majors, highlighting the need for more healthcare workers in the area.
“The need is out there, it’s growing, we need to recruit more people into the healthcare field,” said trustee William Biggs, who has worked in healthcare.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 11:29 AM.
