You’re invited to the 4th annual
Bridges Block Part y Shrimp and Grits Cook-off Saturday, April 8 - Port Royal on Paris Avenue
presented by Ameris Bank
THE BLOCK PARTY IS FROM NOON UNTIL 5 PM. THE SHRIMP AND GRITS COOK-OFF IS FROM 1:30 UNTIL 3:30 PM. featuring Live music, artists, food vendors, family-friendly activities,and a shrimp and grits cook-off! PLEASE NOTE, GENERAL ADMISSION IS FREE -- FOOD, DRINK AND ACTIVITIES ARE A SEPARATE CHARGE.
Please note, general admission is FREE -Food, drink and activities are a separate charge.
APRIL 6 - 12, 2017
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
A SOLEMN SALUTE
World War II veterans were honored last Saturday, April 1 during the 75th anniversary celebration of the end of the war at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage in Ridgeland. The Parris Island Marine Corps Band performed while the Sun City Color Guard "posted the colors." On hand were two veterans from the Greatest Generation who served during WWII. Frank Anderson, 93, of Toms River, N.J., was a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps serving in B-26 Marauders in both North African and European theaters. Russel Smith of Sun City, who boasted being "93-and-a-half," served in the U.S. Navy aboard the battleship USS Massachusetts.
Cpl. Frank Anderson, U.S. Army Air Corps, stands at attention and salutes during the playing of Star Spangled Banner. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
From left: The Parris Island Marine Band opened last Saturday’s event with the Star Spangled Banner while the Sun City Color Guard “posted the colors” during the 75th anniversary celebration of the end of World War II at the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage in Ridgeland; Russell Smith, 93, shows off the veteran’s pin on his cap. Smith served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.
TCL wants to turn Beaufort campus into health sciences hub By Lisa Allen
Pardon the pun, but it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to recognize that healthcare is a growing need in Beaufort County. Beaufort is the 12th fastest growing county in the nation, with 4,000-5,000 new residents moving in every year. Given that many of the new arrivals are retirees, the need is even more acute. Currently, an astonishing 29 percent of the county’s 165,354 residents are aged 60 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. To address that need, the Technical College of the Lowcountry plans to turn its Beaufort campus into a health sciences center and move general education and technical programs to its New River campus in Bluffton and its Hampton location in Varnville, said TCL President Richard Gough. TCL will create 10,000 square feet of new academic space by
renovating Moor Hall on the Beaufort campus and relocating administrative offices for new health sciences offerings. The school already offers courses in massage therapy, nursing, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, surgical technology and medical assisting programs. Based on employer requests, TCL wants to add programs for dental assistants, pharmacy technicians and respiratory technicians. According to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Development, nearly 15 percent of Beaufort County’s 68,000 workers are in healthcare, a category that comes in third behind tourism and retail jobs. The healthcare labor market is expected to grow 2.5 percent each year through 2022. About 70 percent of those jobs don’t require four-year degrees, such as personal care aides, home health aides, nursing assistants, physical therapist assistants, sonographers,
WOMAN OF THE YEAR Connie Hipp has (deservedly) been called a "serial volunteer." PAGE B1
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MISSING THE BEACH Lee Scott laments the lost time at Hunting Island Beach due to Hurricane Matthew. PAGE B7
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medical secretaries, records technicians, surgical technicians and dental assistants. “We know that there is a demand for healthcare-related programs, but we’re space constrained,” Gough said. “The medical assistant program was started in a hallway closet. We need more clinical space and we need to graduate more students. We aren’t meeting demand. There are a lot of technician specialties that don’t have programs yet. We don’t have the facilities to do it.” Meanwhile TCL is trying to find a way to pay for a planned $12.5-million expansion to the New River campus. Last year, the state General Assembly agreed to provide only $3.5 million. “TCL is not state funded,” Gough said. “Only 18 percent of our budget comes from the state. Beaufort County also provides some support, but the majority comes from tuition and fees.” Gough calls it a chicken and egg problem.
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They can’t attract more students — and thus tuition — until they add more programs. They can’t add programs until they can get more tuition. But their students can’t pay high tuition. “The school’s mission is open access to all and affordable,” said Mary Lee Carns, vice president for advancement and external relations. She is also executive director for the TCL Foundation. TCL has kept tuition to half of University of South Carolina Beaufort, but even that is a stretch for their students. Carns said while four-year colleges rely on alumni to boost their coffers, community colleges don’t have that resource. “At four-year colleges and universities, the large majority of their donations come from alumni and a smaller percent from companies and corporations. It’s just the See CAMPUS, page A7
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