SMC Confers Degrees, Honors Pioneers During Centennial Commencement

DJ Brown was honored at SMC's Highest Honor Graduate

05/06/11 — Above; sophomore DJ Brown received not only his SMC diploma on Saturday, he was awarded recognized as the college's 2011 Highest Honor Graduate as well

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SPARTANBURG, SC - Spartanburg Methodist College conferred degrees on more than 150 sring and summer graduates on Saturday - and honored the first four of 100 individuals with the Pioneer Award -  during the college's Centennial Commencement services.

Sophomore Steven William Green, of Pinewod, SC, served as the student speaker for the commencement services. Green, a graduate of Scott's Branch High School, is the son of James and Kathy Green.

While at SMC, Green played on the men's soccer team and served in the Kappa Sigma Alpha service fraternity. He was also a member of the Psi Beta National Psychology Honor Society, a member of the Student Government Association, a resident assistant and a tutor. He also participated in Wofford College's Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

SMC alumnus Dr. Robert Sherfield ('79) served as the keynote speaker for the commencement services.

Dr. Sherfield is the co-author of the 2010 publication Cornerstones for Community College Success, which SMC adopted as the primary textbook for its SMC 101 course in fall 2010.

He has been teaching public speaking, theatre, and student success and working with first-year orientation programs for over 25 years. Currently, he is a professor at the College of Southern Nevada, teaching student success, technical writing, public speaking, and drama.

 An award-winning educator, Dr. Sherfield was named Educator of the Year at the College of Southern Nevada. He twice received the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award from the University of South Carolina Union, and has received numerous other awards and nominations for outstanding classroom instruction and advisement.

Dr. Sherfield's extensive work with student success programs includes experience with the design and implementation of these programs-including one program that was presented at the International Conference on the First-Year Experience in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.  He has conducted faculty development keynotes and workshops at over 350 institutions of higher education across America.  He has spoken in 46 states and several foreign countries.

SMC recognized the first four of its "100 Years of Pioneers," which included:

  • Dr. Sherfield

  • SMC alum and former South Carolina governor Olin Johnston (TII Class of 1914). Johnston's daughter, former South Carolina 4th District U.S. representative and SMC trustee Liz Patterson received the award in his honor. Following his graduation from TII, Johnston served in the U.S. Army during World War I and went on to graduate from Wofford College and the University of South Carolina law school.  He served as governor from 1935 to 1939 and 1943-1945, and then served as a U.S. senator from 1945 until his death in 1965.

  • Former SMC president Dr. Charles P. Teague, who served as the college's sixth president from 1997 to 2009. During Dr. Teague's tenure, SMC experienced impressive growth and improvements with the addition and renovation of several buildings including: Bridges and Sparrow Residence Halls, the Buchheit Boardroom and Vassey Information Technology Building, and upgrades and renovation work to the William S. Moore Student Activities Building.

  • SMC student support services counselor Vicki Corn, who has worked at SMC since 1983. During that time, she also worked as an admissions counselor and a softball coach - taking the SMC Lady Pioneers to five national tournament appearances. She also has coached women's soccer and basketball.

The Pioneer awards will be presented to a full class of 100 distinguished individuals who made a significant impact on SMC's history and mission over its first century.

"100 years ago, Spartanburg Methodist College was formed for this community; for the purpose of educating the textile workforce of Upstate South Carolina in the early 1900s - workers who may otherwise have not had an opportunity for any education beyond the earliest of grades. We have grown and expanded our mission over the past 100 years, but one thing remains constant: we provide a crucial access point to higher education for more than 800 students every year. As we celebrate our Centennial Commencement, I want to assure Upstate South Carolina that we plan to be around providing that success and achieving success for more than the next 100 years," says SMC president Dr. Colleen P. Keith.

Also presented during the commencement services was SMC's 2011 Highest Honor Graduate Award, which was awarded to sophomore DJ Brown, of Belton, SC.  This award underscores the Board of Trustees' appreciation for and the importance of the academic life of the college. Each recipient of this award receives a medallion and a cash prize of $500.

Brown graduated SMC with a 4.0 grade point average. During the college's recent Awards Day, he was also presented the 2011 Achievement Award in Academics, General Excellence Award, and Outstanding Pioneer Award for Athletics. He was also recently recognized as a member of the 2011 Who's Who in American Junior Colleges.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 100th academic year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, please contact Brian Fulkerson, SMC director of public information, at (864) 587-4254.