SMC student photographers take shots at balancing school and business

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.   Freshman Kimberly Wynn plans to one day become an art therapist, with a little help from her psychology degree and her experience working in photography. “Photography has been a really good way for me to have an outlet,” says Wynn. “If I’m [...]

Opening in November: The Moore Family Fitness Center

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    During the fall of 2018, SMC will open a brand-new fitness center. This fitness center will emphasize that the health of the Pioneers is important, and that the campus is dedicated to making our community better. Funding for the center was led by [...]

Camp of champs

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    For the first time in its nearly 30-year history, Coach Gregg Nibert’s Camp of Champs basketball camp was held on SMC’s campus. The summer camp, held each June and open to high school and middle school basketball teams across South Carolina, North Carolina, [...]

One student’s goal to donate $10 million to SMC

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.    Laura Morales was an undocumented student when she entered SMC in 2011. She’s now one of the College’s most committed young donors. She has set herself a personal goal of contributing over $10 million within her lifetime, and she’s well on her way [...]

Paul Callahan and the little farm that could

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.    SMC alum Paul Callahan ’94 never wanted to be a farmer. An Ohioan by birth and a South Carolinian since college, he dreamed of playing soccer for a Division I school. While D1 didn’t work out, his experiences brought him to Spartanburg Methodist [...]

Friends since the ’50s

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.    They live in four different states. They long ago settled into their own distinct lives — working jobs, raising families. But the friendship they formed more than six decades ago as college students in the early 1950s has endured, even grown, through [...]

Board member spotlight: Kathy McKinney

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.    When Kathy McKinney was a child, her father was a dedicated reader of the stock market report in the daily newspaper. She was intrigued by the various abbreviations and symbols and data, and her father helped her to make sense of it all. [...]

SMC Studio opens in downtown Spartanburg

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    On Wednesday, May 2, SMC Studio, the College’s new meeting and event space, officially opened for business in downtown Spartanburg. SMC Studio will be available to the public to rent for a fee, with nonprofits receiving a 50 percent discount. SMC students, faculty, and [...]

SMC commits to transforming academic advising

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.  The campus of Spartanburg Methodist College will see major changes as the institution undergoes the process of reaffirming its accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). This might sound like a bureaucratic process, but it has put exciting [...]

SMC’s first online degree

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    In March 2018, classes began for students enrolled in SMC’s online Associate in Criminal Justice Degree program. The new program is the first completely online offering in the College’s history. SMC created the program for working adults who are already employed, or [...]

Good things come in threes

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.    David Clyburn, Jr.’s wife, Eloise, answered the phone when I called for an interview. She told me that he was outside working, but that she could take a message. I introduced myself, told her about the article, and said I’d call back at [...]

Mission U

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    In July, SMC welcomed the United Methodist Women’s Mission U, a three-day event focused on study, worship, and fellowship. Around 250 guests came to SMC from across the state and the South to take part in daylong events, such as singing and [...]

Meet athletic director Megan Aiello

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of  Frontiers Magazine.    Megan Aiello, formerly head volleyball coach at SMC, was announced as the new athletic director in the spring. What was the process of becoming Athletic Director? After submitting my resume, the interview process started in January 2018. I had an on-campus interview [...]

Class Notes – Fall/Winter 2018

In Memoriam – Fall 2018

Brandon Williams ’13

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.  When he enrolled as a freshman at Spartanburg Methodist College, Brandon Williams thought he might become a pharmacist. He had an interest, though, in engineering, and Williams says SMC physics professor Mark Holycross gave him the confidence to pursue a degree in the [...]

Wayne Casasanta ’69

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.  Wayne Casasanta’s voice is rich and warm as he talks about childhood piano lessons, his college band, and the volunteer work he does now. Since youth, music has featured prominently in his life, allowing him to connect with others and give back to [...]

Lane Lovegrove ’96

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.  Lane Lovegrove appreciates the liberal arts ethos and the space college provides for self-development. “Colleges teach the broad strokes that prepare students to do what they want with their career. When you enter college you know what you are interested in, but you [...]

Jeff Bannister ’85

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine.  Jeff Bannister has enjoyed a good deal of success in his career: He has worked as a state patrol officer, owned a legal services company, and become something of an Upstate celebrity as a grill master. He credits his story of achievement, in [...]

TaKima Butler ’11

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine. TaKima Butler calls it “an honor” to serve as a police officer in Aiken, South Carolina — the town where she grew up. The 2011 Spartanburg Methodist College graduate feels a special connection to Aiken residents and strives to build positive relationships between [...]

Fabian Salinas ’18

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine. During his time at SMC, Fabian Salinas was known on campus as being something of a Renaissance man. “It’s really just me going after whatever it is that I enjoy,” he says about his variety of interests. “Some days I just really want [...]

Lexi Wright ’18

This article appeared originally in the Fall 2018 issue of Frontiers Magazine. Lexi Wright, who graduated SMC in May, is the first student to enroll in SMC’s transfer program with Sherman College of Chiropractic (Spartanburg). She will start courses toward a Doctor of Chiropractic degree in October. “I first started at SMC as a business [...]