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Sustainable Community Collaborations with Global Reach

Sustainable Community Collaborations with Global Reach is the third Ideal in 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Academic Master Plan. Academics at USCB must leverage creative, interdisciplinary partnerships to solve 21st century problems in our own backyard. To this end, we promote flexible academic platforms that engender cross-curricular collaboration. We measure our success by outcomes in the community鈥攈ealth, economic, educational, environmental, etc. We recognize that innovative approaches to local and regional problems can also have global applications. Academics at USCB cultivates an environment of entrepreneurship and creativity to spark innovation, invention, and a rich flow of ideas.

Here below is a list of seventeen USCB projects on collaborative initiatives stewarding our region.

  • Arts in Beaufort SC Humanities grant (Chamber music and local area high schools) - Honors & Vivace etc

    • Facebook -
    • Your Island News -
    • Beaufort Digital Corridor -
  • "By the River" - Communication students work as producers/crew on Emmy nominated national broadcast
    • SCETV -
    • Your Island News -
  • Cyber Maritime Security grant
    USCB was the lead on a $1 million National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines Development     Award to establish the Maritime Cybersecurity Institute. Working with 12 regional partners, USCB is using the grant funds to research vulnerabilities, interdependencies, and risks in the regional maritime ecosystem and develop technologies and educational programming to enhance safety and security.
  • Daufuskie Portfolio Project & The Pat Conroy Literary Center 
    鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Daufuskie Island Gullah Geechee Endowed Scholarship helps make college affordable for students who trace their ancestry to the Gullah Geechee people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The scholarship was established by photographer and activist Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, wife of the late Arthur Ashe. 
  • Dr. Najmah Thomas's Dept of Agriculture and Gullah Community grant

Woman with DrumDr. Najmah Thomas, associate professor of public health and coordinator of the Human Services Program, is working with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to make farming accessible to African Americans, including the local Gullah-Geechee community, and other socially disadvantaged groups. 

  • Dolphin research & Shark research
    Dr. Eric Montie, associate professor of biology, directs 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Marine Sensory and Neurobiology Lab and the Lowcountry Dolphin Conservation Program. For over a decade, he and a team of researchers, including undergraduate students, have collected underwater sound data to better understand spawning and foraging patterns, dolphin communication, and the impact of human activity. His work is part of the Estuarine Soundscape Observatory Network in the Southeast, funded by NOAA鈥檚 Integrated Ocean Observing System and the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association.  

    Dr. Kim Ritchie, associate professor of genetics and prokaryotic cell biology, is leading research on the beneficial bacteria found on sharks, skates, and rays that may lead to better antibiotics. Last spring, one of her student lab assistants spent 10 days working onboard an OCEARCH shark research ship. A member of the USCB faculty since 2016, she has received more than $4.5 million in grant and endowment funding over her career. She is also the director of 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Pritchards Island living classroom. 
  • Education over $5 Million grant with Beaufort County School District

Education Students in a Group USCB has received a $5.1 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Called MASTERY (Melding Academics, Support, and Training of Educators for higher Retention Yields), this grant project will expand 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 recruitment, preparation, and support of highly qualified, diverse teacher candidates to serve in 21 high-need schools in the Beaufort County School District. Aligned with local community needs, MASTERY will focus on developing teacher candidates in the critical shortage areas of early childhood education, gifted and talented education, middle and high school math and science, special education, and English as a Second Language. The grant also will provide teacher candidates and working teachers with university-based and district-level support. 

Hospitality Students at FenceCollaborating with local community and business leaders, 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Center for Lowcountry Hospitality Education has established tourism ambassador programs for Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. Trained in regional knowledge, culture and ecology, the Ambassadors provide a valuable service to the region鈥檚 many visitors, helping ensure a quality guest experience. 

Nursing Student Injecting MannequinUSCB has been awarded a $1 million federal grant to advance healthcare education in the region and meet the growing demand for registered nurses in the Lowcountry. The grant project is a significant milestone in expanding enrollment in 鲍厂颁叠鈥檚 Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It is a strategic partnership among USCB, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, the City of Beaufort, and Beaufort County.