Archives For November 30, 1999
Choral Scholarship Creates Community Through Music
Music is a shared experience – one that brings life to our greatest joys and comfort to our deepest sorrows. It gives us a space to be our truest selves and connect with others who also have a song in their heart.
That ethos is exactly why the Charleston Mens Chorus exists. Founded in 1990 as a volunteer group, the chorus offers a community for male singers to sing with. Out of the group’s love for music has grown a desire to help younger singers follow that same passion.
That’s why the organization funds annual scholarships for two male College of Charleston choral students who are focusing their studies in vocal performance or choral conducting.
“It is a huge part of our mission to foster music education for male singers,” says Charleston Mens Chorus President Joe Brockington. “We also want to develop more singers for the next generation to continue the tradition of the men’s chorus.”
Which is why, in addition to getting financial support, recipients of the Charleston Mens Chorus scholarships are invited to be members of the ensemble. It’s an opportunity that offers the students mentorship from older members established in their careers and provides new vocal talent to the chorus.
This fall marks a major milestone for the College of Charleston: For the first time in its 250-year history, CofC will offer a major in engineering. A total of 30 students are enrolled to receive a B.S. in systems engineering — the first major of its kind in South Carolina. Systems engineers take a macro view of a project and are responsible for the concept, architecture and design.
“Over the last 10 years, the Charleston tri-county area has evolved into a high-tech manufacturing center,” says Sebastian van Delden, interim dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics, which houses the systems engineering major. “As the local public university, we have the responsibility of providing talent to our economy.”
Indeed, engineers from Boeing, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz and others helped design the curriculum, while an industrial advisory board is in place to help ensure that it remains relevant to industry needs.
Next fall, the College will also start offering a B.S. in electrical engineering and hopes that others will follow. In fact, a robust engineering program is one of the College’s nine fundraising priorities that launched during its 250th anniversary-year celebration (CofC once offered a few engineering classes in the early 1900s but never a degree). The goal is to raise $4 million, with the majority of it going to support a founding dean, a nationally known leader tasked with expanding the College’s engineering offerings and implementing a new School of Engineering. (The dream is to construct a 40,000–square foot building on Pitt Street next to the library that would also house the Department of Computer Science, which now rents space at Harbor Walk.)
Click here to read more on The College Today
A Call to Serve: At the College of Charleston, service is a unifying value for our community – alumni and friends serve the College through generosity and advocacy to ensure its wellbeing, the College serves its students to effectively prepare them for life after graduation, and our students ultimately serve their respective communities both now and after they leave campus.