College of charleston
April 9, 2013: Today’s speaker was Dr. Godfrey Gibbison, Dean of the College of Charleston’s North Campus and Interim Executive Director at the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC). Dr. Gibbison earned a PhD in economics in 1998 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, his MS in Agricultural Economics at Iowa State University in 1995 and his B.Sc. in Economics at The University of the West Indies in 1992.
Prior to joining the College of Charleston, Dr. Gibbison was Director of the School of Economic Development at Georgia Southern university where he served on the faculty from 2002 to 2012. While at Georgia Southern, he launched the online Master of Science in Applied Economics and served as the Director for 3 years, helping to shape a vibrant program with robust enrollment and a strong record of student success.
Dr. Gibbison is an applied economist with interest in population economics, health economics and environmental economics. His research has been published in Economics of Education Review, Health Economics, Policy and Law and Population Research and Policy Review. He has been a consultant with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and continues to execute consulting assignments for the Government of Jamaica.
The North Campus of the College of Charleston was established in 1993 and is located in the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) complex on International Blvd in North Charleston. In 2001, as part of the North Campus, the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC) was established as a public higher education consortium between CofC, MUSC, and the Citadel to expand opportunities for graduate education in the Charleston region. By increasing the range of graduate opportunities, the goal of the LGC is to spur economic growth in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. The LGC continually assesses the educational needs of the Lowcountry and seeks to add programs that respond to those needs.
Also part of the North Campus, the Center for Continuing Education and Professional Development offers programs in which one can become a Certified Financial Planner, enroll in the English Language Institute, earn Information Technology Certifications, or prepare for certain standardized tests.
Dr. Gibbison’s presentation focused primarily on the Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree, offered by the College of Charleston’s North Campus, scheduled to begin in Fall 2013. Designed for adult students with prior college experience but who lack a degree, the BPS degree offers both online and on-site classes during the evening as well weekends. The classes offered are specifically tailored to accommodate the busy life of a working professional. Dr. Gibbison explained the importance and need for programs such as the BPS degree is evident as several colleges and universities around the country are now offering similar degrees.
Enrollment eligibility for the BPS program includes prior completion of an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) degree or 60 transferable credits of college-level work (General Education and electives) with a minimum average 2.6 GPA and a minimum age of 24. Currently, the two degree concentrations being offered are Organizational Leadership and Management or Communication and Information Systems. Future contractions include Environmental Science as well as Health Administration.
Reported by Doug Holmes, Keyway Committee