College of Charleston launches 2 new schools

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The College of Charleston Board of Trustees has approved the creation of two new academic schools: the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics and the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, according to a news release.

The formation of these two schools, approved unanimously on April 12, is a significant step forward in ensuring the long-term viability of the College of Charleston’s unique brand of education, the release stated.

The School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics will be comprised of the departments of Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics, while the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences will be comprised of the departments of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Physics and Astronomy, according to the release.

“We are excited to organize our current STEM-related departments into these two new schools, which will enhance the student experience and create more opportunities for strategic partnerships,” College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu said in the release. “Our 10-year strategic plan challenges our university to be more innovative, and this new organizational structure will help us achieve that kind of innovation.”

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The creation of these new schools will enable the College to better address the needs of the greater Charleston community and support the region’s growing high-tech, manufacturing and engineering industries, the release stated.

According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in science and engineering occupations is expected to grow by 18.7% over the next 10 years.

“The School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics is a strategic investment by the university into select discipline-related programs that will attract new cohorts of students, bolstering enrollments in our traditional liberal arts foundation,” Suzanne Austin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said in the release. “The School of Natural and Environmental Sciences will provide students with a rigorous scientific education and prepare them to tackle complex environmental challenges facing our world today.”

The college will conduct a national search for the new dean of the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics; Seth Pritchard will serve as interim dean of the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences as well as the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics until a national search for the SOECM dean is completed.

“Formalizing these schools as unique identities illustrates our traditional and growing strengths in basic and applied sciences and allows greater focus on developing solutions to diverse modern challenges, which is exciting progress,” Pritchard said in the release.