CSU adds this financial award to a menu of scholarship opportunities that support the mission of providing a high-quality, Christ-focused education at an affordable value.  

“The SC Ministry Buc Award is another example of our commitment to provide funding to allow future Bucs to attend CSU without the burden of carrying heavy debt post-graduation,” Dr. Anthony Turner, vice president for enrollment, said. 

President B. Keith Faulkner said that CSU is proud to serve its South Carolina Baptist Convention pastors and missionary partners with an academically excellent education. “The children of those who serve our Lord in church ministry, on mission fields, and leading congregations should be able to afford a high-quality Christian college experience,” he said. “We believe serving our pastors is one way we live out our vision of a Christian university recognized for its integration of faith in learning, leading, and serving. We seek to serve as their trusted higher education resource as they continue to serve locally and abroad.” 

The SC Ministry Buc Award will cover tuition after all other aid is applied. Combined scholarships and grants may not total more than what it costs to attend CSU, including tuition, housing, and food. Students eligible for the SC Ministry Buc Award must: 

• Be a resident of the State of South Carolina 

• Enroll full-time in a �����������ǰ�’s degree program  

• Reside on campus at CSU throughout their four-year undergraduate experience 

• Meet all eligibility requirements for the SC Tuition Grant 

To learn more about this and other scholarship opportunities, go to charlestonsouthern.edu/scholarships.��

Dr. Gary Metts, associate dean for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “This is something that means a great deal to me as a retired law enforcement officer of 30 years. It’s a small way for us to show our appreciation for the sacrifice, commitment, and service that first responders and public safety and so many others give every single day to keep our communities safe. I’m honored to be a part of making this happen.” 

All active and retired First Responders/Public Safety personnel (Certified/Sworn Local, State, and Federal Officers) enrolling in a �����������ǰ�’s or master’s criminal justice degree or the graduate public safety management program at ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University after June 1, 2026, are eligible for the 25% discount. These degrees are offered both on campus and online. 

To qualify for the tuition discount, all admission requirements must be completed, and applicants must submit their employment ID card or other proof of employment.   

President B. Keith Faulkner said, “ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern is committed to removing barriers to college for students who have exhibited intellect and grit through high school and their first year in college.  As a first-generation college student and an alumnus of CSU, I can relate to the very real challenges and choices of college and career, and I am forever grateful for the chance I had to study at a private Christian university. This scholarship program addresses student and industry needs of the Lowcountry region and South Carolina. CSU is at the forefront of educating the best and brightest students in the state, and the PAE will help us to continue to live out our mission of promoting academic excellence in a Christian environment.” 

Students eligible for the Palmetto Academic Excellence Award must: 

• Be a resident of the State of South Carolina 

• Hold at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA 

• Complete the FAFSA 

• Be Pell-eligible for more than the “Minimum Pell Grant” 

• Qualify for the Palmetto Fellows Enhancement Scholarship 

• Enroll full-time in a traditional degree program and declare an eligible SC Enhancement program, per the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education 

• Be pursuing a first �����������ǰ�’s degree 

• Complete 14 credit hours of college-level science and math courses in their first year at CSU 

The PAE Award is renewable each year, provided the student maintains eligibility. 

“We are excited to reveal yet another path to an affordable college education for high-performing students in the state of South Carolina,” Dr. Anthony Turner, vice president for enrollment, said. “When we launched Buc Promise last year, we knew we were meeting a need for many students searching for a way to achieve their goal of earning a �����������ǰ�’s degree. The Palmetto Academic Excellence Award is one more way we can cut through the financial barriers for Pell-eligible applicants in certain programs at ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University. Tuition, housing, and food covered for three out of their four years is life-changing!” 

To learn more about the PAE Award and apply to CSU, go to charlestonsouthern.edu/PAE.

The family of the late Bill White recently visited campus to honor and remember a beloved member of the CSU family. The family presented the school with a $100,000 check from White’s estate to establish the William G. White Sr. Endowed Scholarship for single mothers who aspire to pursue a degree in nursing. 

White, no stranger to CSU, served on the Board of Visitors for many years and was a member of the Legacy Society. His love for CSU started back when Dr. John Hamrick was president, and as Bill Ward, emeritus vice president for development, put it, White’s love for CSU “all started with some tires.” At the time, there was an old, broken-down tractor with the tires rotting off sitting in the front of the school. White would drive by daily and wonder why the tractor was still there. 

He eventually called Hamrick and realized the school did not have the funds to fix the tires and move the tractor. White, owner of Oakbrook Firestone, decided to help out by paying to replace the tires and getting someone to repair the mechanical issues. 

As time went on, White became more involved with CSU as a dear friend of President Jairy Hunter. Hunter said, “He deeply cared about the things that really mattered in life, like his faith in Jesus Christ, and because of this he was passionate about Christ-centered education, like CSU offers.” As his son, William White Jr., said, “He was [the] number one ambassador for CSU; he truly loved this school.”

Along with his commitment to CSU, White had a vision for impacting the medical community nationwide, and he wanted to leave a legacy that would impact people for generations to come. He contributed funds to the CSU Health Science Building.

After hearing a heartwarming story about how one of his friends was able to help a single mother struggling to pursue her passion for nursing and make ends meet, he was inspired to help more single parents. That is when he decided to start planning his legacy, by establishing this new endowment in his estate. 

White was characterized by Hunter, and many others, by his love for his family, his dedication to his friends, and his unwavering faith. Hunter said it best, “Mr. Bill White was one good man. We are so thankful for the legacy he will have on CSU students for years to come.”

White’s legacy at CSU also includes CSU alumni: grandson, Blakely C. Hunt ’13 and his wife, Tuesday Hunt ’08, and a granddaughter, Madelyn White, a current senior majoring in communication studies. Madelyn’s grandmother, Faye Winter ’70, also attended the luncheon.

Prospective students now have an opportunity to receive $1,000 after touring ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University, the Lowcountry’s only Christian higher education institution. The $1,000 Tour Treasure Grant is provided to a student if they attend an official visit such as a personal tour, A Day in the Life, or First Look event with the Office of Admissions before August 2025. To be eligible, a student must enroll as a first-time freshman or transfer student in the fall 2025 term, submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and live anywhere in the world outside of Berkeley, ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ, or Dorchester counties.  

“A campus visit is the best way to imagine yourself at that college and briefly experience all it offers,” Dr. Tony Turner, vice president for enrollment management, said. “At ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern, the campus visit will expose students to a Christian foundation, excellent academics, and our family culture. We believe in campus visits so much that we have provided a grant to encourage students to see what CSU is about for themselves. When a student visits, we hope they will quickly realize CSU is a special place where students can thrive and become the person God intends them to be, with a strong support system to help them along their path to graduation and beyond.” 

The Tour Treasure Grant, which originally kicked off in 2022, is a one-time, nonrenewable grant available only within the first year of enrollment at ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern. 

Prospective students interested in visiting campus in spring 2025 can learn more and register . Other campus tour opportunities can be found at charlestonsouthern.edu/campus-visit.  

With a 300-acre campus nestled in the center of the ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ metro area, CSU enrolls approximately 3,900 students from 43 states and 40 countries. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs, 20 graduate programs, and two doctoral programs. CSU also competes at the NCAA Division I level with 16 teams in the Big South Conference. 

Dr. Tony Turner, vice president of enrollment management, said, “We are excited to extend ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern’s Minister’s Dependent Scholarship outside the state of South Carolina to ministers on staff at any Southern Baptist Convention church. CSU desires to be a Southern Baptist Convention university for South Carolina residents and all those serving SBC churches across the nation.”

Turner said, “It is ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University’s desire to be a preferred college for all those who are part of the Southern Baptist Convention churches.”  

Incoming freshmen whose parent serves on staff at an SBC church will receive a $1,000 scholarship each year for a potential total of $4,000 over their college career. For more information about scholarships at ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University, visit charlestonsouthern.edu/admissions/financial-aid/.

CSU has been a supporter of this organization since its early days. Affiliate Professor of Computer Science, Dr Valerie Sessions, was one of its founding members. 

“CSU has been a proud supporter of many CHSWIT’s initiatives – from hosting CodeON Hour of Code nights on campus to supporting the Women in Industry Day conferences. ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern’s own Women in STEM club volunteer during the events and you will always see CSU faculty members like Andrea Glover, Emory Hiott, and alumni Napiya Nubuya (and even hall of famer Karan Sorenson)”, says Sessions. 

“We are incredibly proud of the work of CHSWIT and pledge our support for future programs and initiatives. Organizations such as CHSWIT are changing the face of tech in the Lowcountry, and we are honored to play a part,” says Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, Dr. Todd Ashby.

A scholarship has been named in Dr. Valerie Sessions and Mary Beth Westmoreland’s honor – two long serving founding members of CSHWIT. This scholarship provides a hand up to women looking for new opportunities in tech by funding attendance at code camps, leadership forums, conferences, and more. You can donate !��

“This opportunity extended to KION NA employees is a symbol of ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern’s dedication to meeting the needs of our workforce,” Keith Faulkner, president of CSU, said. “By partnering with KION NA, we are able to provide pathways in career advancement. This is an investment in students and our community and furthers our goal to serve international businesses right here in the ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ metro region.”

All permanent, full-time employees of KION NA who are accepted by ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern University can enjoy a 25% reduction of tuition for all traditional on-campus undergraduate programs as well as CSU’s online undergraduate degrees including hospitality and tourism (BS), management (BS), professional studies (BS), project management (BS), and student ministry (BA). 

In addition to undergraduate degrees, employees can also choose from 17 online and on-campus graduate programs, including biology, business, business analytics, computer science, leadership, nursing, and supply chain management. For the full list of offerings, go to charlestonsouthern.edu/corporate-partnerships. 

 “At KION North America, we have a heavy focus on continuous improvement. Whether it’s related to our product, processes, or our people we encourage development. This agreement with ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern serve as both a reminder and resource for our people to prioritize their growth alongside that of our business,” states Jonathan Dawley, president and CEO of KION NA. “I hope that many of our team members take advantage of this unique program paired with our generous Tuition Assistance benefit. I am very excited to see what we accomplish having invested in ourselves.”

In March, ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern launched Global ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ, a center that serves international businesses and residents. It serves the community by supporting international residents who come to the ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ area to establish internal companies through a variety of ways, including information about complex relocation processes, an online directory, learning opportunities, and more. KION NA began its relationship with CSU as a major sponsor of Global ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ.

At the grand opening, Stephanie LeVan, president of Global ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ, said, “This center serves as a declaration to our global partners that the ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Metro area walks in the ancient, proven, well-worn paths of friendship, respect, trade, and diplomacy,” LeVan said to a crowd of global leaders and supporters on Friday. “These pillars have built good will among nations for centuries, and we rely on these same pillars today as they have created the strong, vibrant, gloriously global community that we call home. Our mission at ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern and at Global ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ is to strengthen these ties that bind us in our region and ensure that the global community is served well not only with the information they need to live, but with information they need to thrive.”

Daniel Schlegel, vice president of operations and customer service for KION NA, said that Global ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ is important to the community and to ߣ�ѿ�Ƭ Southern. He shared a personal story of being an immigrant from Germany—first on a work visa and, ultimately, successfully working toward American citizenship. During his acclimation to life in the United States, he had a few roadblocks due to lack of guidance.

“If you come here for business, and you have other things to worry about, it is great having a resource that can help you take care of things—and having a place where you can talk to people who have experience and can guide you along,” he said. 

To learn more about degree programs and tuition assistance opportunities at CSU, go to charlestonsouthern.edu/corporate-partnerships. KION NA employees may reach out to Student Accounts with proof of current employment to apply the tuition discount. 

About KION North America: Headquartered in Summerville, S.C., KION North America Corporation is a member of the KION Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial trucks. Their brand companies, Linde and Baoli, serve the specific industrial truck requirements of the US, Canadian and Mexican markets with a broad and complementary product portfolio. KION North America produces material handling equipment known for its innovative technologies, reduced energy consumption, and low operating costs. KION North America also works closely with its sister company, Dematic, a global leader in automated material handling that provides a broad range of intelligent supply chain and automation solutions.

Junior, senior, and graduate black women enrolled in computer science or a technology-related degree or a graduate program within the College of Math and Science with financial need may be eligible for a new scholarship, The NEXT IT GIRL in Memory of Karen Vaughn Endowed Scholarship.

Funded by alumnus Napiya Nubuya ’14 and her organization, The NEXT IT GIRL, the scholarship recognizes the efforts of the late Karen Vaughn, who helped start the organization.

While at CSU, Nubuya was inspired by Dr. Valerie Sessions, current director of graduate study in computer science, and the only female computer faculty member while Nubuya was in college. Sessions remains one of Nubuya’s most valued mentors in the field of computer science. Entering the workforce, Nubuya continued to see a need for women and people of color in the technical world. 

These experiences led her to form The NEXT IT GIRL organization and establish a scholarship at CSU.

To read more about why Nubuya established The Next IT Girl, read charlestonsouthern.edu/computer-science-graduate-comes-full-circle/