He may be a junior at Greenwood High School, but Henry Logan also is a college student.
Logan, one of approximately 200 high school juniors and seniors in Lander University’s Dual Enrollment program, chose to begin his college career early. He found that “Lander offers a whole range of classes,” which will enhance his college application and enable him to earn college credits before beginning a freshman year of college.
Logan joined Greenwood High friends, Jarratt Smith and Ted Johnson, for a recent orientation session for Dual Enrollment at Lander and toured the campus. “I want to major in biochemistry or engineering,” said Logan, who will be taking chemistry, English and Spanish courses this fall at Lander. “I’m hoping for a career in medicine. This is a start for me.”
Lander has had Dual Enrollment opportunities for students for more than 30 years, said Shelby Dominick Reed, director of Special Cohort Outreach & Bridge Programs at Lander.
An office to enhance the program and serve the growing demand from students and educators was established about three years ago, she said.
The program is a product of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education's Public Agenda Implementation Program, which aims to increase the number of Palmetto State residents with post-secondary education to 60 percent by the year 2030. Lander's program is helping these efforts by offering a more affordable path to post-secondary education for high school students from Greenwood, Laurens, Edgefield, Abbeville, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties (GLEAMNS).
“Lander values supporting our high school students and providing rigorous academic opportunities for high-school students, including home-schooled students,” Reed said.
Most students come to campus to take their courses. Others, who live in areas where travel isn’t as accessible, choose to participate in online courses. Regardless of their choice of study, each student is part of the Bearcat community.
“I tell all of our students who are part of our program ‘you are a Lander University student.’ Our Dual Enrollment students have access to the same opportunities and resources that our traditional students have, including the Academic Success Center, Writing Center, Jackson Library, fitness center and computer labs,” she said. “They also can participate in extracurricular activities on campus and attend athletic events. We want them to experience all that Lander has to offer students.”
Eligibility for the program requires students to have a high school GPA of 3.5 and permission from a high school administrator or school guidance counselor, Reed said.
Students may take up to six, tuition-free credit hours per semester. Beyond six credit hours, students can take the courses for $100 per credit hour, a number that is less than the $446 per-credit-hour fee for traditional classes.
Most Dual Enrollment students take two courses per semester. A few take as many as four in a semester.
Emerald High School students Kevin Morton, and his sister, Nadia Morton, are studying at Lander this fall.
In addition to working a part-time job, Kevin Morton also is on Emerald’s football, basketball and track teams.
“I wanted to take more advanced courses,” said Morton, who plans to major in exercise science in college and pursue a career as an athletic trainer. “I think that taking classes on campus will be more challenging and help me with my goals.”
The Morton siblings’ mother, Tonya Wimmes, attended the orientation session with her children and said, “I am very impressed with Lander’s Dual Enrollment program. It will help them get a look at what college life is like and help them academically. It’s a great opportunity.”
One of the strengths of Lander’s program is the strong advisement component that students receive, Reed said.
“Students have the opportunity to talk about their goals, and we assist them in choosing the classes that will be a good fit for them,” she said.
For Greenwood High School junior Evie Craigo, her selection of Lander’s Dual Enrollment classes “means that I will get a quality education.”
She plans to major in criminal justice or criminology in college and pursue a career as a detective or work for the government. For now, “I am very excited to be here. I’ve had a chance to see the environment where I’ll be studying, and I can’t wait to be part of the campus.”
To learn more about Lander’s Dual Enrollment program, visit www.lander.edu/DE or call 864-388-8802.