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Upshaw and council members said they hope an energetic focus on fine arts, such as painting, pottery and sculpture, coupled with the area's natural beauty gives the Beaufort campus a unique identity that USCB's Bluffton location -- and many other four-year universities -- can't offer.
"Where better to have a fine arts campus than here in Beaufort," Upshaw said. "You can walk out the door and see beauty that you can't see anywhere else in the county, and, with all due respect, anywhere else in the state."
USCB won't offer or advertise the studio art degree until the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which is reviewing the degree now, approves the curriculum, Upshaw said.The degree has been approved by all necessary state agencies, she said.
Another part ofthe new vision for the Beaufort campus is boosting the campus' scientific research lab facilities and focusing more intensely on marine science, including coastal ecology and coastal environmental research, Upshaw said.
"We hope that by focusing on the arts and scientific research that we can grow a unique identity for the Beaufort campus," she said.
The university plans to use $200,000 of $480,000 in federal stimulus funding for art classroom upgrades and renovations. Another $25,000 will go toward a handicap lift in the Performing Arts Center.
USCB will open a Campus Center in Beaufort this fall that includes a workout facility, meeting space and a cafeteria that likely will serve breakfast and lunch, Upshaw said.
The efforts highlight a larger push to make the Beaufort campus a desirable location for students. USCB's Bluffton location offers a larger campus with newer facilities, Upshaw said. But the envisioned fine arts program would be offered only at the Beaufort campus, she said.
Council member Gary Fordham said many people want a reinvigorated USCB Beaufort campus and called prospects for an arts program exciting.
"It truly fits the energy of Beaufort," he said.
