USCB Campus on Hilton Head Island a PR problem
As new chancellor Al Panu assumes his role, he'll be tasked with mollifying a vocal group of island residents who say a planned USCB campus on Hilton Head Island is a bad idea.
While the project is a done deal, some Hilton Head residents are still upset, saying the project was never properly vetted and that the Office Park Road campus will cause backups at the nearby Sea Pines traffic circle and other south end roads.
Residents also contend that a town traffic study that says area roads can handle the added traffic is just plain wrong.
"It's all a put-up job," said Karl Engelman, a Sea Pines resident who is among the most outspoken opponents of the campus. "It's scandalous really. The so-called officials have pushed this by and everyone has been drinking the Kool-Aid."
USCB officials argue the campus -- which will accommodate 400 students -- will boost the school's hospitality program, which has graduated executives of high-end gated communities and managers of posh hotels.
"I look forward to it being wonderfully successful," outgoing chancellor Jane Upshaw said in May. "I believe that when it happens and it's up and running, all of those naysayers will embrace what happens and move forward in a positive way."
While USCB officials have touted the hospitality program, they've been unable to provide hard data to justify its merit.
University officials said in May they do not calculate program-specific graduation rates and could not provide them when requested. And since USCB has recently changed the software it uses, it's difficult to assess the university's claim that the program's enrollment is increasing.
Those numbers are still not available today.
Some town officials say the project will revitalize an outdated corridor.
Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett, who criticized the planning of the project during his campaign last year, has since asked residents to look beyond it, calling the campus a "done deal."
The town Planning Commission will see conceptual plans for the campus sometime this fall.
If approved, construction should start in 2017, with the campus expected to be open by fall 2018.
Panu said he believes there is great potential for the Hilton Head campus and that the hospitality program could become even a high-profile flagship program for USCB.
Upshaw said he now just needs to see it to fruition.
"We've worked really hard to have some wonderful collaborations already in place for Dr. Panu, like the one in the town of Hilton Head," she said. "All he will need to do is lead the effort to design and build that building appropriately so it is the game changer it can be for USCB and the community."
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This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "USCB Campus on Hilton Head Island a PR problem."