From here and far away: Future freshmen explore the SC State HBCU experience

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – High school senior Landon Nesbitt is ready to live up to his potential.

He resides in the Fresno, California, area but decided that South Carolina State University – a six-hour plane ride away -- might be the place to achieve his goals.

“There was a Black expo down in L.A., and one of the schools there was SC State, and they accepted me right on the spot,” Nesbitt said. “My parents said we should visit, so we came out here, and it’s actually pretty nice.

“I like the environment. Coming from California, this is a nice environment so far from home,” he said.

Nesbitt was one of hundreds of students who attended SC State’s recent Spring Open House with their families or youth group leaders to learn more about what the university offers academically and culturally. Along with seeing the SC State cheerleaders and Marching 101 Band in action, the students had opportunities to speak with deans and professors in the university’s academic programs.

“This is where parents and students get to come and really engage with us – the president, the deans and the departments – so they can make a solid decision that they are ready to become a Bulldog,” said Dr. Manicia Finch, SC State vice president for enrollment management. “This is probably the biggest one we’ve ever had in terms of turnout.”

Looking to major in communications, Nesbitt said his career interests lay in international television. He also has some personal growth goals for his time in college.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and seeing what they can do for me and what I can do for them,” Nesbitt said. “I just want to become a better person.”

Nesbitt liked what he saw at Open House. So did his dad.

“Prior to him talking about South Carolina State, I had only heard that (NFL Hall of Famer) Deacon Jones went to South Carolina State,” said Gregg Nesbitt, Landon’s father. “Not being super familiar with HBCUs, I’m just taken aback.

“I really like the whole campus environment. It’s like a family. I like how warm they are, which is way different than when I went to school in Oklahoma,” the elder Nesbitt said.

After doing some research about SC State, Nesbitt’s parents liked the idea of sending him to a smaller school.
 
“He has been accepted to schools that have 32,000, so to come to where there is under 4,000, I just like that,” Gregg Nesbitt said. “I like the southern hospitality. I like the southern warmness.”

While SC State’s Enrollment Management Division recruits scholars from across the U.S., it never forgets SC State’s core demographic in South Carolina.

After graduating from Columbia’s Spring Valley High School in May, Damara Williams will be SC State bound in the fall.

“I’ve always wanted to go to an HBCU,” she said. “My mom went here, and I just like the history. I want to be surrounded by people who look like me at school.”

Speaking of history, that’s what Williams plans to study at SC State.

“I’ve always been interested in history,” she said. “It’s always been my favorite subject, so I want to learn more about it. I like African American studies and the early colonial period. I want to be a history teacher in a high school.”

Open House was a chance for Williams’ mother, Tamara, to get caught up on the progress at SC State.

“It’s exciting to be here,” she said. “I haven’t been on this campus in 30 years. I’m excited to see all the new developments, new technology and other improvements they’ve made.”

And what does she hope for her daughter at SC State?

“Just the connections and networking she can get from here and the lifelong friendships she will make,” the student’s mother said. “I’m still friends with my roommate from here, and that’s been a long time. I glad that she will be around a lot of people and navigate the world. So, I think it will be a good experience for her.

“I think she’s ready. She’s actually quite mature for her age. She’s excited about coming and getting to be around people her age,” she said.

The large turnout for Open House was indicative of SC State’s growing popularity. Finch said more than 500 incoming students already had paid their enrollment fees with the Fall Semester still four months away.

SC State soon will cease accepting applications for the Fall Semester because of housing limitations. The incoming class will be capped to avoid a housing crunch.

“We are very mindful of that. The university is saving over 1,000 spaces for incoming freshmen, so we I think we will be good with that number because they have to live on campus,” Finch said.

SC State will continue using off-campus space leased by the SC State Housing Foundation to accommodate overflow for upperclassmen. The university also may use modular housing units on a temporary basis until more on-campus housing is available.

SC State will renovate Sojourner Truth Hall, a 14-story residence hall, beginning this summer. That project is expected to take about a year, making 384 more beds available on campus in Fall Semester 2025. The university also hopes to build a new residential complex on the campus and work with private developers toward additional off-campus facilities.