Where business meets financial literacy: Q&A with SC State’s Terrance Segars
Segars is the 2024 Professor of the Year for SC State’s College of Business & Information Systems.
Note: This is the third in a series of articles about SC State’s 2024 Professors of the Year.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – As an assistant professor of accounting, Terrance Segars knows all about the importance of mathematical formulas in his discipline. He also has a simple equation for everything he does in life.
“I believe you get out of life what you put in,” Segars said. “I relate this to all areas of my life.”
Just three years into his instructional role at his alma mater, Segars has made a name for himself at South Carolina State University. He is the 2024 Professor of the Year for SC State’s College of Business & Information Systems.
University Relations recently asked Segars to answer a series of questions about his approach to teaching.
Q; What has inspired you during your journey as an academic?
Segars: The long-term impact my role can have in the lives of students-whether through helping them think critically, develop as leaders, or engaging them deeply with material.
Q: What led you to choose your field of study?
Segars: I blended the love of business and financial literacy, and it led me to accounting.
Q: What drives you as a teacher and/or researcher?
Segars: I am driven by continuous improvement and always wanting to get better. Improving as an educator and as a researcher.
Q: What in your career are you most proud of?
Segars: I was proud when a group of freshmen students asked me to be their advisor for a case competition. I agreed and the students won first place.
Q: What has been your most exciting or valuable experience in your career at SC State?
Segars: My most exciting experience in my career at SC State was being nominated as Professor of the Year for the College of Business and Information Systems. It really meant a lot to be recognized by my peers.
Segars graduated from SC State with an undergraduate degree in accounting in December 1991. He completed his master’s degree in the same field at Strayer University in 2017. He expects to complete his doctorate at Jackson State University in 2025.
Prior to joining SC State, he worked as an accountant for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. He also worked as an auditor for the Governmental Accounting Office and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina.
His interests include physical fitness, healthy eating, and spending time with family and friends.
For information about SC State's Accounting Program and all fields of study, visit www.scsu.edu/academics. Reach Segars at tsegars@scsu.edu.