SPARTANBURG, S.C. (courtesy converse.edu) — Converse is embracing its 55-year history as a graduate degree-granting institution with a name change from college to university effective July 1, 2021.
Phyllis Perrin Harris, ’82 alumna and Chair of the Converse Board of Trustees, stated that the Board’s duty is to make decisions based on the best interests of Converse as a whole and with the top focus being the advancement of Converse students. “As a Board, we voted to change the name to Converse University to recognize the school’s 55-year history of offering strong Master’s programs, its recent accreditation as a doctorate-granting institution, and its sizable international student population.”
Harris continued, “Our new university status proudly recognizes the strength of the academics at Converse, the fact that an extraordinary 98 percent of our faculty hold a terminal degree in their field, and the work we’ve done to grow opportunity, launch degrees, and establish Converse in an exciting new light. Converse will focus on preparing students to become engaged, adaptable, global citizens committed to progress within our society and the communities in which they live and work.”
Converse is home to a newly-launched doctoral program in professional leadership, as well as award-winning, history-making programs that include data analytics, science classes that utilize virtual reality goggles to enhance the learning experience, and education programs that have produced a legacy of award-winning teachers and school administrators across the nation. It is home to South Carolina’s leading undergraduate music program, the state’s first Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative and professional writing, and the Upstate’s only undergraduate music therapy degree program.