With nearly 48,000 Spartanburg County residents with some college credit but no degree, a new initiative spearheaded by OneSpartanburg aims to break down barriers to degree completion and increase economic opportunity.
Re:Degree launched April 16 and is helping people like Ebony Smith, a single mother of five whose goal of obtaining a degree in accounting was derailed by the necessity of earning a living to provide for her family.
‘A blessing’
Smith said Re:Degree has been a blessing in helping her pursue her goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
As a divorced mother with five children to provide for, she said for years she felt earning a living precluded finishing the degree she aspired to when she first enrolled at Spartanburg Community College.
Despite not having that degree, she eventually started her own bookkeeping and tax preparation business and learned about Re:Degree through her participation in Power Up Spartanburg, another OneSpartanburg initiative aimed at helping small and minority businesses.
She said the financial resources, staff support and accountability provided by the new initiative have helped to give her a clear path to obtaining that associate’s degree from SCC and, in less than two years, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from USC Upstate.
Expanding the economic opportunity of Smith and the thousands of county residents like her who had to enter the workforce before obtaining a degree is the driving force behind Re:Degree, according to Ron Garner, OneSpartanburg’s chief talent officer.
As a first-generation college graduate and former superintendent of Spartanburg County District One Schools, Garner said he knows the power of education in opening doors to economic opportunity.
“We want people to live and work and thrive in Spartanburg County,” he said. “Education is important to me. … I know the difference education can make.”
Expanding opportunity through Re:Degree
The people the program seeks to help fall generally into two broad groups, according to Erin Smith, OneSpartanburg’s director of adult degree reengagement.
The first group is made of people like Ebony Smith who have some college credits and want to complete a degree.
The second group is composed of people who want to shift focus or change careers.
Erin Smith said Re:Degree is designed to meet people where they are and give them the tools and support they need to get where they want to go — obtaining the education that will expand their economic options.
“I think that’s something the students really value,” she said. “They’re so excited because now they don’t feel stuck.”
Smith’s team includes dedicated college navigators who work one-on-one with students to overcome the hurdles of going back to college.
Re:Degree is part of a broader effort to increase the economic mobility and educational attainment of Spartanburg County families, according to Russell Booker, CEO of Spartanburg Academic Movement.
“We’re in what I would consider a once-in-a-generation moment,” he said.
SAM is spearheading Movement 2030, a comprehensive plan aimed at expanding opportunity that has the potential of improving the trajectory of families across generations, Booker said.
Funding through the Movement 2030 plan is supporting the Re:Degree initiative.
For more information on Re:Degree, visit redegreespartanburg.com. For more information about the broader efforts of Spartanburg Academic Movement, visit learnwithsam.org.
Some college, no credential (SCNC) by the numbers:
Here’s a snapshot of the number of students nationally and locally who have some college credit but no credential as of July 2021:
- The national SCNC population was estimated at 40.4 million, up 1.4 million from 2020.
- South Carolina had an SCNC population of about 487,000.
- Most SCNC students were younger than 35 at last enrollment.
Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
