Giles to retire from Spartanburg Community College after 50 years

Listen to this article

Spartanburg Community College President Henry C. Giles Jr. announced his retirement Monday at the January meeting of the Spartanburg County Commission for Technical and Community Education. His last day will come on June 30 as he closes in on his 51st year at the 56-year-old college.

Giles was hired as a math teacher in 1969.

Before being named the sixth president of the college, Giles served as interim president as well as vice president and executive vice president of business affairs for 18 years, according to a news release. He was responsible for the financial management of the college during the majority of his tenure there. 

His accomplishments include playing a key role in purchasing the building that would become the downtown campus, according to the news release. He also was key to the creation and expansion of the Spark Center, which has become an economic development tool for the county.

In a statement to faculty and staff, Giles said, “This evening at our commission meeting I announced that I plan to retire on June 30, 2020. I wanted you, my SCC family, to know of my decision as fast as possible. I hope this is the first you’ve officially heard of my decision. I have made this decision with a lot of mixed feelings. To me, this is home and I feel like you are my brothers and sisters in that we share a common bond of wanting to help others gain the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.”

Giles was honored in August with a surprise celebration of his 50-year-anniversary, when he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto on behalf of Gov. Henry McMaster. At the same event, the SCC Foundation announced a new, privately funded scholarship established in Giles' honor, with a check for $59,550.

“I feel the college is in the best situation possible,” Giles said in the staff letter, which was included in a news release. “We are sound financially, we have a great faculty and staff, we have good support from our counties and the community.”

During his tenure, Giles saw the campus grow from two buildings and 32 employees to five campuses with 330 full-time and 400 part-time employees. The college today serves more than 6,000 students throughout the three-county service area, the release said.

A search for Spartanburg Community College’s seventh president will be managed by the S.C. Technical College System human resources department, according to the news release.