Spartanburg Community College central campus named for outgoing president

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After 50 years at Spartanburg Community College, President Henry C. Giles Jr. seemed like a permanent fixture. Now, in a sense, he is.

Giles retires Tuesday, but the campus he has served in several capacities for all but six years of its existence will bear his name.

S.C. Technical College System President Tim Hardee, presiding over a retirement party for Giles on June 18, announced that the county Commission for Technical & Community Education and the S.C. State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education both approved naming the school’s central campus the SCC Giles Campus, according to a news release.

The SCC Giles Campus was the first location for the college, opening in 1963 as Spartanburg County’s Technical Education Center, the news release said.

“Mention the name Henry C. Giles Jr. to Upstate South Carolina residents, particularly those involved in higher education and economic development in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties, and a well-respected professional comes to mind — a man of integrity, commitment and devotion to educating individuals while simultaneously sustaining our state’s economy through innovative workforce development initiatives,” Hardee said in the release. “Henry has advocated for educational and workforce development opportunities for Upstate residents, SCC and the South Carolina Technical College System for 50 years.”

Hardee said Giles’ influence on technical education has reached far beyond the Spartanburg school.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Henry and the 15 other technical college presidents each month when we met in Columbia to plan and discuss work for the system,” Hardee said in the release. “Presidents in our system have listened to Henry’s wisdom, his suggestions and ideas. Henry’s influence on the other 43 counties across our state has been significant, and we are so appreciative for the work he has done here in the Upstate and across our state.”

Giles, who was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in September, was hired at the school as a math instructor in 1969. He also served as vice president and executive vice president of business affairs, as well as a stint as interim president, before being named the sixth president of the college. Giles saw the campus grow from two buildings and 32 employees to five campuses with 330 full-time and 400 part-time employees.

“The reason the college has been able to do so many things that I am getting credit for today, is not because of me but because of the faculty and staff, the retirees,” Giles said in the release. “It is bittersweet that I am retiring, but I have served the college for almost 51 years because of three things: SCC is a great place to work, I have worked with a lot of great people, and together we have all made a difference in the lives of so many people — all of which are the glue that binds an institution together.”

Michael Mikota, president of Central Carolina Technical College in Sumter, will take over the Spartanburg college as its seventh president on July 13.