SAVANNAH — Officials from Savannah Technical College (STC) and the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) have inked an agreement allowing students who complete the diploma program in hotel, restaurant and tourism management at STC to transition directly into the bachelor’s degree program in hospitality management at USCB.

The agreement, the first between the two institutions, creates a seamless pathway for students.

“For our students who want to continue their education at the bachelor’s degree level, this is a wonderful opportunity to study and learn at an institution with a strong reputation and great proximity to one of the premier hospitality destinations in the country,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love.

“Hospitality and tourism is the largest industry in this region,” said USCB Chancellor Dr. Jane Upshaw. “ We are pleased to have an articulation agreement with Savannah Tech so that their graduates will be able to come to USCB and continue their studies for careers in this important economic cluster.”

The STC hospitality program, which began in 2004, currently serves about 25 majors in the diploma program and another 10 in the newly created hospitality certificate program created in partnership with area industry.  The program is managed by Brendan Ferrara, who also oversees the college’s marketing and management programs.

“We’ve been very pleased with the reception our graduates are finding when they graduate,” he said. “This program will give them even greater opportunities to strengthen their skills for the workplace.”  

In developing the articulation agreement, Ferrara worked closely with Dr. Upshaw, Dr. Charlie Calvert, department chair of the hospitality management program at USCB and Dr. Michael Parsons, USCB’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Savannah Technical College serves more than 4,500 students each quarter at its five locations: on White Bluff Road in Savannah, in the Crossroads Business Park, in the Army Education Center at Fort Stewart, on Airport Road in Hinesville and on Highway 21 in Rincon. For information, visit www.savannahtech.edu.

The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a senior institution of the University of South Carolina system serving the southeast coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The university’s two campuses, located on the waterfront in Beaufort, S.C. and at the gateway to Hilton Head Island in Bluffton, S.C., serve a diverse student body of more than 1,650 residential and commuter students.  USCB offers in-state tuition to residents of Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties and has an engineering articulation agreement with Georgia Tech Savannah. Students learn in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity.

For more information about the University of South Carolina Beaufort, visit www.uscb.edu online or call the university’s Office of Public Information at (843) 208-8030.