'Redefining Ready:' Coker College looking to 2020 and beyond

HARTSVILLE — Dr. Robert Wyatt likes to point out that experts project that by 2020, half of the college and university students in the United States will be taking courses on their cell phones.

AT A GLANCE

Name: Coker College
Established: 1908
Address: 300 E. College Ave., Hartsville
President: Dr. Robert L. Wyatt
Enrollment: 1,150
Specialty: Four-year, private liberal arts college
Web site: www.coker.edu

The challenge for Coker College, according to its new president, is to keep pace with the rapid rate of change being fueled by technological advances and give students the kind of educational opportunities that will equip them to thrive in a rapidly-changing world.

“We’re finding that the world is changing faster than it ever has before,” Wyatt said. “We’ve got to determine what the campus of 2020 is going to look like.”
Coker is in the midst of planning for its future, developing a 2020 strategic plan with an eye toward “Redefining Ready,” Wyatt said.

“This place, this institution, has been very successful for a very long time,” Wyatt said. “Our challenge is to force ourselves to think about how we improve. What do we have to do differently to be better? And that can be a little frustrating.”

One major development for the four-year liberal arts college could be the addition of graduate level courses, Wyatt said. The Coker Board of Trustees in October authorized the administration to begin looking into that possibility, he said. Offerings could be in the areas of education and advanced teaching or social work.
On March 26, Wyatt will be inaugurated as Coker College’s 16th president. The focus of inaugural events will be celebrating Coker, he said.

“It’s a chance for us to show off a little bit,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt, formerly dean of the Breech School of Business Administration at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., took over as president of Coker with the opening of the current academic year.

The new president said he feels fortunate to be at Coker.

“ I landed in a place with an engaged faculty and staff,” he said. “That kind of energy is something to be proud of.”

This year, the four-year liberal arts college welcomed its largest freshman class ever.

The first few months in office, Wyatt said, have been busy.

“There’s been a lot of enthusiasm as we are looking to see where Coker needs to be,” he said. “It’s been very positive so far.”

Coker’s enrollment stands at around 1,150 now, Wyatt said.

“If we’re going to grow to 1,400 or 1,500, we’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do with those additional students, where we’re going to house them. Space becomes an issue,” he said.

Enrollment for the coming year, he said, is already ahead of where it was at this time last year, a development he called significant given the current state of the economy.

“I think Coker has done a good job selling itself,” Wyatt said. With tuition at colleges and universities around the country rising, a Coker College education remains a good buy at 30 to 40 percent less expensive that most other schools, he said.

“Consumers are looking for value now, and Coker provides it,” he said.

Since his arrival at Coker, Wyatt has placed a special emphasis on strengthening the relationship between the college and the Hartsville community.

Wyatt wants the college to work more closely with the city to help make Hartsville a stronger community. A strong community, he said, benefits the college and its students.

And one area where he thinks the city can play a key role in enhancing student life at the college is in providing more social opportunities for students.

“I envision a partnership with the city in which we could do something like create an entertainment complex of some sort that would give students a place to socialize,” he said. “Students today are looking for a more comprehensive education, and we’ve got to provide that.”

Wyatt said he sees plenty of potential for community service opportunities for Coker students, as well. He said a college as an institution has a moral obligation to serve and to help those in its community who are less fortunate.

“I think a college has an obligation to raise that population up,” Wyatt said. “We’re committed, I’m committed, to making a difference in Hartsville.”

He said Coker and the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics offer Hartsville some unique opportunities few other communities this size enjoy, not just in education but in the arts and cultural and civic life of the community. Coker has played a major role in the artistic and cultural life of Hartsville, and Wyatt said he wants to see that involvement continue and grow.

Coming from a business school environment, Wyatt said he is interested in the business community of the area.

“Obviously, Coker is an economic provider in the community, and we certainly want to help bring economic development to the area,” he said. “I think with the proper kind of programs and development strategies we can bring economic development to the area.”

One way in which Coker students could be involved in that, he said, is developing marketing ideas and strategies for small businesses.

Wyatt said Coker alumni play an important part in the college’s future, and he wants that involvement to grow.

“Our alumni giving is among the highest in the area,” he said.

One thing he said he has seen when prospective students or prospective faculty members visit Coker is that they quickly gain an interest in Hartsville as a community.

Wyatt said he and his family appreciate how the Hartsville community has embraced them since their arrival. “You know, I don’t think I really gave Hartsville its due when we first got here,” he said.

“People tend to think of Hartsville as this sleepy little town. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “With the college, the Governor’s School, Sonoco, there’s a level of sophistication here that you don’t find in most small towns.”