Location, Location, Location

Since coming to the College of Charleston in 2019, I have enjoyed learning its history. And, wow, there is a lot of history to take in – from its formation in the 1700s to its hardscrabble existence in the 1800s to its academic evolution in the 1900s. I believe the 2000s will be another pivotal century as the university works to expand its footprint and strengthen different aspects of its curricular offerings.

In J.H. Easterby’s early history of the College, he writes about the South Carolina General Assembly’s original plan to set up several institutions of higher education in 1785: one in Ninety Six, another in Winnsboro and, of course, one in Charleston. Of the three, only the Charleston location fulfilled that legislative promise. And that makes sense, since Charleston had been the colonial capital and stood as the new state’s largest city.

In the real estate industry, the mantra of “location, location, location” rules the day, and I believe the same holds true in higher education. Of course, not all college towns are built the same; each caters to a different identity. Colleges and universities adapt to their surrounding communities. I am thankful that our university had its own kind of special soil in which to put down roots, grow and blossom.

Earlier this fall, Southern Living magazine ranked the top 10 college towns in the South. On that list were the familiar choices: Oxford, Miss.; Auburn, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; even Clemson, S.C. These are all go-to locations each fall for ESPN’s College GameDay coverage. And those places look great on television. However, the top three on the list were surprising. Well, maybe not for Athens, Ga., and Chapel Hill, N.C., where football is still the major draw. But No. 3 on that list was our very own Charleston, and our university commanded center stage in the description.

We like to think that our university is different – just as every institution makes that same claim. But our location in a city unlike so many others does give us an air of real distinction. Whether it is the salt-air breezes, nearby beaches, award-winning restaurants, world-famous shopping or many historical and cultural places dotting the landscape, Charleston is a unique location in our country.

WalletHub, in its review of 400 U.S. college towns, included Charleston in its top 10 Southern towns and No. 19 overall, just between Madison, Wis., and New Haven, Conn. (homes to a flagship university and Ivy, respectively). For their rankings, the editors at WalletHub zeroed in on cost of living, balanced against good academic and work opportunities. While we might have a spirited debate on affordability, especially for those who want to live downtown, near campus, the city of Charleston is experiencing a remarkable period of growth, development and revitalization.

And our students and graduates are the direct beneficiaries of that economic boom. In fact, it is a virtuous cycle, with our graduates meeting the workforce needs for a wide range of industries, which allows those companies to make even greater investment throughout the Lowcountry. In engineering terms, we call that a positive feedback loop, in which an initial effect reinforces itself and strengthens the overall process. It’s like a turbocharger in an internal combustion engine, in which each part amplifies the next.

Right now, we are certainly in a turbocharging moment for both our city and our university. And it is incumbent on us to take full advantage of our moment so that we are both positioned for sustained success. Because together, we can – and we will – do even greater things.