NGU graduate school and CAPS program prepare to move near downtown Greer
The new campus is located in Greer near Wade Hampton Blvd. and S. Buncombe St. Image courtesy of Carson Myers.
Carson Myers, staff writer
When Fairview Baptist Church in Greer moved to a new campus in 2002, it left behind a handsome brick sanctuary attached to approximately 10,000 square feet of classrooms. When NGU acquired the facility in 2006, the T. Walter Brashier Graduate School was opened.
Ten years later, the honeymoon phase is over. Many of the classrooms and corridors have been mothballed. Cracked, yellowed linoleum hallways lead to a dark, empty sanctuary. The carpet is damp, and paint is peeling off the once-delicate crown molding. Crumbling hymnals and service bulletins litter the pews and floors of the old sanctuary.
As NGU continues to expand its graduate program, the need for new facilities is clear to Samuel Isgett, vice president for adult and graduate studies.
“Our relationship with Fairview has been a fruitful one, but it’s time for a purpose-built space,” said Isgett.
In the summer of 2016, dreams became reality when NGU purchased a 31,000 square foot office space located at 405 Lancaster Ave. in Greer. The expansive space is now bustling with contractors, laborers and school faculty members.
“The facility is about 80 percent complete,” said Isgett.
Despite the construction, the space is visibly taking shape. Upstairs, there are two large classrooms and multiple offices for the department of admissions. The building’s previous owner, Ryan’s Steakhouse, used the facility as a corporate headquarters until the company moved to Texas. The space had been renovated shortly before the Ryan’s moved out which shortened the to-do list for NGU.
Many professors already have designated offices in the new building. By December, the entire campus will be move-in ready, but a ribbon-cutting ceremony will not take place until the spring semester starts in January. The admissions staff is already using the building and professors are using a multi-purpose conference room to plan and pioneer new curriculum. The facility will house NGU’s graduate schools of ministry, education, business administration and a new program—the physician’s assistant program.
“Right now, we have 20 students enrolled for the physician’s assistant program,” said Isgett. “The student background is very diverse. We have applicants from NGU, USC, Clemson and even places like NYU.”
The entire first floor will be used for the new program. The space is replete with mock-up examination rooms, a laboratory, a surgical suite, and an Anatomage—a virtual human cadaver.
“The Anatomage allows students to receive several types of certification without using an actual human cadaver,” said Isgett. “There is also a space which Ryan’s used as a test kitchen, which incidentally is perfect for a laboratory.”
Although the new space offers much room for expansion, NGU also continues to expand its online programs under the College of Adult Professional Studies. Patricia Mercier is the dean of the CAPS program which is growing rapidly.
“The CAPS program is geared towards working adults who want to earn a bachelor’s degree but have careers, families or other responsibilities that make a traditional college setting too time-consuming” said Mercier.
She plans to move into the new facility in mid-to-late 2017.
As of today, buzz-saws are buzzing, cement mixers are churning and nail guns are popping at the new campus. By January, however, the new classrooms will see a new wave of graduate students.
