Spartanburg Methodist College

Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) is a private college in Saxon, South Carolina, United States, with a Spartanburg postal address. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and enrolled 1,220 students for the 2025 fall semester. History Spartanburg Methodist College was founded as the Textile Industrial Institute (TII) by David English Camak, who was moved by the challenges faced by southern cotton textile workers. An elementary and secondary school were established in a vacant house near Duncan Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church. With the support of Walter S. Montgomery, president of Spartan Mill, the school steadily grew, eventually becoming a mission of the South Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Founding and early years (1911-1919) In 1913, the college acquired its present campus. It began constructing Charles P. Hammond Hall, which still serves as a residence hall. Although the work and study schedules helped students attend the Textile Industrial Institute, the school needed additional income. The TII board of trustees recruited members from the South Carolina Methodist conferences, allowed the land to be sold, and paid off the debts to create new funds for the project. The Model Mill opened in 1919, allowing TII to combine education and work as Camak had envisioned. The Model Mill produced weaves, dyed and bleached materials, enhanced the threads to make them more robust, and refined the art of depth in precise dying. The success of the Model Mill was short-lived. In 1921, the mill employed only TII students but issues with financing led to the closure of the Model Mill in 1922. Students once again returned to off-campus jobs to support them while enrolled at TII. Expansion and challenges (1920-1940) By 1927, TII expanded its offerings to include the first two years of college-level education. After initially providing high school-level courses for young adults working in the area's textile mills, TII expanded its curriculum in 1927 to offer two years of college-level work, granting associate degrees in liberal arts. That allowed graduates to transfer to senior-level colleges or enter the workforce. The industrial mill jobs on campus created declines in health due to working in harsh conditions. Many students worked on campus in the kitchen, laundry, or on the farm; others worked in town. The trustees soon realized that the students required additional housing due to the increased enrollment. Eliza Attleton Judd, wife of a local bank president, was interested in helping women access education and offered a solution to the school's housing problem by donating money to create a building for girls on campus. The trustees believed that completing Hammond Hall was a more urgent priority than building a dormitory for girls. Judd continued to support TII with a gift of timberland. In 1928, a decade after her death, the Textile Industrial Institute built Judd Hall, a women's dormitory, in her honor. In 1940, TII discontinued its high school classes, and, in 1942, the institution's name was changed to Spartanburg Junior College. In 1974, its name was changed to Spartanburg Methodist College. Transitioning to a four-year institution For decades, Spartanburg Methodist College served as a two-year junior college. In 2019, Spartanburg Methodist College further expanded its academic offerings by introducing bachelor's degree programs. Presidents The university's current president, Scott Cochran, assumed office on November 16, 2015. The president is appointed by the university's board of trustees, which has 24 members, 5 clergy, and 19 laity, whose terms are staggered on a three-year basis. Accreditation and affiliations Spartanburg Methodist College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. The college is also affiliated with the United Methodist Church and the South Carolina Annual Conference. Academics Spartanburg Methodist College is composed of three schools: the School of English and Humanities, the School of Business and Social Sciences, and the School of Mathematics and Sciences. The liberal arts college offers a range of degree programs to cater to its students' diverse interests and career goals. These include six associate degrees and twelve bachelor degree programs that encompass different concentrations that are offered both on campus and online. The FTE student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1. Camak Core Spartanburg Methodist College incorporates a professional development program into its bachelor's degree programs known as the Camak Core. Named after college founder David English Camak, the program consists of 18 credit hours focused on professional communication, leadership development, community engagement, applied technology, internships, and capstone projects. On-ground bachelor's degree students must complete 120 internship hours as part of the curriculum. The Camak Core culminates in a senior capstone project. Students present their projects annually at the APEX Showcase, a competition and networking event that connects graduating seniors with employers and community partners. Student life Spartanburg Methodist College supports student engagement through campus activities, student leadership opportunities, campus recreation, religious life, and more than 30 clubs and organizations. Student organizations Among the student organizations at Spartanburg Methodist College are the Student Government Association (SGA), the Student Activities Board (SAB), formerly known as XVIBES, Kappa Sigma Alpha (KSA), a co-educational service fraternity, and the Latin American Student Organization (LASO). The college also sponsors a variety of cultural, service, academic, and leadership organizations. Campus SMC occupies 110 acres near the western edge of Spartanburg's city limits. The campus has seven residential halls (Willard, Hammond, Kingman, Parsons, Judd, Bridges, and Sparrow) that are co-ed or all-female. Over the past decade, SMC has expanded its campus facilities. In 2012, a new academic building, Ellis Hall, was opened on campus. It houses nine classrooms, a bookstore, and educational offices, including the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Write Place, student publications, the President's Hall, and Gibbs Auditorium, which seats 275. In 2019, the 4,000-square-foot Moore Family Fitness Center was opened on campus and provides students with access to aerobics machines, free weights, weight machines, and an aerobics classroom. Athletics The Spartanburg Methodist (SMC) athletic teams are called the Pioneers. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) starting in the 2025-26 school year. The Pioneers previously competed in the Carolinas Junior College Conference within Region X as a Division I ranked member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) until the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. SMC competes in 14 intercollegiate varsity teams. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, and track and field. Women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. All 14 teams transitioned to NAIA competition beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. Men's volleyball will be introduced in the 2026-27 academic year. Accomplishments SMC's athletic teams have won numerous regional, divisional, and national titles during their time in the NJCAA, establishing the college as a competitive athletic program. The men's soccer team won an NJCAA national championship in 1994 under coach Pete Petersen, who compiled a 78-29-6 record over six seasons at SMC and was later named national junior college coach of the year. Following the championship, Petersen left the college to coach professionally with the South Carolina Shamrocks. Since his departure, the program has experienced limited success at the national level. Other teams have also competed nationally, including women's golf (three individual Top 50 finishes, 2011), men's tennis (26th place, 2010), wrestling (29th place, 2010), men's cross-country (2nd place, 2012), women's cross-country (16th place, 2009), men's and women's half-marathon (3rd place, 2012), and volleyball (16th place, 2009). Legacy of Coach Tim Wallace One of the most influential figures in Spartanburg Methodist College athletics was longtime head baseball coach Tim Wallace. Over 34 seasons, Wallace built the Pioneers into a national contender, leading the team to 12 NJCAA Region 10 championships and seven appearances in the Division I JUCO World Series, including three straight from 2012 to 2014. He earned over 1,350 career wins, ranking fourth all-time in junior college baseball. He was inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame (2014) and the Wofford College Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition to mentoring 18 NJCAA All-Americans and over 150 players who signed professional contracts, Wallace notably coached four-time MLB All-Star Orlando Hudson. Wallace stepped down in early 2025 due to health issues and died later that year after a battle with brain cancer. A celebration of life was held at SMC's Camak Auditorium, and the college established the Coach Tim Wallace Memorial Fund in his honor. Move to the NAIA On October 2, 2023, it was officially announced that the Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers would join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a member of the Continental Athletic Conference starting in the 2024-25 academic year. On July 17, 2024, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in the NAIA announced that Spartanburg Methodist College will join the conference as a full member for the 2025-26 school year. Notable alumni Bill Landrum - professional baseball player Lee Gronkiewicz - professional baseball player Jonathan Hurst - professional baseball player Morris Madden - professional baseball player Jeff McNeely - professional baseball player James Scott - professional basketball player Deryk Shockley - professional soccer player Dwight Smith - professional baseball player Glenn Sutko - professional baseball player References External links Official website Official athletics website