Clemson at the Falls Nearing Completion
A new orange Clemson sign glows on the side of the old Bowater building overlooking the Reedy River, signaling renovation is almost complete on Clemson at the Falls.
Clemson University's working professionals MBA program moved to the new campus in downtown Greenville a year ago and students started their second semester in Clemson's full-time MBA program at the Greenville campus in January.
Claude Lilly, Dean of Clemson's College of Business and Behavioral Science, explains that the University is excited about the move and the opportunities it will bring for Clemson students, as well as the Upstate business community.
He says the university's MBA program is currently in talks with other executive MBA programs worldwide, including those in Chile and Beijing, to see how they can work together to provide international educational opportunity to their students. "We look forward to being more involved in the economic development future of Greenville," says Lilly.
John Moore, executive vice president at Greenville Chamber of Commerce, says, "This is not just a school, it's infrastructure for our city. One of the biggest needs of Greenville's Next Innovation Center companies is to connect with the workforce. Now that the business school is up the street, we can build connections between the school and our local businesses. This continued growth means our companies can compete anywhere in the world," he says.
Moore also says an internship program is in the works that will tie into Next, a group of Greenville's globally-impactful knowledge-based companies. "We've just started to discuss the possibilities of what this partnership might look like," says Moore, but the bottom line is attracting talent and keeping it here.
This relocation to Greenville is important for the University because it puts its business program in the middle of a thriving business community. "When students come here to get their MBA, they are able to get out of the walls of the classroom and practice what they learn," says Moore.
Other Clemson graduate business and community outreach programs are also relocating to the site, including Clemson's Spiro Center, The Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, which supports educational, research and outreach programs that promote entrepreneurial activity and economic development with a focus on wealth creation through entrepreneurial activity.
Clemson's Spiro Center offers a "First Friday" speaker series which is open to the public and features local business leaders who speak to the significant developments in their field and share their entrepreneurial knowledge with students and the community.
The Small Business Development Center will also be headquartered at this campus. The center offers training and support services to existing small businesses, as well as supporting start-up ventures in the Upstate.
Lilly says the school is reenergizing their Professional Advancement and Continuing Education (PACE) program as well to provide business specific programs and specialized training for companies in the Upstate. The school's PACE program has been a provider of professional education and customized training programs for business, education and industry for more than 50 years.
"Clemson at the Falls now offers downtown businesses access to unique training opportunities like Project Management Boot Camp and executive management classes," says Michael Kerski, economic development manager for the City of Greenville. "The school filled one of the last missing pieces for business growth and development downtown and provides great opportunities for existing and emerging businesses."
Melinda Lux, a corporate attorney with Wyche Burgess Freeman & Parham, P.A., who teaches an entrepreneurship class at Clemson at the Falls, says, "Having the University in downtown Greenville will foster synergies between Clemson's business school and the Greenville business community. Clemson's students will benefit from real life contact with Greenville business owners, and the Greenville business community will benefit from the energy, ideas and innovation generated at Clemson's business school."
Clemson will continue to partner with the Upstate business community for the annual Launch Pad competition. Teams of students from Clemson — as well as other colleges and universities and the public at large — submit their ideas for a new business venture, and then ten finalists present their business concepts to a panel of 20 judges from the business community. The top award is several thousand dollars and opens a world of startup opportunities.
"Having Clemson at the Falls in downtown Greenville increases the likelihood that ideas generated at Clemson will be turned into commercial ventures," says Lux. "An increase in entrepreneurial activity in Greenville will have a positive, long term impact on economic development."
Clemson at the Falls will have a tremendous economic impact on the Upstate, says Moore. "This campus is another part of the recipe for a vibrant downtown. Companies want to be where the talent is."