One of the great joys of college advising is the opportunity to travel. Recently, I visited Charleston, S.C., to visit colleges, attend a conference and explore the city. It didn’t take long to develop appreciation for the beauty and hospitality that so many have extolled over time. As my visit concluded and I boarded the plane to Atlanta to connect to my flight home, the gate agent wished me “happy travels.” I was struck by how perfectly that expressed my experience in Charleston.
You may have been to Charleston for a college tour yourself, or for shopping, eating and touring historic sites, or possibly to enjoy Spoleto, the world-renowned arts festival. Even now, in your mind’s eye, you may be walking on Charleston’s brick sidewalks, admiring the old homes and commercial buildings that have been preserved and restored, and thinking, “Isn’t it great that we’re making some of the same efforts in Lexington?”
Keeping an old city young
As in Lexington, Charleston experiences tremendous synergy between its educational institutions and the urban core. More than anything else, this is what keeps an old city young and thriving. Touring the College of Charleston, I was struck by the beautifully manicured quadrangles and well-tended buildings interspersed with city blocks. Boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops line the blocks in and around the college. Young people and bicycles are everywhere; the city is perfectly laid out for walking and cycling, and even professors appeared to be on bicycles rather than in cars.
On campus, students are intentional about their studies, and the faculty members and deans that we met conveyed an equally dedicated approach to their academic fields and their students. Programs in historic preservation, the arts, and hospitality and tourism management are quite strong, and internships abound. These programs respond to regional needs and provide immediate hands-on experiences for students.
Possibly the most fascinating part of the week involved a tour of the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA), a bachelor’s degree-granting institution based within the historic city jail. Developed in response to the region’s need for artisans to restore historic structures, ACBA combines liberal arts with training such as stone cutting, plaster work, timber framing, carpentry and iron work. Professors may lead students through Shakespeare as artisan instructors engage them in project work focused on English architecture of the time, or through Plato as Greek architectural methods are explored. Students complete three summer internships while pursuing their degree at ACBA; some have been at Colonial Williamsburg, the Biltmore (in Asheville), and historic sites in Europe. Senior capstone projects demonstrate students’ remarkable skill with masonry, plaster, stone cutting and stained glass.
Welcome, and happiness
As I finished this column in Atlanta and waited to board the flight to Lexington, a lively guessing game was in progress. A former University of Kentucky football player was holding court at the departure gate waiting area as our fellow travelers tried to identify him. He was Jeremy Jarmon, who graduated in 2009 with a major in political science and went on to play football for two NFL teams. Now back at UK working in football operations, Jarmon seemed pleased to have returned to Lexington. This lively scene at the departure gate underscored the vitality that our own higher education institutions add to the mix in Lexington.
We are seeing Lexington follow Charleston’s lead, partnering with its educational institutions and providing interesting experiences for students both socially and educationally. This is not working at cross purposes with our combined emphases on preservation and economic growth; it dovetails beautifully. And it brings an interesting side benefit: keeping those of us whose student days are long past happy as well.
I was delighted with what I learned in my campus visits, and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more welcome as a visitor than I did in Charleston. Every interaction with hotel staff, restaurant servers, staff and faculty at the colleges, and even taxi drivers, felt warm and genuine. It would be nice to think that visitors to Lexington depart feeling the same way.
Jane S. Shropshire guides students and families through the college search process and is Business Lexington’s Higher Ed. Matters columnist. Contact her at Jshrop@att.net.