Denmark Technical College suffered through a difficult time from 2007 until 2010, with three individuals acting as president.
But it has seen significant growth since Dr. Joann Boyd-Scotland took over as interim president in June 2011.
The number of degrees awarded by the college rose by 89 percent in one year, going up from 197 in 2011 to 373 in 2012. Between the fall of 2011 and 2012, enrollment rose from 1,032 to 1,606, an increase of 56 percent.
Boyd-Scotland served as president of DTC from 1992 until 2007. She was called to return as interim president after the resignation of Dr. Michael Townsend.
Dr. John Waddell served as president from 2007 until 2009, but was fired by the DTC Area Commission following an audit by the State Tech Board. Dr. Walt A. Tobin, currently president of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, stepped in to help the college from July 2009 until January 2010.
Boyd-Scotland said when she returned, her focus was to put the school back on a solid foundation.
“First of all, my goal was to stabilize the institution, and that was going to require taking a really strategic look at the budget, student enrollment and general operations of the college,” she said.
Making the public aware of what DTC has to offer was the reason for the jump in enrollment, according to Boyd-Scotland. In addition to a curriculum that’s designed to meet the needs of local businesses, DTC provides daily transportation for students in a three-county area, dormitories and a comprehensive food service system.
The college also operates two sites in Barnwell, one site in Allendale and it teaches dual credit courses on site at local high schools, she said.
The college advertised its offerings and made personal contacts with the community through the churches, she said.
Boyd-Scotland also assessed and made improvements to the budget and the curriculum. She cut $1 million in personnel expenses.
Additionally, the increased enrollment improved the college’s financial situation. The budget shows enough money to operate on for a period of 30 to 45 days as required by law, according to Boyd-Scotland. read more…
