Higher Education in Greenville, SC: Evolving and Adapting

Greenville Technical College

In 2008, Dr. Keith Miller stepped in as the second president of Greenville Technical College. As he approaches his retirement in July 2025, Miller reflects on this South Carolina college’s achievements, noting how it has grown and innovated over the past 16 years and worked hard to adapt to the needs of its students, the region’s industries and entrepreneurial community, and higher education in Greenville. 

How have you seen Greenville Technical College change since your start in 2008?
By necessity, we’ve had to refocus our educational services and be more creative and innovative with how we provide those services. The traditional approach was, “This is what we offer, this is when and this is at what time.” If you were interested, you had to come to us. That’s flipped; now, the people we serve say, “This is what I need, and I need more convenience.” So, our service model has completely changed to become more flexible for our students.

In your experience, how has the collaboration between education and industry impacted students, employees and the surrounding community?
There is so much that we would not be able to provide without our industry partners. I just got out of a meeting with the county government about their need for more paramedics and EMTs. We run those medical programs, and they do, too, so we discussed how we could pair our programs to double the impact. That’s the type of collaboration that really makes things happen in the college and in the community.

When you think of the mission of many colleges and universities, it’s human nature to assume the mission is to enroll more students every year. The more important goal is to help those students succeed during their time here and in their careers after. 

What do you see the college moving toward in the future?
There’s no doubt that all our programs will remain intact. I don’t see that changing, but what is going to change is how we provide those services, focus them and make them more accessible. 

The need for technicians and specialists continues to grow, and the comprehensiveness of the training processes in those careers is much broader now due to advancements in the field and in technology. In terms of how Greenville Tech will continue to change, it’s no longer efficient to see our services as different buckets. We will continue to work toward closing those gaps and creating a seamless educational system. 

What are you most proud of from your time at Greenville Technical College?
I’ve been successful at making sure the focus of the college has always been on students’ success, not just getting more students through the front door. I’m particularly proud of this program we built, AAMSI (African American Male Scholars Initiative). We established AAMSI in 2019 to counteract the lower student success rate of African American male students. Now, the students in that program show a success rate higher than that of the general student populations at Greenville Tech. I’m also extremely proud of our online program, which was recognized recently by Newsweek as No. 1 in the state and No. 21 in the nation. We made that program a priority and focused on building it up. Those efforts certainly paid off. 

What is your most valued advice for graduates heading into their careers as well as students just starting out at Greenville Technical College?
The advice I give includes several elements that I consider necessities for success. First, maintain strong interpersonal skills. I can’t think of a single career where you will not ever have to work with other people. 

Another key piece of advice is to always think ahead toward what may change in your career and what that impact may be. Finally, be trustworthy and remain teachable. You may have ended your formal education, but that doesn’t mean your education has ended. 

Life Sciences Health Center Opens

A healthy outlook exists at Greenville Technical College (GTC), as the new Prisma Health Center for Health & Life Sciences opened for the fall 2024 semester. It is located on Barton Campus and is the largest facility on any of GTC’s campuses. 

A $1.5 million gift from South Carolina-based Prisma Health led to the naming of the building, and the health care organization has also been the No. 1 employer of Greenville Tech graduates for many decades. GTC graduates 500 to 600 health science students each year, with many grads going into nursing, occupational therapy, radiology and other allied health careers. 

“We are grateful to Prisma Health for their longstanding support and the impact that support continues to have on nursing and allied health professionals,” Greenville Technical College President Dr. Keith Miller said in a news release. 

The 125,000-square-foot center is expected to impact about 90% of Greenville Tech students and welcome 150,000 visitors annually. Building amenities include medical imaging suites, ultrasound suites and radiological technology rooms. A highly advanced 3D Anatomage laboratory is equipped with virtual dissection tables and interactive life-size touch screens. 

Greenville Technical College was founded in 1962. Plans are in place to soon renovate two of the older Barton Campus buildings – the Engineering Technologies and University Transfer buildings. Updates are also being planned for the Nursing Building, and classrooms will be added at the Simulation Technologies and Training Center. In addition, more student life space will be added to the Student Commons. 

– Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.