Spartanburg Community College President Henry C. Giles, Jr., announced his retirement effective June 30.
Giles has been with SCC for 50 years as a strong advocate of technical/community College education, starting out as a math instructor in 1969.
Giles made a statement to SCC faculty and staff.
“This evening at our Commission meeting I announced that I plan to retire on June 30, 2020. I wanted you, my SCC family, to know of my decision as fast as possible. I hope this is the first you’ve officially heard of my decision. I have made this decision with a lot of mixed feelings. “To me, this is home and I feel like you are my brothers and sisters in that we share a common bond of wanting to help others gain the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. I feel the College is in the best situation possible. We are sound financially, we have a great faculty and staff, and we have good support from our counties and the community.
“Both the Commission and the Foundation board are excellent. Our executive team is the best. Thank you for your friendship and support. This means more to me than you may ever know. All good things come to an end. I will be 74 in March and am still in good health. I want to have some time to enjoy other aspects of life. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life, you certainly enriched mine,” Giles stated.
Giles served as interim president as well as vice president and executive vice president of business affairs for 18 years. He was responsible for the financial management of the College during the majority of his SCC tenure.
Giles was instrumental in facilitating the purchase of the Evans Building in downtown Spartanburg, now the SCC Downtown Campus, as well as the creation and expansion of the SCC Spark Center, an invaluable economic development tool for Spartanburg County.
Giles also held college positions as program manager, vice president for development and vice president for academic affairs. Giles brought a tenacious fiscal responsibility to all endeavors, which resulted in the College receiving favorable audits and maintaining balanced budgets over the years, thereby positioning the College today to serve more than 6,000 students across five campuses throughout the three-county service area.
A native of Cowpens, Giles earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics at Wofford College and a master of arts in teaching degree in mathematics at Converse College.
Giles completed graduate work in higher education administration from Nova University in Florida and in management from the University of South Carolina. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education from the University of South Carolina Upstate and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Wofford College.
The search for SCC’s seventh president will be managed by the SC Technical College System human resources department.