This photo, found in SCC’s archives, shows a classroom scene on opening day Dec. 1, 1964. (SCC photo)
SYLVA – Free food, giveaways and the opportunity to win scholarships and other prizes will be a part of Southwestern Community College’s 50th anniversary open house celebration on Friday, April 10 from 4-6pm at the Jackson Campus.
Barbecue and t-shirts will be available while supplies last, and visitors will have a shot at scholarships of $1,000 or more and gift certificates to the SCC bookstore through a scavenger hunt.
If needed, a rain date has been set for April 17.
“It’s hard to believe that Southwestern started out 50 years ago with only one building, a handful of employees and fewer than 200 students,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC’s current president. “We’re excited about this opportunity to show the community how much we’ve grown and what we’re all about.
“Our top priority from day one has been to help students succeed,” Dr. Tomas continued. “That’s why this scavenger hunt contest is so appropriate. We believe there is no greater value than an education at SCC, so the chance to win a scholarship here is actually an opportunity to change your life.”
In conjunction with the open house, the SCC Auto Club will host a free cruise-in for cars, trucks and bikes from 4-7pm in hopes of showing some of the vehicle models that might have been on campus when the college opened its doors for the 1964-65 academic year.
Displays, demonstrations and exhibits representing the college’s 80-plus programs and divisions will be set up across campus, and scavenger-hunt participants will need to visit at least a half-dozen in order to be eligible for the grand prize drawing at 5:45 p.m. at the Bradford Hall Gazebo.
N.C. Sen. Jim Davis; Brian McMahan, chairman of Jackson County’s Board of Commissioners; and Webster Mayor Nick Breedlove will read resolutions commemorating Southwestern’s history and impact on its service area of Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties and the Qualla Boundary.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/SGpGsCrcxm0[/youtube]
Info: www.southwesterncc.edu or Tyler Norris Goode, 50th anniversary planning committee chairman, (828) 339-4394, t_goode@southwesterncc.edu
– SCC
