Student Activities Center to honor legacy of Dr. Robert Alexander, former USCA chancellor

On September 5, the University of South Carolina Aiken Student Activities Center (SAC) will be re-named in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Robert Alexander, who served from 1983 to 2000. The selection of the SAC to bear Alexander’s name and honor his legacy is representative of his lifetime commitment to student success and exceptional body of work.
 
Alexander began his career with USC in 1965 as associate chaplain for the Wesley Foundation following an interview with then-President Dr. Tom Jones. He soon became part of the administrative staff, with roles as Director of Volunteer Services, Dean of Student Activities and Dean of Students. He was serving as Vice President for Student Affairs in 1983 when he was directed to build the Aiken campus by the USC Board of Trustees. He became known as the “builder of USCA” due to the tremendous growth of the campus during his tenure.
 
"Dr. Alexander was given the mandate by the USC Board of Trustees to build the Aiken campus, and he did,” says current USCA Chancellor Daniel Heimmermann. “His tenure was marked by unprecedented growth in terms of buildings, new academic programs and accreditations. In fact, most of USCA's current buildings on campus, including nearly all of its academic buildings, were constructed during his administration.” 
 
Reflecting on his success, Alexander credits President Jones for his mentorship, counsel and advice during his years in Columbia and Aiken.
 
“The most important thing that happened to me was meeting Dr. Jones,” he says. “As I was developing as an administrator and faculty member, I knew I could ask for his counsel, and I would receive advice that was designed to help me grow as a human being, a staff member and later as a chancellor. I owe him so much. I can’t take the credit without giving him the credit.” 
 
One of Alexander’s first challenges at USCA was raisings funds necessary to complete the building of the Etherredge Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. At that time, funds for the project were frozen in a legislative bond bill, and money donated thus far was not adequate to complete the building as designed. In his efforts to generate support through meetings with local governments and industry leaders, Alexander missed dinner with his family his first 50 nights as chancellor. When the building was finally completed in 1986, the university celebrated its opening with a performance by Metropolitan Opera star Roberta Peters.
 
Other notable building accomplishments during Alexander’s term include the addition of the Gregg-Graniteville Library, doubling the facility’s size, the opening of Pacer Downs, making USCA the first campus outside of Columbia to have student housing; completion of the Sciences, Business, Nursing and Education buildings and The Children’s Center; gifting of the historic Pickens-Salley House, now the Alumni House; and the addition of the Natatorium to the SAC. In addition, the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center was expanded by 30,000 square feet, offering programs and STEM education to students throughout South Carolina and Georgia.
 
Under Alexander’s leadership, the USCA campus expanded by 400 acres through a donation from the Gregg-Graniteville Company, and undergraduate enrollment grew by 70 percent. This substantial growth was the result of Alexander’s legislative acumen and persuasive persistence, which he used to build community partnerships and industry support. 
 
“I first met Bob when he was one of my 'co-bosses' at USC Columbia,” says Tom Hallman, USCA Chancellor from 2000 to 2012. “He and I became very close, and when he got the job as chancellor at USCA, I was fortunate enough to follow shortly thereafter. In his years on the Columbia campus, Bob was steeped in the value of a statewide system of higher education institutions, so this job was perfect for him. He made significant investments in the campus physical plant with his ability to leverage capital funding, and he understood the importance of faculty governance in a successful university.” 
 
Alexander says it all goes back to his lessons from President Jones.
 
“Tom Jones nurtured me and taught me that you have to build partnerships and help people understand that the institution is here for the benefit of the students and the community,” he says. “I found people who understood that and believed in me and helped me. They were willing to be a partner in the development of the university.” 
 
Alexander’s wife Leslie, son Robert, and daughter Lara likewise became immersed in public education and the Aiken community during this time. Leslie, a well-known local artist, served as an art teacher in the Aiken County Public School District, Robert is Content Development Operations Manager at Hawkes Learning in Charleston, and Lara is an award-winning special needs kindergarten teacher in Athens, Georgia.
 
“They understand what it means to commit and be a part of it because they lived their life that way,” Alexander says.
 
Alexander is also responsible for strengthening the academic brand of USCA. Prior to his tenure, no professional program was accredited, but they progressed dramatically under his leadership. In 1994, USCA offered its first master’s degree, in elementary education, with the second, the Master of Science in Applied Clinical Psychology, to follow in 1998. In 1999, USCA was listed in U.S. News & World Report's College Guide as a top three public liberal arts college in the Southeast.
 
“Most of the buildings presently on the USCA campus and the many academic programs currently being offered are the result of Dr. Alexander’s vision and hard work,” says Tim Simmons, member and former chair of the Aiken County Higher Education Commission. “Dr. Alexander was always concerned first and foremost about the welfare of USCA students, and he constantly ensured that their needs were being met.”
 
Other academic milestones include the addition of the Lifelong Learning Center in 1990, with USCA one of the first universities to offer continued education to adult learners. Alexander hired Jeff Priest in 1991 to direct the new Ruth Patrick Science Education Center. The STEM engagement for K-12 students that began with Priest has exploded to a yearly rate of 70,000 to 80,000 students under today’s leadership of Gary Senn. Alexander also recruited Kimberly Wood Woeber to create the Exercise Science program, which has received national attention and led to the 1994 establishment of the Aiken Cardiac Rehabilitation program in conjunction with the Aiken Regional Medical Centers. 
 
In 1997, Livio Valentini, a renowned painter and sculptor from Orvieto, Italy, displayed his first international exhibition at USCA, leading to an international study abroad program that still exists at the university. Livio returned to campus on a number of occasions as a visiting artist in residence and in 1999 was commissioned to create “Galassia,” which currently hangs in the Etherredge Center.
 
Alexander also emphasized the need for small, personalized classes, which continues to be a hallmark of the university today. He believes that personal relationships between faculty and students, with an emphasis on teaching, sets USCA apart from other institutions.  
 
“Quality education is central to the success of USCA,” Alexander says. “I committed that we would have small classes where faculty and students could interact, with emphasis on teaching and not research. Research was valued, but in such a way that faculty and students worked together with students having access and involvement. That is critical to what the university is about.” 
 
The academic excellence and physical expansion resulting from Alexander’s 17 years as chancellor branded the university as a comprehensive higher education institution. Renaming the SAC to The Dr. Robert Alexander Student Activities Center in his honor is a fitting representation of his dedication to students throughout his career.
 
“It is difficult to believe that the sheer volume of accomplishments during one chancellorship will ever be, indeed could ever be, replicated in our current or future times. This honor is most deserving,” Heimmermann says. 
 
In retirement, Alexander continues to use his talents in support of the Aiken community, serving on the Security Federal Bank Board of Directors and the Western SC Economic Development Board of Directors. He also enjoys spending quality time with his beloved children and five grandchildren, taking the entire crew on a trip to Disney World and purchasing a vacation home on James Island minutes from his son’s home. The family will be alongside him September 5 as the SAC is named in his honor. The renaming of this facility—the hub of students, faculty and staff—is his “greatest gift.”
 
“It’s the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me in my career,” Alexander says. “I have loved what I have done, both in Columbia working with a man I admired so much, and then during my 17 years in Aiken. This means more to me than anything you could do, and I can’t thank Dr. Heimmermann enough. It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever had in any form.”

The dedication for Dr. Robert Alexander will take place on Friday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. Individuals interested in attending the event should RSVP no later than Aug. 28 by clicking the link here.

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.