Equine alliance signs deal with USC Aiken

By Julia Sellers| South Carolina Bureau

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

AIKEN - Students interested in careers within the equine industry will have new educational opportunities at the University of South Carolina Aiken. View Photo

The Aiken Equine Alliance signed an agreement Monday with the school and will offer scholarships and internships to students in the school of business administration starting next semester.

"Since 2004, we've tried to find a common denominator to work toward with the community. We don't get together and do anything," said Sam Thomas, the president of the alliance. "We concluded that we could bring them together by getting USCA to offer a college level degree."

The alliance is a nonprofit organization that promotes Aiken as a top Southeastern location for horse activities and education, Mr. Thomas said.

Including the industry with business courses is a natural fit, said USC Aiken's chancellor, Dr. Tom Hallman.

"When we began to examine the ways we related to it," he said of the industry, "there was something we could deliver on."

Ralph Byington, the dean of the business administration school, said that it would be a few years before the program offered core courses strictly for the horse industry but that business classes still would serve students who wanted to pursue careers with horses.

Career opportunities within the industry include feed and seed stores and other sales, grounds maintenance, transportation and marketing.

"The courses are dealing with things that are pretty generic," Dr. Byington said. "I do want to see the program grow."

He said that although a handful of students is interested in scholarships, he hopes the program will eventually include at least 20 students.

The school of business administration at present has 585 students enrolled, making it one of the largest majors on the Usc Aiken campus.

Before next semester, the alliance will continue to search for scholarship and internship sponsors. The naming rights for the scholarship are still open.

About 80 percent of the funds will go directly to the scholarship and the remainder toward building an endowment. Scholarship amounts will depend on the number of sponsors.

The nature of businesses wishing to help with internships can vary from a veterinarian to a manure distributor, Mr. Thomas said.

"These are people who would pay a student for their services anyway," Mr. Thomas said. "The sooner we can contact them, the sooner we can start this program."

The internships will earn students class credit, Dr. Byington said. Paid internships also will be offered.

Reach Julia Sellers at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106, or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com.