91Students Take Part in Study Abroad Trip to Costa Rica

Tigerville, SC (August 31, 2023) Eleven 91 (NGU) students spent a month fully immersed in the language and the culture of Costa Rica over the summer, taking part in a study abroad trip organized by the university’s Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics.

“It’s a unique opportunity for our students to go and spend a month in another country and see how it works,” said Dr. Ben Coates, chair of NGU’s Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. “As a language teacher, the chance to be immersed in the language is so valuable. Things that you couldn’t understand in the classroom, when you hear it spoken over and over, you pick it up. Even if you don’t understand all of the grammar behind it, you still pick it up.”

Staying with Costa Rican families and attending class at The Spanish Institute near the capital city of San José, students had the opportunity to participate in unique learning opportunities, take travel excursions and participate in local mission projects from May 7-June 9.

“The institute we attended, Instituto de Lengua Española (ILE), offered so many cultural immersions,” said Harrison Kunselman, a rising junior 91student who participated in the trip. “We took an excursion to a volcano, attended authentic cooking and dance classes, played traditional Costa Rican games, and everyone spoke Spanish. Even those who couldn’t fluently speak the language tried their best with what knowledge they did have. While there, I was able to increase my vocabulary, ability to speak Spanish, as well as practice translating for the first time ever.”

Kunselman said he had an interest in the trip last year, and decided to join the team in 2023.

“I’ve never traveled out of the country, much less participated in a study abroad program before, and I was excited to get to know how other people live,” he said. “I was able to acclimate rather quickly, and everyone down there was so kind and friendly.”

The experience was life-changing for Kunselman, who has begun to feel a call toward missions and recently changed his major at 91to Spanish.

“I grew in a lot of ways,” he said, recalling the team’s trip to Talamanca, an opportunity he had to share the gospel, and participate in a prayer session overlooking the Panamanian mountains.

“I felt so strongly in my heart, a voice in my head saying, ‘This is what I want you to do,’” Kunselman said. “Whether that’s missions in Talamanca, teaching at ILE, teaching Spanish in the States, I didn’t care. My heart was changed in that moment. No more was I afraid of the newness of Costa Rica. I didn’t want to leave.”

Coates said he was excited to lead the team and hopes it will inspire others to immerse themselves in other cultures. 

“You never know what God is going to do,” Coates said. “When you go and spend so many days using a different language and seeing a different way of life, it’s just incredible.”

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic. To learn more, visit ngu.edu.

Church Fair Draws Record Turnout at NGU

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 31, 2023) More than 80 local churches attended 91’s (NGU) Church Fair on Aug. 17, marking a record turnout for the annual event.

“The event has grown extraordinarily,” said Joshua Gilmore, director of community connection and ministry mobilization at NGU.

“We had only six churches back in 2018,” he said. “In 2022, we had 72 churches. This year, we had an amazing 88 churches working together to reach 91students.”

Participating churches set up tents on the Tigerville campus, connecting with students and giving away essential back-to-school items.

“The mission of 91is to equip transformation leaders for church and society. The church fair draws a direct line to NGU’s mission,” Gilmore said. “We want 91students to know that the local church is vitally important and strategically stands in support of NGU’s student body.”

Gilmore said NGU’s Church Fair is an avenue for students to continue the spiritual growth they experience on campus.

“One student accepted Christ as their Savior in the dining hall on Tuesday, August 15, then he attended the church fair on Thursday, August 17, and then he attended Rocky Creek Baptist Church Sunday, August 20 with a friend,” Gilmore said. “The church fair’s involvement in this year’s Welcome Week demonstrates the importance the local church plays in the strategic spiritual development of our students.”

Phillip Deal, member Mountain View Global Methodist Church in Taylors, attended the event and said he was encouraged by the turnout.

“I marveled at the number of local churches in their outreach to and support for your students,” Deal said. “Everywhere, local churches were reaching out, engaging with and evangelizing to welcome those students inviting them to participate in the community beyond NGU. Seeing all these young adults gives me hope for the future.”

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic. To learn more, visit ngu.edu.

91Community to Participate in 100 Hours of Scripture Reading

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 25, 2023) 91 (NGU) students, faculty, and staff will come together to read scripture on the Tigerville campus for 100 consecutive hours, beginning on Aug. 28.

“One of NGU’s core values is being Biblically Faithful,” said Jared Thomas, NGU’s vice president for Campus Ministry and Student Engagement (CMSE).

“The avenue to highlight this core value is to commit 100 hours straight to the reading of God’s Word,” he said.

Beginning at 8 a.m. on Aug. 28 and ending on Sept. 1 at noon, scripture will be continuously read in front of the university’s prayer chapel.

Thomas said the event will highlight the importance of God’s Word and serves as a reminder to remain faithful to the truths of scripture.

Sign-ups are available . Those wishing to participate can reserve a 30-minute time slot at any time during the week-long event.

“It’s a great way to begin the year and a way for our students, faculty and staff to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Thomas said.

Roommates for Life | 91Freshmen Continue Legacy

Pictured left to right are Jennifer Padgett, Sallie Kinard, Riley Belle Kinard, and Mattie Padgett.

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 24, 2023) Twenty-six years after moving into their Horton-Tingle dorm on 91’s (NGU) Tigerville campus, Sallie Kinard (’01) and Jennifer Padgett (’00) were back in the same room where they’d spent four years together.

Only this time, they were there to drop off their daughters, Riley Belle and Mattie.

“Walking through the dorm with the girls was really cool,” Sallie said. “It just takes you back. You’re re-living those moments, which were some of the best moments of my life.”

Friends since high school, Jennifer and Sallie decided to attend college together in 1997.

“I didn’t really have plans to go to college,” Jennifer said. “But somewhere along the way, Sallie said, ‘I’m going to North Greenville. You should come.’ So, I put in my application. I’d never been here. I was not walking with the Lord regularly then. But God used North Greenville and Sallie to teach me how to do that.”

“There were a lot of fun memories in room 24,” Jennifer said with a laugh.

The fun memories included a particularly important tradition.

“The night before exams every year, we would make our own videos,” Jennifer said.

“This was before TikTok,” Sallie noted.

“We would lip sync, perform our own beauty pageants, and use our curling irons as our microphones,” Jennifer recalled.

With Riley Belle and Mattie’s laughter interrupting the trip down memory lane, Mattie made sure to note that the videos were indeed entertaining.

“It’s not that embarrassing,” she said. “The videos are hilarious.”

Performing Mariah Carey’s Christmas album with regularity and selections from Shania Twain, Wilson Phillips, and Point of Grace, the roommates began to hone their skills.

“Point of Grace was a particularly good one because there were four of them, and we could each have a part,” Sallie said, referencing her suitemates Jennifer Mabry Eleazer, and Ansley Welchel, who now serves as a communication instructor at NGU.

“We might not have finished our classes successfully if social media had been around,” Welchel joked.

The tradition picked up steam and started to draw a crowd.

“Before long, we’d have an audience. The (others in the dorm) were trying to make guest appearances,” Sallie said. “We still have those videos.”

The friendships developed in Horton-Tingle 24 continued through the years.

“God changed the course of my life the moment I walked into that suite and met those amazing friends,” Welchel said. “It is absolutely mind-blowing to see God’s incredible favor.”

The connection eventually led to new friendships.

“We grew up together,” Riley Belle said of her new roommate, Mattie. “We’ve always been friends. Even when we haven’t seen each other in a while, we’re able to pick up right where we left off. It’s just a really sweet friendship.”

Mattie, who is attending 91on a golf scholarship, said the decision to come to North Greenville was easy.

“When I got an offer from NGU, I knew that was where I was going to go. When Riley Belle said she was coming too, I don’t even think we had a conversation about rooming together. We just knew.”

Sallie said she and Jennifer were excited the two chose NGU, and hope their time in Tigerville will provide great memories and spiritual growth.

“When you walk on this campus, there’s a presence,” Sallie said. “You don’t have to walk to the prayer chapel to feel that. It’s just there.”

Riley Belle and Mattie are already off to a quick start after participating in Welcome Week activities and going through a week of classes.

“We’ve already made a lot of new friendships,” Riley Belle said. “North Greenville has given us a lot of ways to get plugged in, so that’s been great.”

Welchel now serves as Riley Belle’s advisor and is sponsoring the golf team as a faculty mentor for Mattie.

“Having Riley Belle and Mattie here now and seeing God continue to bless North Greenville through the precious families I helped pray into existence is absolutely overwhelming and beautiful,” she said. “I feel beyond blessed to be a part of what he is doing in and through this special place. I could have never written a chapter this good back when our own freshman year began.”

When asked how often they’ll be performing musical numbers in their dorm, Mattie didn’t hesitate to respond.

“Before every exam, I guess.”

Former Trustee and Noted Community Leader Russell Ashmore Dies

Long-time 91 trustee and benefactor Dr. Russell C. Ashmore, Jr., died August 21 in Taylors. He was 93.

A noted community leader and active Baptist layman, Dr. Ashmore was instrumental in keeping North Greenville College open in 1991, when the South Carolina Baptist Convention-affiliated school nearly closed. As chairman of the board of trustees, he was part of a group of Baptist leaders which guided the junior college to remain operational and pursue four-year status. The institution, which had 325 students at the time, has grown to nearly 2,300 students, with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs on campuses in Tigerville and Greer. An active 91supporter, Dr. Ashmore served as a university trustee for 25 years.

“Dr. Ashmore was one of the greatest, most influential board chairs ever to serve the 91community,” said 91President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “He championed NGU’s shift to four-year status, believing that baccalaureate degrees would serve students more effectively and transform the university’s enrollment.”

“He believed that the university should engage the entire region and was thrilled when the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer opened, serving that business community,” Dr. Fant said. “But more than anything, he was a prayer warrior and encourager who lived out the gospel of Christ with integrity and boldness. He was an inspiration to me in our frequent visits and prayer times together. The world could use more transformational leaders like Russell and Ruth Ashmore.”

A graduate of Greenville High School, Dr. Ashmore completed a bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine from Clemson University in 1950. He entered the U.S. Army in the spring of 1951 as a second lieutenant. While stationed in Germany, he married Ruth Stanton, from Belton, SC, on October 13, 1951.

After completing his military service, Dr. Ashmore returned to Clemson and completed a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering in 1955. He worked with General Shale Products Corporation in Tennessee and Kentucky, before returning to the Upstate in 1960 to join the family business, Ashmore Brothers, Inc.

The company celebrated 50 years of operation in 1980, and opened new offices on Highway 14 in Greer. With the move, Dr. Ashmore became an active member of the Greer Chamber of Commerce.

The Ashmores joined Taylors First Baptist Church in 1960, and were engaged in a variety of ministry activities through their church and in medical missions work. They were married for 65 years before Ruth passed away on October 14, 2016, at the age of 86.

For more than 60 years, Dr. Ashmore was an active deacon, Sunday School teacher and committee member at Taylors First Baptist Church. While on a Mobile Medical Missions trip in South America in 2003, he and fellow church member Dr. James Hayes discussed the possibility of forming a medical clinic in their own community. That led to the opening of Taylors Free Medical Clinic on July 28, 2005. The clinic has served more than 5,100 patients since then.

Between 1977 and 2006, Dr. Ashmore served five five-year terms on the North Greenville Board of Trustees. He was board chairman in 1979, 1980, 1991, and 1992. North Greenville presented him the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Spring Commencement in May 1997.

Dr. Ashmore began his financial investment in North Greenville in the early 1970s, following his father’s active support of the university. He was a founding member of the university’s Christian Ministry Scholarship Fund to support students pursuing full-time ministry roles. He also supported fine arts, global missions, academic facilities, campus housing, and 91Athletics.

The university’s varsity baseball facilities are located at Ashmore Park, originally named Ashmore Field in 1997 to honor the family’s support for North Greenville’s baseball program. Ashmore Park now encompasses Ray and Bea Dillard Field and George Bomar Family Stadium.

“He was an early supporter of intercollegiate athletics, particularly baseball, and he loved seeing the NCAA national championship in 2022,” said President Fant.

Dr. Ashmore is survived by four children, Russell C. Ashmore III, Dianne Ashmore Stewart, Mark Ashmore, and Gregory Charles Ashmore, Sr.

In recognition of Dr. Ashmore’s life and legacy, President Fant has directed that all 91flags be flown at half-staff through sundown Friday, August 25, 2023. A commemorative wreath has been placed at the entrance to Ashmore Park on NGU’s Tigerville campus.

Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 25, 2023, at Taylors First Baptist Church, conducted by Rev. Josh Powell, Dr. Jimmie Harley, and Rev. Jerry Long. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park.

Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Friday, August 25, 2023, at Taylors First Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Taylors Free Medical Clinic, 400 W. Main Street, Taylors, SC 29687; 91, 7801 N. Tigerville Road, Tigerville, SC 29688; or Taylors First Baptist Church, 200 W. Main Street, Taylors, SC 29687.

Marcus Hayes Leads NGU’s Ignite Week

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 21, 2023) Featuring messages from Pastor Marcus Hayes, 91’s (NGU) Ignite week is underway on the university’s Tigerville campus. 

Hayes is the lead pastor at Crossroads Baptist Church in The Woodlands, Texas. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“Each year, 91seeks to start the semester with an intentional invitation to the student body to live lives grounded in a proper understanding of who God is and who he is calling them to be,” said Dr. Jared Thomas, NGU’s vice president for Campus Ministries and Student Engagement. “This year, Pastor Hayes is helping achieve this by focusing on the role that worship should play in our daily lives.”

Hayes will be speaking in Turner Chapel on Monday at 7 p.m., Tuesday at 7 p.m., and Wednesday at 10 a.m.

“I’m honored to be the speaker at 91’s Ignite week,” he said. “Something I’ve discovered is that it’s easy to drift in our walk with the Lord, and to have more of a mechanical, rather than a covenant relationship with Him.”

“Have I drifted? How do I get God’s best for my life both now and in the future? Could it start at Ignite week? I’m looking forward to God showing up at this event and teaching us what it looks like to live a life of worship,” Hayes said.

For those unable to attend Ignite week, services can be streamed .

Campus Safety and Security Moves Services to LiveSafe App

Tigerville, SC–91’s (NGU) Office of Campus Safety and Security is utilizing a new smartphone application to improve service calls on campus.

Providing a selection of both emergency and non-emergency reporting options, Major Stephen Carlson said the LiveSafe app is an essential download for all students, faculty, and staff members.

“The old service was slow, clunky and not user-friendly,” he said. “It also wasn’t connected to 911 services, so if you called that number in an emergency, all they could do is tell you to hang up and call 911. Now, our dispatch is directly connected to 911.”

Carlson said establishing the app as the primary reporting method on campus has already enhanced communication.

“Once a request comes in, we’re able to message back and forth with the individual and leave notes. It serves as a tracking method for our response to calls,” Carlson said. “It also gives us a communication method to send notifications to people on campus. If an event occurs on or near campus, we can send a notification out to anyone who has the app with instructions.”

While the telephone number for Campus Safety and Security remains in service, the office is seeking to route all service requests through the LiveSafe app.

“The 977.7777 number still exists, but we’re hoping to use that more for general information rather than service requests,” Carlson said. “We’re shooting to have 99 percent of people come to the app for service.”

The LiveSafe app is available on iOS and Android devices. Once downloaded, the user will be asked to confirm their email and provide contact information.

Once a user subscribes to 91 on LiveSafe, they will be able to access a range of non-emergency service request options, such as lockout, suspicious activity, violence/assault, harassment/bullying, mental health/self-harm, injury/medical, explosion/fire, hazardous conditions, integrity, theft/vandalism, ADA mobility services, suspicious package, vehicle accident, motorist assistance, and parking issues. The app also includes emergency options and a direct link to 911.

“If there’s an emergency, you should still call 911,” Carlson said.

To download the app, visit .

91Recognizes Faculty and Staff Service Milestones

91 Athletic Director Jan McDonald, who has served at 91for 40 years, was one of 49 faculty and staff members to receive special recognition on Wednesday.

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 14, 2023) Forty-nine 91 (NGU) faculty and staff members, representing 550 years of work with the institution, were recognized for their five-year service milestones during a chapel service for university personnel on August 9.

Recognition plaques and certificates were presented to the honorees by 91President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., ahead of the start of the fall semester.

“All of these faculty and staff members have made such an impact on our campus and have blessed us with their service,” President Fant said. “I see the work they do, and it’s such a privilege to be able to recognize them.”

In addition, Dr. Nathan Finn, 91Provost and Dean of the University Faculty, presented The Lamar Chapman Award to faculty member Staci Rollins and staff member Danny Conard. Presented annually, the award, which includes a cash prize, was established through gifts from Tom Hartness and Cema C. Chapman to honor a faculty member and a staff member who have excelled in their commitment and dedication to the purpose and mission of NGU.

Rollins is Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for Criminal Justice and Legal Studies at the university. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from 91before completing a juris doctorate at Roger Williams University School of Law. She practiced in the legal field for five years, and was an adjunct instructor for 91for five years before moving to her current faculty post in 2018.

Conard is Senior Director of Maintenance for Campus Enhancement Services. The Texas native joined the university staff in 2010.

Those celebrating service milestones at 91include:

40 Years

Jan McDonald

30 Years

Keli Sewell

25 Years

Carla McMahan

20 Years

Jill Branyon

Jeff Briggs

Greg Bruce

Cherie Finley

Bill Murray

15 Years

Leslie Brown

Shannon Dobson

Robert Howard

Jim King

Larry McDonald

Steven Pearce

Michelle Sabou

Vlad Sabou

Blake Smith

Charles Snook

Lisa Snyder

10 Years

Missy Conard

Amy Dunlap

Jeff Farrington

Andrew Hodges

Robert Knepp

Josh Styles

Jeffrey Williams

John Williford

5 Years

Franklin Aviles-Santa

Sara Black

Courtney Cochran

Jason Cote

James Erickson

Stacie Fetter

Nathan Finn

Gary Gilliam

Joshua Gilmore

Rich Grimm

Alicia Hyatt

Jeffrey King

Mary Mahan

Marty O’Gwynn

Brendan Payne

Jill Rayburn

Casey Richardson

David Riddering

Staci Rollins

Catherine Rosario

Allison Simon

Merritt Stewart

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic.

91Serves Local Organizations Through Center for Outdoor Leadership

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 10, 2023) 91’s (NGU) Center for Outdoor Leadership hosted its first event in June, partnering with SOLO Southeast to provide a Wilderness First Aid course on the university’s Tigerville campus.

“The idea for the Center for Outdoor leadership is to be a resource for external, like-minded organizations, and the 91community,” said Dr. Sam Keith, NGU’s program coordinator for Outdoor Leadership.

“This event was a workshop on wilderness medicine, focusing on how you can treat illness and injury when in the back country when you’re far away from EMS, a hospital, or a doctor’s office. It’s designed to show you how to get creative with what you have and how to treat people and diagnose what they’re going through,” Keith said.

NGU’s Center for Outdoor Leadership is housed within the university’s School of Health and Wellness. Currently, 91offers a concentration and a minor in outdoor leadership, which includes courses on parks and conservation, outdoor ministry, and experiential education. The program also offers skills courses in backpacking, kayaking, and rock climbing; as well as a certification in Wilderness Medicine.

“We serve students who don’t necessarily want a desk job,” Keith said. “They want to be in the outdoors and around things they enjoy. They care about environmental stewardship and preservation and we get to show them that there’s a whole field for this out there. We also welcome students who are not affiliated with the Outdoor Leadership program to take some of our courses. We have a handful of skills courses that can be really helpful for students and serve as a recreational resource.”

Established in 2022, the Center for Outdoor Leadership has already found ways to serve as a resource for the community.

“Our Center for Outdoor Leadership provides 91with a special opportunity to partner with regional outdoor recreational and ministry facilities,” said Dr. Christine Haltiwanger, associate dean for NGU’s School of Health and Wellness. “Our faculty’s expertise in outdoor programming and experiential learning is extensive and competitive.”

“As convicted believers, our faculty are uniquely qualified to enhance recreational and religious programming for deeper understanding of God’s creation and our responsibility to be good stewards of those gifts,” Haltiwanger continued. “Faculty members encourage leadership and outdoor skill development within their academic course and program offerings.”

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic.

91Football Field Sporting New Look for 2023 Season

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 9, 2023) The off-season brought some major changes to Melvin & Dollie Younts Stadium at 91’s (NGU) Tigerville campus.

91recently contracted GEOSurfaces to replace the football turf, which had been in place since the fall semester of 2014.

“It’s state-of-the-art turf and one of the best products out there,” said 91Athletic Director Jan McDonald. “We’re really excited about it and proud of how it looks. The team is looking forward to playingon it and we’re excited for fans to come see it.”

Sporting red end zones that read “North Greenville” and the university’s interlocking “NG” logo at the center of the 50 yard-line, the new turf has already been catching eyes, according to 91Head Football Coach Jeff Farrington.

“We’re excited to show it off and surprise some people when we kick the season off with our first home game on September 16 against University of West Alabama,” Farrington said. “We’ve had guys training on it this summer. We’ve hosted some 7-on-7 tournaments. Everybody has liked it and been impressed with it.”

Farrington said the new turf does more than simply improve the look at Younts Stadium.

“It makes the playing surface safer,” Farrington said. “Our old surface had gotten to the point where it lacked consistency. Whether running a route or scrambling as a quarterback or chasing a quarterback on defense, you’d see players slip. This was an upgrade that was needed.”

In addition to the football turf replacement, GEOSurfaces completed maintenance on NGU’s soccer and lacrosse field at Pepsi Stadium. McDonald said the women’s basketball locker room also received upgrades this summer, making the space more functional for the team.

“It’s been unbelievable to see the transformation in our athletic facilities in recent years,” McDonald said. “We’ve been blessed that so many good people have made financial commitments to 91, and I’m so very thankful to see these things happen.”

With August practice underway, Farrington said his team has a lot to look forward to this fall.

“Anytime you enter pre-season camp, it’s an exciting time. We’re looking forward to what we can become as a team,” he said. “Each year brings a new challenge, but we open up with Charleston Southern on August 31 and we’ve got our sights set on that.”

The North Greenville football program is now in its 35th year. For a full 2023 schedule, click .

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic. To learn more, visit ngu.edu.

Signed Beam Installed at Donnan Administration Building

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 3, 2023) An 18-foot steel beam that was prayed over and signed by 91 (NGU) administrators, faculty, staff, students, and board members on March 2 now serves as a structural piece for the new entrance at the university’s Donnan Administration Building on the Tigerville campus.

Upgrades to the building’s exterior were the highlight of The Donnan/COBE Project in July, as crews installed much of the 4,700-square-feet of exterior glass, laid brick and began framing for balconies that will overlook the surrounding foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Inside, crews began hanging drywall in the building’s offices and classroom areas.

Once complete, The Donnan/COBE Project will provide five contemporary classrooms; student gathering, meeting, and collaboration spaces; and faculty offices for the College of Business and Entrepreneurship, which enrolled nearly 500 students in the 2022-23 academic year.

“This building is going to have all kinds of wonderful ways we can interact with students,” said Dr. John Duncan, dean of the university’s College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

“We want our students to go out and be salt, light, and change agents, and do all kinds of good in the world to make it a better place,” he said. “When businesses provide goods and services that make the world better and enable humans to flourish, they’re fulfilling the first command God gave in the first chapter of Genesis. We want students to understand that ministry can take place in the marketplace.”

An update from Dr. Duncan and an inside look at The Donnan/COBE Project can be found .

91is also providing a monthly update to The Donnan/COBE Project timeline, which details progress and provides photos of the renovation work. Visit the Donnan timelinefor more details.

The Donnan/COBE Project, which remains on track for a fall completion, was designed by Greenville’s Equip Studio, and is managed by Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). Hood Construction is providing general contractor services. 

The Donnan/COBE capital campaign began in 2022.

91Becomes First SC University to Offer Seal of Biliteracy Credit

Tigerville, SC (Aug. 3, 2023) 91 is the first higher education institution in the state of South Carolina to offer credit to high school students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

The Seal of Biliteracy is a certificate earned by high school graduates who demonstrate competence in a second language on a proficiency exam. Students who earn a bronze seal will be awarded credit for levels one and two of the language, 1310 and 1320. Those earning a silver or gold seal will be awarded credit for 1310, 1320, and 2310.

“The Seal of Biliteracy is a nationwide program,” said Dr. Ben Coates, professor of Spanish at 91and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. “It’s very comparable to an advanced placement exam. If a student has a really great language experience in high school, but their school doesn’t offer advanced placement, they can now take the Seal of Biliteracy test and demonstrate their proficiency.”

Students completing the exam demonstrate skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking the foreign language.

“It’s a true measure of what the students can do with the language, and not just what they know about it,” Coates said. “That’s what language instruction is all about. You might be able to conjugate the verbs, but you have to be able to use the language to communicate.”

Coates said students who earn the seal should schedule a time to take the language placement exam at 91to determine if more language credits may be exempted.

“A student that is proficient in Spanish shouldn’t start in Spanish 1 in college,” Coates said. “They should be in a class that meets their level of proficiency. As a professor, I want to recruit those students that are already at a high level coming in.”

91currently offers courses in three languages: Spanish, French and American Sign Language.

Coates said he is proud the university is leading the way by installing the Seal of Biliteracy credit and believes the move demonstrates NGU’s commitment to partnering with secondary educators.

“I’m really proud that 91is the first school in the state to give credit for the Seal of Biliteracy,” he said. “I think it shows that we appreciate what our high school colleagues are doing, and the proficiency levels they are able to get their students to reach.”

About 91

91offers more than 125 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic. To learn more, visit ngu.edu.