Timken Foundation donates $56,105 for SCC Tyger River Campus

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The Timken Foundation awarded the Spartanburg Community College Foundation $56,105 to increase access to high-quality educational equipment in health care, welding and massage therapy at the SCC Tyger River Campus in Duncan.

Funds from the Timken Foundation grant will purchase cutting-edge equipment and upgrade lighting in classrooms at the Duncan campus, allowing students to learn on industry-specific equipment, according to a news release.

“The SCC Foundation is proud to partner with the Timken Foundation to strengthen the Upstate workforce,” Bea Walters Smith, executive director of SCC Foundation and Advancement, said in the release.

The college will purchase simulation equipment for new courses taught by SCC’s Corporate and Career Education Division in health care education, including certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, patient care technician and phlebotomy. This new equipment will provide students with real-world educational experiences to better prepare them for future careers in health care, the release said.

The Timken grant also allows the school to establish its first welding certification program at the Tyger River Campus by funding a new welding lab that includes cutting-edge welding machinery for 10 welding booths. These new booths provide students first-hand welding experience throughout their SCC educational journey, so they are skill-ready on day one of a new job, the release said.

Finally, students pursuing an SCC massage therapy certificate or associate degree in applied science at the Tyger River Campus can learn and practice a greater variety of professional massage techniques using two new massage tables.

Rhonda Johns, SCC’s dean of the Corporate and Career Education Division, said she is thrilled to have such strong local support.

“SCC is so thankful for the generous gift from the Timken Foundation that will enhance our Tyger River Campus, she said in the release. “Timken’s grant will allow us to establish the beginner’s welding certificate at the Tyger River Campus. Additionally, program enhancements in massage therapy and health care will strengthen our graduates’ workforce readiness. The LED lighting upgrade will help our students to perceive small, sophisticated health care techniques and minute machinery parts.”