By Sophia Maines, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
May 7--To strengthen Coastal Carolina University's stature and community ties, the university this semester is paying four professors to work off campus.
Their projects include developing sports tourism in Myrtle Beach and researching the confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley.
'Coastal needed to get its name out there and get its profile up,' said Susan Libes, a marine science professor taking part in the initiative. 'It needs to be viewed as a focal point of the community.' Provost Pete Barr launched the program that officials call the program that officials call a public engagement initiative.
Barr, who was chief of planning and human resources at Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. from 2000 to 2002, said his own experiences outside of academia showed him the benefits of such projects.
He believes CCU's public service role is as important as teaching and research.
'Most universities just play lip service to public service,' he said.
CCU has about $1.4 million in grant money available for research, compared with Clemson University, which has secured more than $100 million in competitive grants for research.
'We're not the research giant[s] of the University of South Carolina and Clemson,' said Alan Case, an associate professor of recreation involved in the project. 'Where we can excel is reaching out into the community instead of doing research that goes into a journal and may not get read by anybody.' Libes, Case, management professor Taylor Damonte and marine science professor Scott Harris are the first professors to take part.
Libes, who has spent the semester helping to launch the Waccamaw riverkeeper program, has been appointed as the scientific expert to several advisory boards.
Libes said the Grand Strand community needs people with scientific expertise to speak up about environmental issues.
'[Barr] is really positioning us to be a major player in the community,' Libes said.
Case has been working with Myrtle Beach officials on developing sports tourism. The project includes a report on the economic impact of sports tour ism and an application to Sports Illustrated to have Myrtle Beach chosen as one of the top sports towns in an upcoming issue.
Damonte is developing a database to track performance of tourism-related businesses.
'In today's economic times, as a business community, we can't afford to make any mis takes,' said Martha Hunn, director, Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association. 'With these kinds of tools, you have the potential to see business make better decisions.' Harris has spent the semester in Charleston helping unravel the mystery of the Hunley's demise.
Harris works alongside experts from Clemson University, Texas A&M University and the Smithsonian Institute.
'It's reinforcing my philosophies about integrated science,' he said.
To see more of The Sun News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.MyrtleBeachOnline.com
(c) 2003, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
