A new group is forming now for the January 2012 Program conducted by Clemson University’s Beaufort Extension office. Space is limited to 35 participants.
The one day per week, 13 week, Senior Leadership Program includes presentations about Beaufort County and local government with presentations by County Council members, Mayors of Beaufort County’s incorporated municipalities, economic development with business leaders, county school and local university education personnel,  arts,  human services and health.
Unique to the program are special “insider” tours of various sites relevant to that day’s topic. During Military Day, for example, participants experience the behind the scene, inside workings of both Parris Island and the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Environment Days include a tour of Waddell Mariculture Institute and a boat tour and hands on dredging to view the aquatic life of ACE Basin with an expert guide. Besides presentations by noted historians, History Day will include a tour of special portions of Beaufort’s Historic District, Penn Center and the ruins of a newly named National Historic Register plantation at Dataw Island.
Graduates of previous Senior Leadership Programs overwhelmingly sing the praises of participation. Long term residents proclaim, “I wish I had taken it sooner ... there is no other way to really get a handle on the way things work (in Beaufort County).” Newcomers agree, “It was a defining event in my Lowcountry life. It is the only way to really learn what goes on outside the gates of the residential communities. The program helped me understand how rich life can be in our new home.” Adding another, “The best part for me was meeting all the other  people who took the program. I would  never have met such an interesting new group of friends if I had stayed home”.
“When you’ve met face to face and talked one on one with: the mayors, police and public safety officials, military base leadership, and all the other experts, every newspaper article you read means much more and brings new insights.”
If you are interested in joining the new 2012 group starting Jan. 10, please contact Bob Guinn at Clemson Extension: 843-255-6060, ext. 116 or go to the website www.beaufortseniorleadership.com.