USCB Chancellor Dr. Al M. Panu will deliver the opening address at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Beaufort College Honors Housing Complex at 1109 Boundary Street.

The modern apartment-style complex contains 92 beds in two buildings. It will house the university’s first three cohorts of honors students as well as returning students enrolled in the USCB Department of Visual Art &amp; Design.

“We named the honors program as a tribute to Beaufort College, which was founded here in this city in 1795, and forms a vital part of our heritage,” Dr. Panu said. “This beautiful apartment complex represents a reaffirmation of our commitment to that partnership and to the Beaufort community. The Beaufort College Honors Housing Complex is a new branch grown from a root system that has been deeply planted here since the 18th century. It represents not only a revitalization of our Beaufort Campus, but also a restoration of the incredible importance of this community in both the history and the future of USCB. We proudly return here to launch our first honors programs in Biology, Nursing and Lowcountry Studies.”

USCB’s honors scholars will spend their freshmen and sophomore years learning and living together in cohorts dedicated to their field of study. Best practices have shown that students grouped into residential-learning cohorts experience accelerated campus-life engagement, enhanced academic progress, and a greater likelihood of earning a baccalaureate degree in four years.

The Beaufort College Honors Biology Program will offer opportunities for both experiential learning and undergraduate research in coastal ecology and biomedical studies. After completing their first two years on the Beaufort Campus, the students will transition to the Bluffton Campus to complete the degree requirements.

The Beaufort College Honors Nursing Program will offer students direct acceptance into the USCB Nursing Program. They also will transition to the Bluffton Campus for their junior and senior years.

The Beaufort College Honors Lowcountry Studies Program is the only one of its kind in the nation. The program will provide its students with a broad educational and professional foundation in the study of Lowcountry culture, traditions and institutions. Lowcountry honors students will transition to the Bluffton Campus after their freshman year in Beaufort.

“The need for dedicated teachers and skilled nursing professionals in the Lowcountry is growing ever greater,” Dr. Panu said. “It is our fondest hope that our honors students will remain here after graduation to teach in our classrooms and support the health care needs of those in our region.”