General Information

Mission Statement

Columbia College prepares every student personally and professionally for success through liberal arts and professional programs emphasizing service, social justice, and leadership development. 

Vision Statement

Columbia College empowers our students to change the world with Courage for Innovation, Commitment to Social Justice, Confidence through Service, and Competence in Leadership.

Location

Columbia College is located in Columbia, South Carolina, a metropolitan area with a population of 650,000. The 50-acre campus is on the north side of the city, with Highway 21 bordering the College’s west side. Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina, and as such it offers students advantages that many colleges do not. Cultural and historical attractions are plentiful, and the accessibility of both mountains and beaches makes it possible for students to enjoy a pleasant weekend off campus whenever they desire.

Accreditation and Memberships

Columbia College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Columbia College. 

The following provide independent accreditation to individual academic programs:

Council on Social Work Education
National Association of Schools of Dance
State Board of Education under the guidance of the 2022 Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards

Upon request, accreditation documents may be viewed in the Office of the Provost or the J. Drake Edens Library during normal business hours.

In addition to membership in the accrediting associations, Columbia College has membership in the following:

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Association of University Women
Consortium for International Students
North American Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities
South Carolina Independent College & Universities
Southern Association of Colleges for Women
Southern Conference of Church Related Colleges
Southern Regional Honors Council
The University Senate of the United Methodist Church
 

Affiliation and Governance

Columbia College, a private college affiliated with the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, is a not-for-profit corporation chartered under the laws of the State of South Carolina. The purposes of the College are set forth in both the charter and the by-laws that govern the College.

Columbia College is related to the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, which, through its local churches, provides a measure of financial assistance for the programs of the College on a voluntary basis. Income is also derived from endowment, tuition and fees, and gifts from individuals and foundations.

Columbia College is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The Board is solely responsible for the policies governing the operation of the College and for its legal and financial activities. Although the membership of the Board is elected by the South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, the Board holds title to the College and exercises its own independent judgment with respect to its own affairs.

International Student Information

The Office of Multicultural Affairs & Community Resources provides all Columbia College international students with support services, advising on immigration compliance, and programming for students currently studying at Columbia College. By monitoring College compliance with federal immigration laws, we are able to advise international students in resolving academic, financial, and personal difficulties in coordination with campus constituents. 

Alumni Association

The aim of the Columbia College Alumni Association is to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the College and the members of the Association, to promote universal and systematic gifts for College purposes, and to advance the interests of the College. 

Nondiscrimination

Columbia College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability in any of its educational programs, admissions procedures, or employment practices.

Facilities and Services for Students with Disabilities

Columbia College recognizes its responsibility to assist academically qualified students with disabilities in achieving their academic goals. The College makes every effort to ensure that its physical facilities are accessible to students with disabilities.

Columbia College is committed to ensuring access to academic programs and to non-academic programs when possible. Although the College will not lower its academic standards nor alter degree requirements, certain accommodations are available at no cost to students with disabilities, depending on their specific disability. Possible accommodations students may request include the following:

• Extension of the time allowed to earn a degree or substitution of one elective course for another.
• Adaptation of the manner in which specific courses, assignments, tests and examinations are conducted.
• Assistance with registration. Counseling, campus ministry, and career and placement services are also available.
• The College will seek volunteers to assist as note takers, readers, typists and attendants but cannot guarantee provision of personal services at no cost to the students involved.

After admission to Columbia College, students with disabilities may be required to document their disability to receive the special considerations cited above.

Title IX Compliance Statement

The Columbia College Board of Trustees confirmed at a meeting held at the College on October 23, 1975, that the College will continue to take such action and do such things as may be necessary to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 as amended and regulations issued pursuant thereto. The College has designated the Executive Committee of the College Board of Trustees as Compliance Officers to ensure that Columbia College remains an equal opportunity institution in all respects.

Student Complaint Process

At Columbia College, students are encouraged to be effective self-advocates. Complaints about Columbia College policies, procedures, or practices should be discussed with the appropriate faculty or staff member in person prior to a formal written complaint. Concerns about academic issues should be reviewed first with the faculty member involved. If a resolution cannot be reached with the faculty member, students should contact the appropriate Division Dean, then the Provost, in that order. Concerns about administrative issues should be reviewed with the area director then the Vice President for Finance and Operations. Concerns about student life should be reviewed with the area director then the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Concerns about admissions or financial aid issues should be raised with the appropriate director, then the Dean of Enrollment Management.

If the problem cannot be resolved in person (see above), written complaints should be sent to the Provost or the Vice President for Finance and Operations as appropriate. Complaints should contain specific and relevant details, including, dates of incidents, parties involved, locations, and other details that can facilitate review. The resolution of written complaints will be communicated to the complainant in a timely fashion. If the complaint is impossible to address quickly, the Provost or Vice President for Finance and Operations will keep the complainant informed as to the progress of the resolution.

Columbia College Intellectual Property Policy

Background: Columbia College is committed to free and vigorous intellectual exploration and expression. Hence the College is committed to providing an environment that supports the research and teaching activities of its faculty, students and staff. In the course of professional duties, faculty members create intellectual property. As a matter of principle and practice, the College encourages all members of the Columbia College community to publish without restriction their papers, books, and other forms of communication in order to share openly and fully their findings and knowledge with colleagues and the public. The long-standing academic tradition that creators of works own the intellectual property resulting from their research, teaching and writing is the foundation of the College policy.

Policy: It is the general policy of Columbia College that intellectual property shall be the property of the author or creator. Exceptions to this rule will be handled as described in the most recent edication of AAUP Policy Documents and Reports. To resolve emerging issues and disputes concerning the interpretation of this policy and/or negotiation of intellectual property rights, the Provost will convene a panel of faculty and peers to submit recommendations to be considered by the College administration.

Recording of Class Sessions

The instructor may record portions of a class session (in-person or virtual) for educational purposes only. A recording is defined as a video or audio replication or photographic image recorded on devices, including, but not limited to, audio recorders, video recorders, cellular phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, computers, tablets, and other handheld devices that records images and/or sound.

Such a recording may be shared without student permission within the Canvas course shell of the class section in which it has been recorded. The instructor may reproduce a recording for later use, or for use in another Canvas course section if the recording does not contain images or voices of students or all students appearing in image or sound in the recording give written permission to the instructor. Instructor may seek student permission for multiple class periods
during the semester with the understanding that the student has the right to revoke prior permission.

The instructor may not reproduce the recording for later use, if the recording contains images or voices of students and students’ permissions have not been secured. In this case, the recording will be shared only with students enrolled in the course and will be deleted from recording devices, computer hard drives, and cloud services at the end of the term. At the conclusion of the course, a final check will be performed to ensure that all recordings are deleted.

Students may not reproduce, post, or distribute any recordings provided by the instructor or create any recordings of a class session, whether it is held in person or virtually, except according to the terms of an accommodation provided by Columbia College Office of Disabilities.

Instructor failure to comply with the Recording of Class Session policy will be reported to the Office of the Provost. Student failure to comply with the Recording of Class Session policy is a violation of the Honor Code and will be reported to the Judicial Board.

Tuition Guaranty Bond for Prepaid Tuition

A copy of the Tuition Guaranty Bond is kept in the Comptroller’s Office on the Columbia College campus in Columbia, South Carolina. It is available for review by interested parties weekdays between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM.

Student Employment

The Office of Financial Aid helps students participate in the most beneficial work experience possible while at Columbia College.

The following describes two programs coordinated through the Office of Financial Aid:

Federal Work Study (FWS)

Federal Work Study, as its name implies, is a federally subsidized program awarded to students based on financial need. Students are approved to receive Work Study awards as part of their financial aid package.

Workship (WS)

Workship is institutionally funded aid awarded to students based on their skills and the campus student work needs. This program also assists students who do not qualify for FWS funds but express a desire to work on campus.

FWS and WS applications must be submitted via Handshake. For questions regarding student employment, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 803-786-3612 or fa@columbiasc.edu. 

Columbia College Police Department

The Columbia College Police Department (CCPD) works closely with other offices to ensure programs and services are systematically coordinated to promote campus safety. The Department consists of police officers trained through the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and held to the same standards as any other police officer in the state. The Columbia College Police Department is located at 4825 Burke Street.

Regular office hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday or by appointment. After hours and on weekends and holidays, officers patrol the campus and are available by radio through the emergency number. CCPD patrols the campus and answer calls on a 24-hour, 365- days-a-year basis, in vehicles, bicycles, and on foot. Special duty State Constables are employed at various times to assist with major campus events. Direct communication is maintained between CCPD and other law enforcement agencies.

Access to Buildings

Campus classrooms and administrative buildings are opened and closed by CCPD on a regular lock/unlock schedule.  All main campus buildings, except residence halls, have open access during regular business hours.  The two largest classroom buildings, Bush Science Center and Breed Leadership Center, can be accessed after hours with the student identification card. Residence hall access is by student identification card and controlled by CBORD at all times.  Access to individual rooms within the residence hall is by keys, which are issued to residents at check-in by the Office of Residence Life and Housing.  

Off-campus guests may visit the residence halls during visitation hours, and they must be in the presence of the resident they are visiting at all times.  Student desk assistants monitor the entrance and egress of guests from the residence halls and seek assistance from CCPD when needed.

Use of Automobiles

Properly licensed and insured vehicles may be operated on campus only if they are registered with the Columbia College Police Department. All vehicles operating on campus must display a Columbia College decal, which can be obtained from the Columbia College Police Department, located at 4825 Burke Street, during regular office hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) Vehicle use on campus is governed by the regulations provided by the Columbia College Administration and the Police Department. The regulations are distributed, posted and enforced by the Police Department. Columbia College does not assume liability for vehicles operated or parked on the campus.

Parking

Any student may bring an automobile to campus; however, all vehicles must be registered with the Columbia College Police Department and must display a permit in accordance with regulations. Parking decals can be purchased at the Columbia College Police Department. The cost of decals is $25.

Parking is located throughout the campus and is designated for students, staff, visitors, and the handicapped. Fines will be imposed for parking violations.

Certain clearly posted fire lanes must be kept clear at all times, and vehicular traffic in these lanes is prohibited except in emergencies. For additional guidelines, refer to “Automobile Regulations” in the Student Handbook.

Reporting a Crime

If you are a victim of a crime, or witness a crime, please contact our Police Department immediately by calling 803-786-3333. You may also contact our Police Department from one of the Code Blue Call boxes located in parking lots A, D, and E, and between Hudson and Wesley Halls.