History
South College has been a part of the fabric of downtown Knoxville since 1882 when Jacob T. Johnson started a branch of Nashville Business College in Knoxville, Tennessee and later renamed it Knoxville Business College. In 1900, KBC occupied part of the public library building on the corner of Gay and Vine where it boasted a commercial department equipped with offices for the actual transaction of business in mercantile and banking lines. In 1910, KBC occupied the Cherokee Building on the corner of Church and Prince across from what is now known as Market Square. In the 1940s, KBC moved to 209 West Church - commonly referred to as the Keyhole Building - where it remained until the 1980s when it moved to North Fifth Avenue. Due to growth and program diversity, the institution changed its name to South College in 2001. In 2005, the institution relocated its main campus to a larger, newly renovated facility located on Hayfield Road. Then in 2006, the Hayfield Road campus was changed to a Learning Site while the institution completed its new main campus facility on Lonas Drive. As the institution continued to grow, in 2011, the institution moved its first Learning Site to a larger facility in Parkside Centre in west Knoxville. In 2015, the South College Board of Trustees approved the merger of South College-Asheville into South College. This Asheville campus officially became a Learning Site for South College in 2016. In 2017, the institution opened a Learning Site in Nashville, Tennessee and in 2018, a Learning Site was opened in Atlanta, Georgia.
Throughout its history, South College has endeavored to meet the demands of the business communities it serves. Under the direction of the current administration, (1989-present), the college has revolutionized its curriculum and facilities. Programs are offered at varying degree levels and in varying formats to include both traditional onground programs and courses, as well as those offered through distance education.
South College is proud of its heritage rooted in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and accepts the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Mission/Purpose
South College is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian academic institution that embraces the traditional higher education mission triad of teaching, scholarly contribution, and service. Consistent with its long history, the institution places primary emphasis on providing quality undergraduate and graduate educational opportunities and associated student support services, for the intellectual, social, and professional development of a diverse student body.
South College offers professional and career-focused curricula designed to cultivate students’ successful learning and the ability to apply knowledge, think critically, and communicate effectively. Through comprehensive academic programs, innovative and contemporary in content and mode of delivery, students are exposed to diverse perspectives and skills essential to independent and life-long learning. Because academic programs are professional and career-focused, South College responds to local, regional, and national employment needs and supports current workforce trends.
In addition to providing quality educational opportunities, South College promotes the advancement of knowledge by supporting and recognizing the scholarly activities of its faculty and students and the use of scholarship in education and service. The South College faculty seeks to advance knowledge by conducting research and publishing research results as appropriate, creating artistic and literary works, presenting at professional and scientific meetings, and participating in professional development activities, as consistent with the role of each faculty member.
As an institution of higher education, South College recognizes its responsibility to society and supports both institutional and individual commitments to service. Therefore, South College encourages its administration, faculty, and staff to invest their knowledge, experience, and expertise in community, professional, and institutional service.
The definition and achievement of this mission guides South College strategic planning and decision making at all levels of the institution. The core values of excellence, responsibility, and integrity serve as the foundation for assessing the quality of institutional, school/departmental, and individual performance in achieving this mission.
South College Campuses
South College’s main campus is conveniently located at 3904 Lonas Drive in Knoxville. The building, completed in March 2006, contains 56,000 square feet of modern lecture classrooms, specialty laboratories equipped with modern equipment, a writing lab, a math lab, a student center, a bookstore, faculty/staff offices and work areas, and the library, which includes a computer laboratory, AV viewing room, study cubicles, and a conference room. Parking is provided for students, faculty, and staff.
Located at 400 Goody’s Lane in west Knoxville is an additional learning site of South College. The college completed initial renovations for this facility in October 2010 with the most recent space addition renovation being completed in 2020. Ample parking is available for students and staff. Included in the over 100,000 square feet available at this location are comfortable classrooms, specialized laboratories with modern equipment, a student center, study areas, faculty/staff offices and work areas, and the library, which includes a computer laboratory, conference rooms, and study cubicles.
Located at 140 Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, North Carolina is an additional learning site of South College. The facility was newly constructed in 2012 and includes 40,000 square feet of modern classrooms, laboratories, a computer lab, a student center, meeting rooms, a resource center, and faculty/staff workspace. Parking is provided for students, faculty, and staff.
Located at 616 Marriott Drive in Nashville, Tennessee is an additional learning site of South College. The college completed initial renovations for this facility in 2017 with the most recent space addition renovation being completed in 2020. Over 78,000 square feet of space includes modern lecture classrooms, specialty laboratories equipped with modern equipment, a student center, a computer laboratory, a functioning dental clinic, faculty/staff offices and work areas, and the resource center/library. Parking is provided for students, faculty, and staff.
Located at 2600 Century Parkway NE in Atlanta, GA is an additional learning site of South College. The institution recently completed renovations on this facility in 2018 and 2019, with additional renovation underway for additional added space. The over 50,000 square feet of space includes modern lecture classrooms, specialty laboratories equipped with up-to-date equipment, a student center, a computer laboratory, faculty/staff offices and work areas, and the resource center/library. Parking is provided for students, faculty, and staff.
Each South College campus is accessible to persons with disabilities. Monitoring via security cameras is conducted.
The South College campus library/resource center facilities provide comfortable study areas for students and faculty. The library website provides efficient access for all students to resources. Librarians develop and enhance current and relevant collections that support the college’s curricula. Collections focus on electronic general reference books, electronic periodicals, multi-media software, online services, and other non-print media. Select collections of print reference are maintained where appropriate. The library’s resources include access to multidisciplinary full-text periodical databases, ebook databases, the WESTLAW legal research database, medical databases, streaming video content, and the Internet.
South College is a smoke-free institution with smoking only allowed in personal vehicles. A bookstore, operated by Barnes and Noble, is located at the main campus in Knoxville and at the learning site in Nashville. Students may purchase books, selected supplies, and clothing. Regular hours of operation are posted. Asheville, Atlanta, and Online students may order books through Barnes and Noble. These are shipped directly to the student or to the designated campus.
Onground classes at South College are normally conducted in the day, afternoon, and evening hours Monday through Saturday. However, class hours on Sunday may be required. The first day classes on campus normally begin between 8:00-8:30 a.m. and evening classes between 5:00-6:00 p.m. (unless otherwise specified by the college/campus).
Clinical/internship/practicum/fieldwork/student teaching hours may begin at alternate times and may vary depending on the location of the experience. Faculty members are available during specified times to assist students. Lab schedules are posted each quarter and will vary from quarter to quarter. Students’ schedules will vary according to their individual program and are subject to change.
Several programs and courses are offered in a distance learning or hybrid format. See the Academic Information section for additional discussion of the learning environment for these endeavors.
Tuition Guaranty Bond
As required by the Rules and Standards for Licensing Non-Public Educational Institutions to Confer Degrees by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina, the college has secured a tuition guaranty bond. The guaranty tuition bond maintained by the college as of the date of this statement is not less than $10,000 and is at least equal to or higher than the maximum amount of pre-paid tuition held; i.e., unearned tuition held, existing at any time during the fiscal year ending September 30. The Tuition Guaranty bond for Knoxville and Asheville may be reviewed by contacting the Chief Financial Officer.
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