By LaVerne Howell - NGU
From left: NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., NGU Board of Trustees Chair David Charpia, Dr. Betty Jo Craft, and NGU First Lady Lisa Fant.
From left: NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., NGU Board of Trustees Chair David Charpia, Dr. Betty Jo Craft, and NGU First Lady Lisa Fant.

Tigerville, SC – The North Greenville University (NGU) Board of Trustees held their fall meeting on Thursday, Oct. 24. After an operational and financial review of NGU and its academic, business, and strategic initiatives; several items were approved, including:

Contract Extension for President Fant

President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., began his tenure at NGU on June 1, 2017, with a three-year contract expiring May 31, 2020. The Board approved a contract extension for three additional years to May 31, 2023.

“We are extremely pleased with the positive momentum North Greenville University is making under Dr. Fant since his arrival in 2017. The Board has made great strides in modifying its policies and by-laws, and we are pleased with the reorganization and expansion of the university’s leadership team, and academic and staff restructure,” said Board Chair David Charpia.

Chair Charpia added, “We are delighted that Dr. Fant has become engaged and engrained in our community. The Board has confidence in his vision and is fully supportive of his leadership.”

2018-2019 Audit Report

The Board received the final audit report for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.  The report included both a clean opinion from the auditors and news of a $3.2 million positive net income and an increase in net assets. 

2020-2021 Tuition & Fees

Tuition, room, and board for a full-time residential undergraduate student will be $32,500 for 2020-2021, an increase of 3.6%. NGU remains one of the most affordable private universities in the region and continues to be the least expensive Baptist college in South Carolina. 

NGU 2025: Foundation for the Future

A new strategic plan, including overarching priorities that guide and shape the work of the university for the next five years, was approved. NGU 2025 will: reinforce the university’s commitment to its shared mission and core values; evaluate, strengthen, and expand the university’s academic, ministry, and co-curricular programs; strengthen the university’s financial position while developing its physical, technological, and human resources; expand opportunities for the university’s regional, national, and global engagement; and review, enhance, and strengthen the university’s business operations, policies, and procedures.

Selection of Independent Consultant for New Campus Master Plan

Derck & Edson Associates, based in Lititz, PA, has been selected to develop a comprehensive campus master plan for NGU. Derck & Edson has completed more than 75 master plans, which includes universities across the US. The planning process will begin immediately, culminating with a final presentation to the Board of Trustees no later than Fall 2020.

Notified of the Board’s decision, Derck & Edson Partner, Steven Sproles, said, “We are very excited to be selected to work with North Greenville University in helping cast the vision for their long term campus master. We are confident that combining our national experience in campus planning with the results of the recently completed NGU strategic plan will result in both a practical yet visionary plan to guide the development of the campus for many years to come.  We can’t wait to get started in this engaging planning exercise.” 

Election of 2020-2021 Board Officers

The board elected three individuals to serve as its officers in 2020: Travis Agnew (chair), Bill Knupp (vice-chair), and Beverly Hawkins (secretary).

“While I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity given by South Carolina Baptists to serve on the board of North Greenville University, I am sincerely humbled by the responsibility given by our trustees to serve as chairman. As an alum who will forever be impacted by my time in Tigerville, I count it such a rich honor to serve this institution by equipping current and future students to be transformational leaders for church and society,” said chair-elect Agnew. “The desire of this board to elect a Southern Baptist pastor to this position indicates their unwavering priority to strengthening this school’s legacy of being Christ-centered, biblically faithful, academically excellent, and mission-focused. I have never been so excited about the direction of the school, and I am eager to steward this responsibility of continuing this work.”

Following the board meeting on Thursday, a dinner was held in the Edna G. Hartness President’s Dining Room on the Tigerville Campus to honor expiring term Board members. Those Board members are D. Rodney Back from Spartanburg, David J. Charpia from Greenville, Ronald K. Edwards from Greenville, Gary Glenn from Greenville, and Dr. Lucile Sullivan of Greenville.

Also, Chair David Charpia was honored by the Board of Trustees with the Betty Jo Craft Service Award. The award, established in 2019, is voted on by and presented to a board member that has made a long-term, consistent commitment that is extraordinary and has had a visible impact or result directly related to support the mission of NGU. Craft was presented with a replica of the award, as it was named in her honor this year, recognizing her long and faithful service to the university. 

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