On Monday, March 20, the Society for the Advancement of Management at Presbyterian College hosted its senior banquet.

More than 80 guests attended the dinner designed to recognize seniors in the department of economics and business administration. The dinner was addressed by Ted Pitts, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

“You will always have your roots here,” Pitts told the seniors. “The value of a liberal arts education is that it introduces you to a variety of subjects and teaches you the value of lifelong learning.”

Pitts, who is a member of the Presbyterian College board of trustees and a 1994 graduate of the College. He came to the chamber after serving first as deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff for South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley during her first term in office. Prior to that, Pitts served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2003-2010 representing Lexington County. Pitts comes from the business community where he was a successful commercial real estate broker and Partner with the South Carolina firm Wilson Kibler. He also serves as a Major in the South Carolina Army National Guard and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan.

“You should listen more than you talk—find people who can help you, and let them help you,” Pitts added. “Begin with the end in mind, but be willing to embrace change because you don’t learn from mistakes by just making them. You learn by analyzing the mistakes and finding out what to do right.”

In addition to the Pitts’s keynote address, the banquet honored several graduating seniors with scholarships and awards.

Ryne Maness received the Carl J. Arnold Scholarship. The scholarship was established in 1991 upon the retirement of Dr. Carl J. Arnold, who served as the Dana Professor of Economics at the College. The scholarship is given to a rising juniors or seniors who possess an exemplary work ethic and show promise in the field.

The W. Fred Chapman, Jr. Scholarship, established in 2001 to honor Dr. Fred Chapman who was the Robert M. Vance Professor of Economics was presented to Grandison Howard. This scholarship is given to rising juniors or seniors who possess exemplary work ethic and show promise in the field.

The Robert E. and Francis P. Bunnell Scholarship is given annually to a student who shows future promise and aptitude in both business and the humanities. This year it was presented to Thomas Broom.

Jake Sauls, Burke Long, Malik Burton, and Josh Simmons were recipients of the Joseph E. and Geraldine Patrick Scholarships, which are awarded to rising seniors who show great promise in the field of business administration.

The James M. Oeland Scholarship is given annually to a student who shows promise in both the field of accounting and business. The Oeland scholarship is given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Oeland by their children. This year’s recipients are Colin McKinnon, Hannah Davidson, Katie Bishop, and Cortney Storey.

The Ouida Cox Bailey Scholarship is awarded to Business Administration majors who have shown outstanding achievement at Presbyterian College. The award was established by Mrs. Bailey. This year’s recipients are Danielle Nunnery, Anna Cooke, Sela Vaughan, Brook Huggins, Harper Hutson.

The Kenneth N. Baker Scholarship is given annually by the department of business administration to students who have shown outstanding achievement. This year the recipient was Trey Counterman.

Cody Montgomery, Tanner Chock, and Mason Wolfe were recognized as recipients of the P.S. Bailey Scholarship, which is given to students who have shown outstanding achievement.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program provides free income tax preparation assistance to qualifying individuals and families. Six students successfully completed the IRS training and certification and currently volunteer with the local VITA program organized by the United way of Laurens County. Those six students are Monty Patel, Curtis Bey, Daniel Lott, Maggie Braddock, Cooper Martin, and Christopher Miller.

Tylor Hogan was recognized as the only PC entry among nine total in the track for the SEDSI’s undergraduate research paper track. He presented a paper on capitalism in one of the sessions, as well as, a poster and won second place among undergraduate students at the conference.

Porter Slice was the first and only recipient of the department’s Bravo Zulu award, an award which in the Navy and corporate America means “job well done.”

Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society invites the top 20 percent of economics and business majors as measured by their GPA, who have earned at least 60 hours. This year, that designation went to students with a 3.6 GPA or higher and included Matthew Andrews, Katie Bishop, Will Brock, Ellison Brown, Ryan Brown, Ali Cole, Anna Cooke, Aaron Dover, Abby Driscoll, Gabe Glover, Charlie Inclan, Ben Kelly, Daniel Lott, Rebecca McGrath, Christina Miller, Caroline Moss, Monty Patel, Rachel Rice, Hope Rogers, Maura Talvacchia, Halle Tripp, Sela Vaughan, and Kelsey Yeager.

Ryan Brown, Daniel Lott, Matthew Andrews, Aaron Dover, and Charlie Inclan were recognized as students who received honors in business administration or economics for conducting honors research with a departmental faculty member.

The Departmental Leadership award is given to a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership during his or her tenure of the department of economics and business administration. The recipient this year was Daniel Lott.

Aaron Dover received the Wall Street Journal Award, presented to a graduating senior who has shown outstanding academic achievement at the College.

The department of economics and business administration recognized three seniors for its Outstanding Senior Award presented to the senior who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in his or her work in the department based on academic record, initiative and achievement in the department, commitment to excellence, and potential for success. The recipient for economics was Caroline Moss. Daniel Lott received the award for accounting. Matthew Andrews was recognized as the outstanding senior in management.

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.