Palmetto Boys State Moving to Anderson
University
State’s Premier Leadership Event Begins in June at New Upstate
Home
Anderson University and the Palmetto Boys
State organization announced a new partnership that will see the massive
leadership development camp move to the AU campus beginning this June from its
previous home at The University of South Carolina.
First
developed in 1940 by the American Legion of South Carolina, Palmetto Boys State
brings together the top rising seniors from all South Carolina high schools for
a prestigious week of leadership development, governmental education and team
building. One of the founding principles of the week is to identify and develop
men who will one day become leaders in South Carolina. Between 850 and 900
students are expected to attend along with close to 100 staff members all of
whom are Boys State alumni.
The
PBS leadership feels the move to Anderson University provides an opportunity
for a perfect partnership that will benefit both organizations.
“I
am very excited. My staff and our committee are all very excited about the new
relationship with Anderson University,” said PBS Secretary-Treasurer and CEO,
Sinclair Lewis.
“The
hospitality and generosity of The University has amazed me. We needed a place
where they offered the entire campus and Anderson has done that.”
For
Anderson University, the move provides an opportunity to introduce the state’s
top male high school students to one of The South’s most rapidly emerging
private universities.
Dr.
Evans Whitaker, president of Anderson University said of the new partnership,
“To say that we are excited to be the new location for Palmetto Boys State
would be an understatement. We’re
thrilled to have an organization of such esteemed stature choose our campus for
its future activities. The public
looks to many of these young men to be future leaders of our state and nation,
and Anderson University is pleased to play the role of hosting this prestigious
leadership development program. In
choosing Anderson, Director Sinclair Lewis and the other leaders of PBS have
just given the University a great compliment, and for that we are most
grateful.”
The
Palmetto Boys State experience is cited by hundreds of current leaders in South
Carolina and elsewhere as a pivotal turning point their lives. Through a
spirited week of activities and education about how leadership in government
works, students are organized into cities and counties, run for and gain office
and actually draft legislation which is often carried to the leadership in
Columbia.
Participants
are selected by American Legion Posts throughout the state in close cooperation
with local high schools. They are typically natural leaders in their schools
who show promise to be future leaders on a local, state and national level.
Prior to its move to Anderson University, Palmetto Boys State has been held at
The University of South Carolina, The Citadel, and Wofford College during its
history.
Palmetto
Boys State runs from June 13th – June 18th. .
For more information about
Palmetto Boys State, visit www.palmettoboysstate.com.
Anderson University is a comprehensive university affiliated
with the South Carolina Baptist Convention offering bachelors and masters
degrees. Anderson is ranked in the Top Tier (top 21) of colleges and
universities in the South, and one of 68 “Up and
Coming” schools to watch in America,”
by U. S. News & World Report. It is the #1 “Up and Coming” school in The
South according to that publication.
Anderson has also been named one of “Americas 100 Best College Buys,” Located
in The Upstate region of South Carolina near the foothills of the Appalachians,
Anderson University features a rigorous education in a supportive Christian
environment.
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