Dr. Brian Swords Joins SWU as New Enrollment VP
Dr. Brian Swords was named as the new vice president of enrollment management at Southern Wesleyan University.
Dr. Brian Swords will join Southern Wesleyan University in January 2020 as the new vice president of enrollment management and marketing.
Swords has worked at nearby Tri-County Technical College since 1993 in a variety of roles including: Student Affairs administration, dean of students, corporate and community education administration, and as a faculty member and area coordinator in the Business and Public Services Division. While at Tri-County he directed the college’s intake matriculation process improvements from 2012 – 2014 which improved the overall student experience from the point of prospect through graduation and enhanced student support and retention. He has also spent many years working to improve the student experience for online and distance learning at the college. He spent the last decade helping lead Tri-County’s expansion of satellite campuses in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties and is currently leading the launch of Tri-County’s first Enterprise Campus in Anderson. He currently serves as the executive director of community campuses and training centers.
Swords is no stranger to Southern Wesleyan, having served as the assistant head baseball coach at the university from 2001 - 2013 and also as an affiliate professor, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Computer Science, Business and Education for more than a decade.
Dr. Todd Voss, Southern Wesleyan University president, says of Swords, “His clear alignment with SWU’s mission, his passion for student success, his creative ideas, his credibility in our state and region and his wide experience in a variety of complementary areas will serve this ministry at SWU well.
The campus community at SWU is so thankful to have Dr. Swords join our team. His love for SWU is so clearly evident, his experience so well aligned for this new role and his success undeniable. Having an alumnus come back home to serve is such a blessing.”
As a first-generation college student, Swords earned an associate’s degree from Greenville Technical College, his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Wesleyan University, a master’s degree in technology education and human resource development from Clemson University, and a doctorate degree from Clemson in education leadership with an emphasis in career and technology education. He also completed post-doctoral work at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Swords serves on a number of boards throughout the county and state including: Current board member and past chairman of the Easley Chamber of Commerce, board member Emeritus of Leadership Pickens County, board member for the Leadership South Carolina program and founding board member of Junior Leadership Pickens County – a program that works to develop community awareness and leadership skills for high school juniors. He also helps co-direct a summer residential camp for students in foster care who are currently transitioning from high school to college. In addition, he was recently elected to his third term on the Pickens County School Board, where he is currently serving his third stint as board chairman.
In response to his appointment to this new role at Southern Wesleyan, Swords stated, “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be joining the team at Southern Wesleyan. It’s like coming back home! Being affiliated with SWU for so many years, I know first-hand the positive impact they have on the lives of their students. I can’t want to get started!”
Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused learning community devoted to transforming lives by challenging students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ. For details about degree programs, go online to swu.edu.
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