Letter from the President

We all wish we didn’t need police officers, but we know this is not a realistic expectation. There are menacing people in this society, and it is reassuring to know that the thin blue line is always there to protect us.

Unless it gets too thin.

Finding well-qualified officers is a national problem. It is also a problem for law enforcement agencies in the Pee Dee. Over the past few years, discussions with local police chiefs and sheriffs helped us understand just how serious that problem has become. Most departments face serious personnel shortages.

In particular, they lack college-educated recruits capable of advancing to command positions.

Good police officers can come from a variety of backgrounds, but there’s solid evidence that officers who hold a four-year degree are more accomplished and committed professionally. An expansive education, rich in the liberal arts, prepares them to think more effectively and provides them with a better perspective and context on their job and its responsibilities. 

We were continually asked by the surrounding areas if FMU could play a more substantial role in educating police officers. 

We could, and we did.

Our departments of sociology and political science went to work and crafted a new baccalaureate degree in criminal justice. Our first class began their studies this fall. Read more about it on page 8.

That’s one example of how FMU responds to the needs of its community. 

In fact, creating sensible degree programs that meet workforce needs has become our calling card during the past couple of decades. 

The list of such programs is extensive and would certainly begin with the many professional healthcare programs that we have established. FMU’s long tradition as the place to educate nurses at the baccalaureate level gave us the perfect platform for jumping into advanced degrees in nursing and allied fields. We have so many programs – 11 at last count – that we formed a new School of Health Sciences several years ago and built or acquired two new buildings in downtown Florence (a third is on the way – see yet another story on page 10).

FMU’s superb physics faculty built an engineering program from scratch less than a decade ago. We already have two strong majors and are eyeing more.

The biology department recently added two new degree programs in environmental sciences and policy. We’ll enroll our first students in our new forestry major in 2026.

There are many others, and more are expected. Next up – a perfect complement to criminal justice, a degree in social work.

Social workers are companions to law enforcement. In the best scenarios, their work prevents problems that might require policing before they happen. When that fails, the social workers are often the first in line to help families and individuals pick up the pieces.

Social workers fill roles in hospitals, in public clinics, and in a variety of community settings. This can be intrinsically rewarding work, as evidenced by the low “quit rate” in the field. But it is never easy work, it has not always been well-compensated, and the need is growing. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a shortfall of 74,000 social workers nationally by the year 2030. That’s more than a tenth of the current social work labor force. 

The need is acute in South Carolina, especially in the rural regions. We’ve talked with numerous providers, and they’ve told us they need help desperately. 

So, we’re stepping into the breach once again.

It is another burden we are willing to shoulder for the community we are obligated – and delighted – to serve.