The Continuum’s instructional programs exceeding all expectations for Spring 2022

Dual credit course enrollments are booming at Lake City’s Continuum this semester. 

Nearly 500 students from Pee Dee area high schools have enrolled in one or more of the 21 dual credit courses this spring, according to Francis Marion’s Director of Dual Enrollment Anna Todd. This is the largest number of students to participate since the program’s inception in fall of 2019.

“These high participation rates are a direct reflection of the quality educational experience students get in the program,” Todd said. “Dual enrollment exposes students to courses that are typically not offered in high school. It gives them the opportunity to have more challenging courses and gain college and high school credit at the same time. Having this take place somewhere like The Continuum makes it an experience students cannot get anywhere else.”

The Continuum is a $25 million enterprise borne of a partnership among The Darla Moore Foundation, Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College.The facility is equipped with seven high-tech classrooms, three computer labs, three distance learning classrooms, large prep rooms for biology and chemistry labs, four workforce development classrooms, health science spaces, and a large lecture hall that can also accommodate special events. No other region in South Carolina has an educational partnership quite like this, offering such a comprehensive array of curricular opportunities and career training choices. Thirteen high schools across the Pee Dee region are currently participating in these programs.

“Francis Marion University is proud of our strong partnership with the Darla Moore Foundation and Florence-Darlington Technical College,” said Dr. Fred Carter, president of FMU. “The educational opportunities for the students who study there are both unique and distinctive. So are the college and career choices open to them.”

Florence-Darlington Technical College President Dr. Jermaine Ford says the dual enrollment program will continue to boost educational opportunities for students in the Pee Dee region. 

“Florence-Darlington Technical College is honored to work with Darla Moore and the Darla Moore Foundation at The Continuum in Lake City,” Ford said. “The Continuum has been wonderful for dual enrollment in the Pee Dee region, and it has played an integral role in FDTC’s mission. FDTC and FMU will continue to work together to educate the region and support workforce and economic development. We are excited for what the future holds.”

The Continuum was conceived as a hub for regional education and workforce development, focusing on advancing academic knowledge and the development of critically needed workplace specializations. 

The curriculum is taught by faculty from FMU and FDTC. This includes courses that lead to two-year and four-year university degrees, dual enrollment instruction for high school students, workforce development certificate programs, and programs for K-12 students in science and innovation. The Continuum also contains a business incubator managed by FMU’s Kelley Center for Economic Development. No other region in South Carolina has this type of collaboration among a philanthropic foundation, comprehensive university and a technical college.

For more information on the dual enrollment programs offered at Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Technical College, visit www.fmarion.edu/dualenrollment/ and https://www.fdtc.edu/admissions/high-school/dual-enrollment.