Transportation key to SC future, Clyburn says at summit

The inaugural One DOT University Transportation Summit hosted Wednesday and Thursday by South Carolina State University allowed students from South Carolina’s eight historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to network with federal and state transportation agencies about careers.

 “One thing I’m trying to get accomplished today is to get my face across and try to communicate with more people because one thing I struggle with is communication,” said Treylen Robinson, an SC State senior agribusiness major. “I want to communicate with more people and find out exactly what it is I want to do.”

The event was organized by SC State’s Institute for Business, Environment, Communication and Transportation (BECT) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The summit featured 10 federal and state agencies that have transportation functions.

U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn, who represents seven of the state’s eight HBCUs in Congress, delivered the summit’s keynote address. He described how a relationship he built paid off in his appointment to what is now the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee after he was elected to Congress in 1993.

South Carolina’s economy at the time was driven by textiles and tobacco, he said. But he knew that tourism and transportation would be the state’s future economic drivers and should be his focus in Congress.

“Tourism is South Carolina’s No. 1 industry,” he said. “But I want to say to you that tourism cannot exist in a productive way unless we cure our transportation problems. So, transportation going forward is going to be key.”

Much as he did when he entered Congress, he encouraged the HBCU students to use the relationships they made at the summit to their advantage.

“None of us can get anywhere alone,” Clyburn said. “No matter who you are, no matter how smart you may be, I don’t care how much money you may have — in order to be successful, start building your relationships now.”

SC State President Alexander Conyers said it was a privilege for SC State to host such an important event to foster government service opportunities available to South Carolina’s HBCU students.

“Today has been a great opportunity to expose students from all of the HBCUs in South Carolina to transportation career opportunities in the federal government,” Conyers said.

“Many times, we think of serving our country through the military services, but we know not every student has that interest.

“So, this sets up an opportunity for them to serve in another way,” Conyers said.

And while the summit offered networking opportunities for students in fields related to science, math, engineering and technology, Conyers said the agencies also need graduates in law enforcement, finance, the social sciences and other disciplines.

“This is not just a STEM summit,” he said. “They’re looking for people with degrees across the spectrum.

“One of the presenters spoke specifically about psychology and needing folks who can help in the way that young people think as we try to implement new technology,” he said.

Pointing to the presence of the FAA, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the South Carolina Highway Patrol and other safety-oriented agencies at the summit, Conyers said the event also offered students to enter careers that rely on emerging technology to save lives.

“Every one of our students probably has been impacted by the loss of a loved one in some type of traffic accident, so this is an opportunity to work in that field to improve safety,” he said.

The summit arrived amid SC State’s preparations to build the James E. Clyburn Transportation Center, a campus facility funded at the federal and state levels to foster transportation research and development.

“The timing is really critical with the Clyburn Transportation Center. We hope to break ground on that soon,” Conyers said. “Transportation is a crucial part of the infrastructure in South Carolina, and we know that for us to grow as a state we must have safe bridges, roads, and waterways and safer air travel.”

 The SC State president noted that SC State offers a master of science in transportation that students who attended the summit might want to enroll in if they embark on careers in the field. He also pointed to SC State’s $1.3 million grant from the Motor Carrier Safety Administration to develop alert technology to prevent crashes involving commercial vehicles.

“This transportation center will allow us to conduct even more research and have more opportunities with these federal agencies that are here this week,” Conyers said. “This opportunity with these agencies and the Clyburn Transportation Center will go a long way in helping us achieve our goal of becoming an R2 research institution.”

SC State’s Institute for Business, Environment, Communication and Transportation (BECT) is led by Dr. Barbara Adams, executive director. The institute is part of the South Carolina Institutes of Innovation & Information (SCIII), a collaborative program involving seven HBCUs in South Carolina.

For more information about BECT, contact Adams at 803-516-4864 or badams@scsu.edu.