Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Dr. April Cone (right) with her husband Jason, daughter Logan, and son Austin.
A Barnwell native recently completed her first month as new dean of the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie.
Dr. April Cone began her duties as the new dean of USC Salkehatchie on July 1 after serving the past 12 years as USC Salk’s nursing academic program manager and a clinical assistant professor. She also managed the campuses’ nursing program partnerships with the UofSC Columbia College of Nursing and the USC Beaufort Department of Nursing.
“I look forward to expanding my reach and impact in our community to more than just healthcare. I also look forward to contributing to the mission in a more comprehensive manner,” said Cone. “I want to provide visionary leadership and support to our staff as we meet our mission.”
That mission involves providing a pipeline of individuals who contribute as productive members of society. This is done by providing those individuals a quality and personalized UofSC education at an affordable price.
“We provide people in the local community opportunities to completely change the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their family,” she said.
Although she didn’t start her journey at Salk, her journey was very similar to that of many USC Salk students. She earned her associate degree and then worked for eight years before going back to school to earn her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. The last three were earned while working full time and being a wife and mother.
“I see my path aligning with many of the students we serve. I understand the hardships our students sometimes go through while working to get where they want to be in life,” said Cone, who sees how every step of her journey helped advance her career.
Her own journey shows that it’s never too late to achieve your goals. USC Salk serves students ranging in age from 16 to 60-plus.
As a native of Barnwell who now lives in Allendale County, Cone has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the rural communities served by the college.
“Barnwell gave me a great foundation. It’s really important to have a foundational understanding of the people we serve. Living my whole life in the region, I feel I have a good background of people, partners, and organizations,” said Cone, who graduated from Barnwell High School.
Though she never imagined she would one day become dean of USC Salk, Cone said she is humbled by the opportunity. The timing is right for Cone and her family as she prepares to send her own two children off to college this fall.
“I feel led to lead,” she said. “I love serving our students and the community so we can make a difference in their lives.”
She is ready to do her part to grow USC Salk so they can reach even more people. Some of her goals include growing enrollment, expanding partnerships, expanding partnerships with other USC campuses, increasing opportunities for high school students, and anything else needed to help students be successful.
“It’s important for us as a campus to make sure we are responsive to the needs of our students and community. Relationships and partnerships are critical. We want to see the needs and how we can help,” Cone said.
While she understands that a small college is not for everyone, Cone wants the community to know that you can get a quality education without going very far.
“We have a great team in place that is focused on providing great opportunities. I see USC Salk as one of the top choices for our high school students. You can do big things here. Start here and go anywhere,” she said.
USC Salk is a two-year campus, but it offers more than 20 opportunities for students to receive a four-year degree without going elsewhere. This is made possible through partnerships with UofSC’s online Palmetto College and sister campuses. USC Beaufort offers a partnership for the nursing program while USC Aiken is the partner for education.
There’s also a new industrial process engineering program where students attend USC Salk for two years and then two years at USC Aiken.
The nursing program is very close to Cone’s heart because that’s where she devoted the past 12 years of her career. The registered nurse helped grow the program to include a high-tech clinical simulation lab that gives future nurses the chance to learn communication, nursing skills, and critical thinking skills before touching a real patient.
Cone said it is satisfying when Salkehatchie graduates come back home to serve their hometowns.
“Part of who we are is that we grow our own,” she said
She and her husband Jason have been together for over 22 years. Jason is agency manager of Farm Bureau for Barnwell, Aiken and Bamberg counties, but previously worked as a state trooper in Hampton and Allendale counties. Their 18-year-old twins Logan and Austin graduated this year from Patrick Henry Academy. Logan plans to attend USC Columbia to major in public health and wants to work in healthcare administration. Austin plans to go to Erskine College on a football scholarship to major in business.
Cone is the daughter of Janet Ginn of Barnwell and the late Steve Rushing of Estill.
