As Superintendent of a large city school system, Dr. Randy L.
Bridges knows a great deal about opportunity. It is his job to
ensure that every student in Rock Hill, SC has an equal opportunity
to excel and achieve. That is quite a responsibility.
"I'm a big believer in opportunity," Dr. Bridges says. "Louisburg
College offered me an opportunity to continue my education after
high school, and I've never forgotten that. The environment was what
I needed. It was small. You knew everybody and everybody knew you,
not just students but also the professors. Louisburg has the
personal touch for each and every student. The community embraces
Louisburg."
Dr. Bridges, 48, attended Louisburg on a basketball scholarship from
1973-75, coming out of Shelby, NC. He played under former Louisburg College basketball coach Enid Drake. After a strong career both on and off
the court, Dr. Bridges moved on to UNC Pembroke, where he majored in
Health and Physical Education and also played basketball.
He began teaching in 1977 at Scotland High School in Laurinburg, NC
and started a steady rise from teacher to coach to Assistant
Principal to Principal to Assistant Superintendent (in Smithfield,
NC) and finally to Superintendent of the Rock Hill School District
in 2002. Rock Hill is a growing school district with 16,000 students
and a high level of responsibility. The district, which feels a
large spillover effect from crowded schools in neighboring
Charlotte, is building new schools rapidly and dealing with complex
issues of pupil reassignment, "which is always a challenge," he
says. "But we are fortunate to have a community that is very
supportive."
Dr. Bridges credits his experiences at UNC Pembroke and Louisburg
College as absolutely crucial to his current role as a
superintendent. "I have a greater appreciation of different
perspectives on education now," Dr. Bridges says. "It all started
at Louisburg, the foundation for everything I do and everything I
am started at Louisburg. It's a real special place."
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