1999

• The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities – a public, residential high school for the arts – opens its doors on September 5th to an inaugural class of 126 students.

2000

• The public was invited to tour the new campus at an opening ceremony on April 1.

2001

• The first commencement ceremony is held for 118 students in the inaugural Class of 2001.

2002

• The Governor’s School receives accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS).

2003

• Virginia Uldrick retires, and Dr. Donald W. Beckie becomes president of the Governor’s School.

• With the residential high school now serving 11th and 12th grade students, the five-week summer program comes to an end to be replaced by summer programs that would reach more students in younger age groups.

• The summer Academy Program, previously housed at Converse College, moves to campus.

• Drama student Nicole Beharie is the first Governor’s School student to be accepted into The Juilliard School.

2004

• The two-week summer Discovery Program begins for rising 9th grade students on the Governor’s School’s campus.

2007

• Dr. Donald Beckie retires, and Dr. Bruce R. Halverson becomes the third president of the Governor’s School.

• The Governor’s School is designated as an Arts in Basic Curriculum site. The ABC Project is cooperatively directed by the South Carolina Arts Commission, the South Carolina Department of Education and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University and is designed to promote quality, comprehensive arts education in South Carolina.

2008

• Creative Writing student Mary Murphy is the first Governor’s School student to be selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts—an honor bestowed only on 20 graduating seniors in the nation.

2010

• Residence hall renovations add new living quarters for full-time residential life coordinators and additional study rooms and lounge areas for students.

• Cellist Caleb Jones (Music, 2003) receives the 2010 Alumni Achievement Award.

2011

• The residential high school program reaches 1000 graduates with the Class of 2011.

• Photographer James Frank Tribble (Visual Arts, 2002) receives the 2011 Alumni Achievement Award.

2012

• Jazz guitarist Kelley Anderson (Music, 2001) receives the 2012 Alumni Achievement Award.

2013

• Anson Zwingelberg is the first Dance student to be accepted into The Juilliard School Dance Division. Admission is offered to only 12 women and 12 men per year. 

• Drama alumna (2002) Patina Miller receives a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Leading Player in Broadway’s Pippin.

• The Governor’s School is designated as an “Exemplary School” by the Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools, for its continued commitment and contributions to promoting excellence in arts education.

• Violist Zach Dellinger (Music, 2003) receives the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award.

2014

• The Visual Arts Department adds animation to its program offerings, which includes two newly renovated studio spaces dedicated to animation development.

• Creative Writing Department senior Cameron Messinides is appointed to the 2014 class of the National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for teen poets presenting original work.

• Actress Patina Miller (Drama, 2014) receives the 2014 Alumni Achievement Award.

• The Governor’s School’s campus’ newest addition, the Visitor’s Center, opens in December.

2015

• Actress Nicole Beharie (Drama, 2003) and violinist Maggie Gould (Music, 2008) receive the 2015 Presidential Alumni Award.

• Dr. Bruce Halverson retires, and Dr. Cedric Adderley becomes the Governor’s School’s fourth president.

2016

• Drama alumna (2007) Danielle Brooks receives a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her performance as Sofia in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple. Brooks also receives a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple. 

• Rachel Inman (Creative Writing, 2007) and Uchechi Kalu (Creative Writing, 2016) both receive the 2016 Presidential Alumni Award.

2017

• Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg visits campus on his Year of Travel Tour and spoke with 15 students for nearly two hours during a round table discussion.

• Dancer Barry Brannum (Dance, 2009) receives the 2017 Presidential Alumni Award.

• The Governor’s School’s Office of Outreach launches the Lowcountry Youth Dance Academy in the fall of 2017 at the Impact Creative Arts Academy in Summerville. LYDA offers free pre-professional ballet training to 5th-10th-grade students in the Lowcountry region.

2018

• The Governor’s School begins the Presidential Guest Artists Series with Pulitzer Prize recipient and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove and critically-acclaimed, avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson.

• Temnete Sebhatu (Creative Writing, 2007) receives the 2018 Presidential Alumni Award.

• Creative Writing student Aidan Forster is named U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

• The school held the groundbreaking for the new 10,000 square foot music building in May.

2019

• Amber Magnuson becomes ninth Creative Writing student to be named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

• Actor Brandon Micheal Hall (Drama, 2011) receives the 2019 Presidential Alumni Award.

• The Dance Department hosted the first annual Grand Jeté Student Ballet Competition.

• The sculpture entryway gates, designed and fabricated by founding Visual Arts faculty Joseph Thompson, were installed, depicting the campus view from Falls Park and the famous root tree.

• SCGSAH celebrates its 20th anniversary during the 2019-2020 school year, which is disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020

• The one-week Arts Odyssey program replaces the Discovery program. The program is held in two, one-week sessions, allowing the school to increase the number of students who could participate.

• In March 15, the Governor’s School announced that it was closing the residential high school due to the COVID-19 pandemic and students.

• The Class of 2020 graduation was celebrated on May 22 in homes across SC with a special virtual presentation on Livestream.com.

• Summer programs and the Fall 2020 semester were held entirely remotely.

• The new Music building opens in the fall for Music residencies.

2022

• A new two-week Dance program called Dance Immersion is launched for rising 7th and 8th grade students.

• Drama Department presents its first, fully produced, full-length musical, "Into the Woods," by Stephen Sondheim, in the spring of 2022.

• Creative Writing and Drama departments collaborate to develop fully-produced short films featuring work written by senior screenwriters and performed by senior actors.

2023

• SCGSAH hosts its first Film summer program for rising 7th and 8th grade students. The two-week program had such a high demand that a second session was added.

• To increase campus security, the school added a gatehouse at the entrance of the campus parking lot.

2024

• The residential high school Film program is launched as the school’s sixth art department with