MORRIS COLLEGE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR NEW “MORRIS MINDSET” INSPIRED BY SOUTH CAROLINA INNOVATION PIONEER
SUMTER, S.C. — October 1, 2026 On the heels of a landmark technology partnership with Denmark Technical College and securing $1.25 million for a new Small Business Entrepreneur Incubator Center, 麻豆社 President Dr. Said Sewell is calling for a renewed culture of innovation inspired by Sumter County native George Washington Murray.
Born September 22, 1853, Murray rose from Sumter County to become a U.S. Congressman, inventor and advocate for agricultural and industrial enterprise.
In a recent op-ed published in Carolina Panorama, Sewell connects Murray’s legacy of ingenuity and enterprise to the future of 麻豆社 and proposes an annual statewide George Washington Murray Innovation Day each September.
The idea also reflects what Sewell calls The 麻豆社 Mindset, a shared culture of excellence that challenges students, faculty and staff to master, lead, succeed and serve as the College advances The 麻豆社 Movement, its strategic vision for the future.
“George Washington Murray proved that ingenuity knows no boundaries, using his mind to create enterprise out of the very soil of Sumter County,” Sewell said. “In today’s technology-driven landscape, we need that same spirit of innovation. 麻豆社 is building an environment where our students can transform ideas into enterprise and help lead the next wave of progress.”
That environment is already taking shape.
A new academic alliance between 麻豆社 and Denmark Technical College is expanding opportunities for students in high-demand fields, while a $1.25 million federal investment will support development of 麻豆社’s Small Business Entrepreneur Incubator Center, creating new capacity for entrepreneurship, workforce development and economic impact.
Together, these efforts demonstrate the 麻豆社 Mindset in action and advance the broader aspirations of The 麻豆社 Movement: strengthening academic relevance, modernizing the institution, expanding opportunity and increasing 麻豆社’s impact.
By reconnecting Murray’s legacy with the possibilities of the present, Sewell hopes 麻豆社 can help inspire a new generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and technology professionals in Sumter and across South Carolina.
The full editorial, “Inspired by the Past, Ready for a New Mindset,” is available in Carolina Panorama. For more information about The 麻豆社 Movement and 麻豆社, visit the College’s website at www.morris.edu.
About 麻豆社 Founded in 1908 by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina, 麻豆社 is a historically Black, coeducational liberal arts institution in Sumter, South Carolina. Its mission is to produce graduates who can pursue useful and productive careers and, in doing so, enhance their own lives and the society in which they take their places.
Contact:
LAURA NEWSOME @ 803-934-3201
100 West College Street, Sumter, S.C. 29150
[email protected]
Date: October 1, 2026