SC State’s International Resource Center celebrates permanent collection of donated artifacts

The largest collection in the IRC is now the permanent collection.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- South Carolina State University’s International Resource Center (IRC) has added to its permanent collection following a generous donation. 

The center held a luncheon under the theme of “One World: Many Thanks” on Feb. 20 in SC State’s Belcher Hall to show appreciation for its supporters, including donors.  

An unveiling of the center’s latest collection of artifacts was held at the end of the luncheon. Dr. Learie Luke, director of the Office of Global Engagement, said the donation was significant because the largest collection in the IRC is now the permanent collection. 

“Many of the items in the collection are on loan, but this belongs to the university,” Luke said. “We are constantly soliciting donations to be part of a permanent collection.

"Those things cost money, but if you meet someone as generous as Antoinette Noble-Webb, who will give us those things at a much-discounted price, then the dollars donated by Mr. Daniely and others stretch so much further in exciting students about international travel,” Luke said.  “There is a glass set from Turkey. There are pieces from India. So, it’s not just a collection, but a collection from around the world, which fits into our mission and vision for the International Resource Center and the Office of Global Engagement.”  

The Dr. Rosie Allen Noble Collection was donated by Dr. Rosa Ishmal, Hubert Daniely, Cedar Lawrence, Faye Smith and the Greater Augusta Chapter of the SC State University National Alumni Association.

Noble was a prominent academic administrator and biology educator who died September 17, 2024. She was also a prolific collector of artifacts, with China, Republic of the Philippines, Thailand, India, England, Turkey and Africa among the plethora of countries from where her artifacts came. 

Ishmal, president of the Greater Augusta Chapter, said she had gotten to meet Noble, who at the time was working at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Ishmal also got to meet Noble’s daughter, Antoinette Noble-Webb, who instead of selling the artifacts in an estate sale, donated the items to become a part of the IRC’s permanent collection.  

Ishmal said she had an opportunity of a lifetime to see what is happening at Belcher Hall. 

“I was just so amazed for our students here at South Carolina State University to be able to have such a center to go to. I know Dr. Rosie Allen Noble is happy that her artifacts have landed at South Carolina State University,” she said.  

Noble-Webb said she was happy to donate her mother’s artifacts to the IRC.  

“I know that she would be very proud of the donation we made. She’s probably smiling and saying, ‘That’s what I’d want. Share with other people.’ I’m just glad that I had the opportunity to do that,” she said. 

Noble-Webb said her mother loved students. 

“She loved to teach.” Noble-Webb said. “She loved to expose students to different opportunities and for them to think large and outside the box sometimes, too.”  

The IRC opened in September of 2025 as part of South Carolina State University’s Office of Global Engagement, which focuses on enhancing international experiences for students.  

The IRC offers support for short-term cultural immersion programs and longer-term study abroad experiences. The center also promotes cultural exchange and global engagement on campus that helps to foster a sense of community and awareness among international students. 

Dr. Cynthia N’Dede Hourizene, an assistant professor of economics at SC State, and Joseph Onyoecha, an accounting professor at SC State, were among the IRC donors who made remarks at the Feb. 20 luncheon.   

“It’s an honor to support the International Resource Center and its work. Donating these items comes with artifacts, clothes and shoes from my country and a few countries that I have visited,” Hourizene said. 

“It felt like the right way to share the stories and the culture behind those items,” she said.  

Students eager to learn more about International Resource Center, other opportunities 

Alexander Leonard of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is a sophomore political science major with a concentration in pre-law at SC State.  

“The purpose for me coming to this event is to obtain more knowledge on the International Resource Center and the opportunities out there to study abroad,” Leonard said. 

 He said having the opportunity to experience new environments, cultures, foods and languages will help broaden his horizons.  

“I would definitely like to be involved with the International Resource Center. I do have aspirations of being a lawyer who practices international law,” Leonard said.   

Dominique Rolle, assistant director of the Office of Global Engagement, coordinates and leads study-away enrollment and exchange programs.   

She presented a video which highlighted three SC State who are currently studying abroad, including: Tristan Jackson, a freshman nuclear engineering major who is participating in an internship in London; Saniyah Valcin, a sophomore agribusiness major studying agriculture at the University of Ghana; and Mariah Coe Perkins, who is preparing to leave for South Korea for the spring 2026 semester.   

“Study abroad just isn’t about where our students travel. It’s about who they become,” Rolle said.  

“They learn to collaborate across cultures, adapt to unfamiliar spaces and to seek challenges from a global perspective. Most importantly, our students learn to understand their role in a connected world,” she said.   

Mykia Leake is a senior speech pathology major at SC State from Laurens, S.C.  She is a student assistant who works alongside Luke in the Office of Global Engagement.   

“I love it, just getting to see the different artifacts and seeing the pictures of the students out in the different counties. I like seeing the joy on the students’ faces. My interest was sparked in my sophomore year,” Leake said.  

IRC expansion being eyed

The IRC currently occupies a space inside Belcher Hall which IRC coordinator Steven Gethers said warrants expansion.  

“The International Resource Center represents more than an expansion of space. For me, it represents what is possible when vision meets faith and action,” Gethers said. “My vision for the IRC is to continue attracting corporate partners, embassies, international organizations, alumni, and community supporters. Innovators who believe in access, equity and impact because when the vision is clear, provision finds its way.” 

“It’s not a new building. It’s a reimagining of the space we already have. What changes is how the space is activated,” he said. “The physical space is only the beginning. My vision is that the IRC becomes a living, breathing wholly immersive center of global engagement,” Gethers said, complete with soft international music, cultural exhibits and a culinary demonstration station. 

“Then a student moves to the speech and language lab, a Virtual Reality emergent lab. With a headset, they stand in a marketplace in Morocco. They tour a museum in Brazil. They observe a business negotiation in Singapore.  They experience a cultural festival in India,” he said. 

Gethers said not every student will study abroad or go on cultural immersion trips immediately, but every student can experience the world. 

“This is about equity of exposure and showing every student has access to global understanding regardless of their circumstance,” he said.  

To loan or donate artifacts to the IRC, or to make a tax-deductible gift to the Bulldog Global Experiences Fund, contact Luke at lluke@scsu.edu . For more information on the Office of Global Engagement, visit www.scsu.edu/oinsep .