Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, officially abbreviated as OCtech, is the campus of the South Carolina Technical College System intended to serve Orangeburg and Calhoun counties. The South Carolina Technical Educational System was established in 1961 in a legislation signed by then governor Ernest F. Hollings in order to educate the citizens of South Carolina in the technical and vocational fields, an attempt to reduce the jobs lost by means of the declining resources in the agricultural and textile fields. Ground broke for the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Education Center on October 25, 1967, and opened on September 16, 1968. During the official dedication ceremonies held on May 16, 1969, the late Senator Marshall B. Williams stated that this new education facility “represents the dreams and work of many people in the area. On December 2, 1970, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Education Center Director Charles P. Weber announced that the institution had become fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).