The University of South Carolina Upstate is a public university located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Formerly known as the University of South Carolina Spartanburg, the school changed its name in the summer of 2004. The University of South Carolina Upstate is the fastest growing university in South Carolina offering both undergraduate and graduate programs for students in the Upstate and surrounding areas. One of four accredited four-year schools in the University of South Carolina System, it is home to approximately 4,851 students and 220 full time faculty. It is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. After the Spartanburg General Hospital decided to discontinue its degree program for nurses, local politicians, led by Dr. G.B. Hodge, decided to create a separate University for the region. In 1967 the Spartanburg Regional Campus was opened as a two-year college with an initial enrollment of 177 students. Because of increased popularity, the school became a four-year institution in 1975 and was renamed the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg.