UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Fellowships and scholarships

Since the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs was established in 1994, University students have won 383 national awards, earning more than $11.4 million for advanced academic study. Included are seven selections to the USA Today All-Academic Team and and nearly 150 Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, National Science Foundation, Fulbright, Goldwater, Madison, Cooke, Javits, Udall, and Knowles Science Teaching fellows and scholars—among others. During the 2007-08 academic year alone, South Carolina students won 31 awards and more than $1.3 million.

Freshman class, fall 2007

South Carolina's most recent freshman class continues a trend of rising average SAT scores with an 1185. That figure represents a 76-point gain over six consecutive years of increasing averages.

Here are the average SAT scores for top scholars from the new class:

• 1478—McNair Scholars, top out-of-state scholars
• 1431—Alumni Scholars, a mix of in- and out-of-state scholars
• 1428—Carolina Scholars, top in-state scholars
• 1403—South Carolina Honors College, approximately 320 top students
• 1299—Capstone Scholars, a program that creates living-learning communities for first- and second-year students

Sullivan, Swanger awards honor top University students

Chris Gainey and Sierra Carter received the Sullivan awards, the University's highest honor for undergraduates, during the 2008 Honors and Awards Day ceremony. Sullivan awards are given each year to one male and one female graduating senior for their outstanding achievements, campus leadership, exemplary character and service to the community. Amanda Kay Seals received the Swanger award, the University's second-highest undergraduate honor, given to a graduating senior for exemplary leadership and for making significant contributions to the Carolina community. Details.

2 students win Goldwater Scholarships

Two South Carolina students have been named 2007 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars and a third was an honorable mention selection. Oliver Ralf Gothe, a physics and chemistry major and mathematics minor, and Joseph Harold Montoya, a chemical engineering major and mathematics and music performance minor, are the University's 33rd and 34th Goldwater winners. The one- and two-year scholarships are worth up to $7,500 a year. William Walter Kay earned an honorable mention. Details.

2 students win NDSE graduate fellowships

Seniors Stephanie Maddox and Tyler Ray have won National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships, valued at more than $150,000 each. The awards are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Maddox, an experimental psychology major, will attend graduate school at Yale. Ray, a mechanical engineering major, will continue his graduate studies at South Carolina.

5 Rotary scholars named

Barry Blitch, Sarah Elizabeth Chakales, Samantha Martin, Ashley Rhoderick, and Kimberly Vinci were named Rotary scholarship winners and will study abroad in 2008-09. Chakales, a senior broadcast journalism major, and Martin, a 2007 graduate of the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, earned $25,000 academic scholarships for nine months' study and will travel to Hong Kong and Northern Ireland, respectively. Blitch, a junior sociology major; Rhoderick, a senior chemical engineering major; and Vinci, a sophomore exercise science major, earned $12,500 cultural scholarships for three months' study. Blitch will study in Senegal, Rhoderick in Egypt and Vinci in Tanzania. Details.

Tara Scheidt named Outstanding Woman

Tara Scheidt, a junior majoring in international business and economics, has been named the University’s Outstanding Woman of the Year for 2008. The award is given annually to an undergraduate who demonstrates exemplary academic achievement, service and leadership and who is actively in involved in campus and community activities. Details.

Alumni Scholars named for Fall 2007

The Carolina Alumni Association has announced the names of 17 recipients for its $20,000 Alumni Scholarships to attend the University of South Carolina Columbia this fall. The Alumni scholarship is among the most prestigious at the University of South Carolina. Details.