Points of pride begin with specific rankings, facts or statistics about the university — but they don't end there. To develop benefit-driven messages, we need to remember that rankings and statistics are not "the thing": It is not the dollar amount of a grant or a numeric ranking that is of the highest importance. Instead, it is what the grant or ranking says about the university — that we are innovative in our research efforts, that our work has impact in the community and that our programs are academically rigorous — that matters.
In other words, points of pride serve to validate our attributes and the benefits
that flow from those attributes.
Using Points of Pride in Communications
Points of pride have an important role in messaging, and each relates back to one of the three brand pillars. (Refer to the message map for a full refresher on how attributes, benefits and supporting messages work together.) Each point of pride below aligns with one of three key brand attributes (pillars) and states the benefit that aligns with that attribute.
Pillar I: Academic and Research Excellence
Create innovative models of learning and research that uphold the highest standards
Pillar 2: Superior Student Experience
United by a welcoming and intellectually stimulating student experience
Pillar 3: Economic and Social Impact
Driving entrepreneurship and visionary leadership in a thriving capital city, surrounded
by opportunity
Points of Pride
| Pillar | Points of Pride | Updated Date | Keywords (hidden column) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina develops world-class leaders who thrive in the global economy, with the top-ranked undergraduate and graduate international business programs in the nation. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina champions innovation at all levels, leading U.S. News & World Report to name UofSC one of the most innovative universities in the country. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina attracts world-class faculty members across a wide range of disciplines and has been recognized as the state’s top global university by U.S. News & World Report and other publications. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is one of the country’s leading research institutions, garnering more than a quarter billion dollars annually in external, competitive awards for cutting-edge work that advances our state, the nation and the world. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | A model for higher education excellence, the South Carolina Honors College is ranked as the nation’s best public honors college by Public University Press (2018). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is the state’s academic leader, with 56 nationally ranked academic programs — more than all other state institutions combined. (U.S. News & World Report, 2019). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina develops critical thinkers who become leaders in their chosen fields; students and recent alumni have earned 895 national fellowships and scholarships valued at nearly $30 million since 1994. Included are Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, Madison, Udall and Hollings Scholars, among others. During the 2017-2018 academic year, students and recent alumni won 49 national awards in these prestigious competitions, earning $2.4 million for advanced academic study. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | A leader in teaching and research excellence, South Carolina ranks as the No. 22 flagship university in the nation (U.S. News & World Report). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | Bringing cutting-edge health research and innovation to the state, UofSC is home to three federally designated Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is a hub for collaborative and impactful research, with the Brookings Institution recognizing UofSC as one of the best universities in the U.S. for generating knowledge (No. 24, 2017). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is the state’s health science leader, with 19 nationally ranked health science graduate programs — more than any other university in the state. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is a major center for primary academic research, with its libraries housing the papers and letters of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Milton and many others. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | A model for student success initiatives, UofSC Columbia exceeds national graduation rates by nearly 15 percent. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers a world of pathways to a life of learning and leadership, with more than 300 degree programs and 150 areas of study. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina is located in the thriving capital city of Columbia, which ranks No. 2 among the Top 10 Cities Where Millennials are Moving (SmartAsset, 2018). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | Located in the thriving capital city of Columbia, UofSC is uniquely positioned statewide to offer abundant opportunities for experiential learning and service. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | Led by its pioneering, globally recognized freshman seminar University 101, South Carolina earned the No. 1 spot among public universities for first-year experience. (U.S. News & World, 2020). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers superior academic and life-enriching experiences through its living and leaving communities, recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the intellectually stimulating student experience they create. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers a stimulating and comprehensive environment for health science students, with more than 100 health science degree programs and 50 areas of study. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers innovative programs for collaborative learning, including the Galen Fellows living and learning health science community. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina educates well-rounded critical thinkers, providing opportunities for internships, community service, research and international experiences through its innovative USC Connect initiative. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | The university's Columbia campus offers a world of opportunity in a vibrant capital city; Columbia was named the No. 3 college town in the U.S. by livability.com, ahead of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Ann Arbor, Michigan (2016). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | The university is committed to undergraduate research, with its Magellan Scholar Program having awarded more than $3 million to more than 1,000 undergraduates. The students’ faculty-mentored research efforts improve their competitiveness in the job market and in applying to graduate school. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | Alumni of South Carolina join a global family bound by loyalty: Gamecock Nation includes 300,000 alumni worldwide and 200,000 alumni in South Carolina. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | With a welcoming environment defined by its Southern hospitality and sense of family, South Carolina was named one of “America’s Best Employers” by Forbes (2018). The university ranked in the Top 100 of Forbes’ America’s Best Employers (67) and ranked as the 9th best university to work for in the nation. The University of South Carolina is the only higher education institution in the state in Forbes’ top 100 employers, and it is one of only two entities statewide to make the list. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers a welcoming, stimulating environment in which students can reach their full potential; UofSC students and recent alumni have earned 895 national fellowships and scholarships valued at nearly $30 million since 1994. Included are Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, Madison, Udall and Hollings Scholars, among others. During the 2017-2018 academic year, students and recent alumni won 49 national awards in these prestigious competitions, earning $2.4 million for advanced academic study. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | Demonstrating its commitment to educational access, South Carolina’s new University of Possibilities program is helping low-income, underrepresented middle and high schoolers understand that earning a college degree is within their reach. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | A leader in supporting equity in education, South Carolina is in the top 3 percent of universities in graduating African-American students (Diverse magazine). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina provides more opportunities for African-American and minority students than any other institution in South Carolina, leading in both enrollment and graduation. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is accelerating economic innovation, creating student opportunity and driving research leadership through its vital business partnerships with IBM, Boeing, Siemens, Fluor and Samsung, among others. In 2016 it opened the Center for Applied Innovation, where the university, IBM and private-sector researchers will use technology for a host of real-world applications. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | Dedicated to access and equity in higher education, South Carolina has been recognized by the Education Trust as one of the top institutions in the nation for graduating minority students and closing the achievement gap. UofSC is the only school in the state to receive the distinction. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The University of South Carolina system is committed to serving every qualified student on one of its campuses or online; nearly 70 percent of all students enrolled at the bachelor’s degree or higher level in a public university attend one of UofSC’s locations. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina in an engine of opportunity for S.C. students; two-thirds of all students in the University of South Carolina system are in-state students. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is the state’s leading educator, enrolling more freshmen from South Carolina than ever in 2018-19. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is an engine of economic and social progress, ranking among the top U.S. universities for providing upward mobility to its students. (Brookings Institute, 2017) | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina drives entrepreneurship and innovation in the state and beyond; the university is consistently recognized as among the Top 1 percent of patent-producing universities in the world by the National Academy of Inventors (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is a vibrant force in the state’s cultural landscape, with 20 locations hosting hundreds of concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events throughout the year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is meeting the state’s health care needs, with 3,000 health science degrees awarded each year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is filling the state’s need for 6,000 new nurses by 2028, graduating 700 nurses per year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is meeting the state’s health care needs, with more than 14,000 students enrolled in health science programs. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina makes the state stronger and more competitive and has been recognized as S.C.’s top global university by U.S. News & World Report and other publications. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is a catalyst for entrepreneurship; its UofSC-Columbia Technology Incubator was named one of three “college-town incubators to watch” by Inc. magazine (2013). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is an economic engine, with the University of South Carolina system and its alumni pumping $5.5 billion into the state’s economy every year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina’s economic activity boosts the income of the state's residents; S.C. taxpayers’ personal incomes are $1.8 billion higher because of UofSC. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina draws visitors whose spending supports local businesses, with $41 million contributed to local economies annually by visitors to the university. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | At a time when higher education enrollments have been in steady decline, enrollment in the University of South Carolina system has increased by 18 percent since 2010. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | An investment in South Carolina is an investment in the state: There is a $25 return to the state’s economy for every dollar invested in higher education (from study on the impact of higher education on the state of S.C.). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina develops critical thinkers who become leaders advancing our state, awarding 10,000 degrees a year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The University of South Carolina creates vibrant communities statewide, with eight system institutions, 20 affiliated locations, almost 14,000 employees (19,000 counting student workers) and 212,000 alumni living in South Carolina. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The University of South Carolina and its alumni drive the state’s economy by supporting nearly 1 in every 35 jobs in South Carolina (that’s more than 60,000 jobs). | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina enriches the quality of life in the state, driving economic and social innovation as the state’s most comprehensive research university. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The university and alumni support the state not only through their work, but also through their tax dollars — contributing about $70 million more to the state in taxes than UofSC receives in state appropriations. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina creates upward mobility for the state's residents: While state residents with bachelor's degrees earn on average $18,000 more per year than high school graduates, all salaries rise as the number of college graduates increases. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | With 20 locations throughout the state, South Carolina hosts hundreds of cultural events throughout the year. | 2/2019 | tag 1, tag2 |