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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina champions innovation at all levels. UofSC was named one of the most innovative universities in the country in 2019 (U.S. News & World Report). | 3/2021 (not ranked in 2020 or 2021; reconsider fall 2021) | 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. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 (revisit fall 2021) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is the state’s academic leader, with more than 60 nationally ranked academic programs — twice the number of any other institution in the state. (U.S. News & World Report). | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina develops critical thinkers who become leaders in their chosen fields; students and recent alumni have earned 1,054 national fellowships and scholarships valued at $34 million since 1994. Included are Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, Madison, Udall and Hollings Scholars, among others. During the 2019-20 academic year, students and recent alumni won 84 national awards in these prestigious competitions, earning $2.4 million for advanced academic study. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 (No. 24, 2017) | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | A leader in teaching and research excellence, South Carolina ranks as the No. 27 flagship university in the nation (U.S. News & World Report). | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina develops critical thinkers who become leaders in their chosen fields: During the 2019-2020 academic year, 10 UofSC students and recent alumni were named Fulbright scholars. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 1 | South Carolina is the state’s health science leader, with 20 nationally ranked health science graduate programs — more than any other university in the state. | 3/2021 | |
| Pillar 2 | Alumni of South Carolina join a global family bound by loyalty: Gamecock Nation includes 325,000 alumni worldwide and more than 200,000 alumni in South Carolina. | 3/2021 | 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). | 3/2021 (2021 edition) | 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. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina is located in the thriving capital city of Columbia, which ranked No. 4 among the Top 10 Cities Where Millennials are Moving in 2019 (SmartAsset). | 3/2021 (not on 2020 list) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers superior academic and life-enriching experiences through its living and learning communities, recognized for the intellectually stimulating student experience they create (U.S. News & World Report, 2020). | 3/2021 (not in 2021 edition) | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | South Carolina offers innovative programs for collaborative learning, including the Galen Fellows living and learning health science community and the Rhodos Fellows community for information, design and computing. | 3/2021 | 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 Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | The university's Columbia campus offers a world of opportunity in a vibrant capital city; Columbia has been named a top college town in the U.S. by livability.com. | 3/2021 (2016 ranking, not on 2019 list) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | The university is committed to undergraduate research, with its Magellan Scholar Program having awarded nearly $5 million to more than 1,800 undergraduates. The students’ faculty-mentored research efforts improve their competitiveness in the job market and in applying to graduate school. | 3/2021 (new info expected spring 2021) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 | A model for student success initiatives, UofSC Columbia's graduation rate is more than 25 percent higher than the national average. | 3/2021 (check spring 2021) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 2 |
With a welcoming environment defined by its Southern hospitality and sense of family, South Carolina was named one of Forbes' Best Employers by State (2019). |
3/2021 (not in most recent editions) | 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 1,054 national fellowships and scholarships valued at $34 million since 1994. Included are Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, Madison, Udall and Hollings Scholars, among others. During the 2019-20 academic year, students and recent alumni won 84 national awards in these prestigious competitions, earning $2.4 million for advanced academic study. |
3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | Demonstrating its commitment to educational access, South Carolina’s ALL4SC program (Accelerator for Learning and Leadership for South Carolina) is helping low-income, underrepresented middle and high schoolers understand that earning a college degree is within their reach. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | A leader in supporting equity in education, South Carolina is in the top 3 percent of universities in graduating African-American students (Diverse magazine). | 3/2021 (2019 ranking) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina provides more opportunities for African-American and minority students than any other institution in South Carolina, leading in both enrollment and graduation. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is an engine of opportunity for S.C. students; two-thirds of all students in the University of South Carolina system are in-state students. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 (2016 ranking) | 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; 40 percent of all students enrolled at an in-state public university at the bachelor’s degree or higher level attend one of UofSC’s locations. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is committed to equity in higher education: African American freshman enrollment has increased 84 percent since 2016, and Hispanic freshman enrollment has increased 55 percent during the same period. | 3/2021 (fall 2020 enrollment numbers) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is the state’s leading educator, enrolling more freshmen from South Carolina than ever in 2020-21. | 3/2021 (update in Jan 2022) | 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, according to the Brookings Institution. | 3/2021 (2017 is latest ranking) | 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 (2013-20). | 3/2021 (new ranking expected June 2021) | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is meeting the state’s health care needs, with 4,000 health science degrees awarded each year. | 10/2020 (asking Mike for update 4/21) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is filling the state’s need for 6,000 new nurses by 2028, graduating 900 nurses per year. | 10/2020 (asking Mike for update 4/21) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is meeting the state’s health care needs, with more than 18,000 students enrolled in health science programs. | 10/2020 (asking Mike for update 4/21) | 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. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021(last ranked in 2013) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina is an economic engine, with the University of South Carolina system and its alumni pumping $6.2 billion into the state’s economy every year. | 3/2021 (2021 econ impact report) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 |
The University of South Carolina is an engine of progress in a rapidly growing state: The state of South Carolina has the 10th-fastest growing population in the country (U.S. News, 2021). |
3/2021 | 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, Nephron, Yaskawa Motoman and Samsung, among others. At the Center for Applied Innovation and Advanced Analytics, university and private-sector researchers develop cutting-edge technology for a host of real-world applications. | 3/2021 | 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 7 percent since 2015. | 3/2021 | 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.). | 3/2021 (2017 report) | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina develops critical thinkers who become leaders advancing our state, awarding nearly 12,000 degrees a year. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | South Carolina’s economic activity boosts the income of the state's residents; S.C. taxpayers’ personal incomes are $2.6 billion higher because of UofSC. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The University of South Carolina and its alumni drive the state’s economy by supporting 1 in every 9 jobs in the Midlands region and more than 63,000 jobs statewide. | 3/2021 | 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. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The university and alumni support the state not only through their work, but also through their tax dollars — contributing $200 million to the state in taxes. | 3/2021 | 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 71 percent more than high school graduates, all state residents' salaries rise as the number of college graduates increases. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The University of South Carolina creates vibrant communities statewide, with eight system institutions, 20 locations, almost 14,000 employees (19,000 counting student workers) and more than 200,000 alumni living in South Carolina. | 3/2021 | tag 1, tag2 |
| Pillar 3 | The Carolina Teacher Induction Program works with 70 schools statewide to support and retain new teachers. The program has a 98 percent teacher retention rate. |