Not Charles Dickens

It isn’t the best of times, but it’s not the worst of times either. It is, to be sure, the strangest spring semester in my decades at the University of South Carolina. As I write this, it’s a lovely sunny day, 72 degrees, with the Horseshoe in full bloom and green. But it feels much too quiet without any students strolling about, throwing Frisbees, playing guitars, hurrying somewhere or propped against a tree, reading. 

But as our students, alumni, faculty and staff are scattered across South Carolina and the nation, we’re still connected in important ways. We are together as a community, as essential parts of the Honors College and the University of South Carolina, and — not to get overly dramatic, I hope — as people who aim to play important roles in solving the various problems our world is facing.

As you read through our very first virtual issue of AHA! (another sign of the times), you’ll see some of our Honors College alumni doing just that … making a difference and changing the world around them. These are uncertain times in which we find ourselves, but we can have hope because of people like Sharika Shropshire and her commitment to some of the most vulnerable in our country. Hope because of leaders like Greg Ferrante who are using their brilliant minds and stellar education to change the world for the better. Hope because our “back cover” profile features twin sisters who — although their senior years have been cut disappointingly short — are ready to take on medical school together and make their mark.

So although this issue of AHA! might look different than what you’re used to, one thing that hasn’t changed is the incredible potential and passion of our graduates as they fulfill their societal purpose and give back to those around them. Thank you for your support of the South Carolina Honors College and the University of South Carolina. It is a privilege for all of us, faculty and staff, to work with these remarkable students. And, we are eager to return, with renewed vigor, to that calling. 

Forever to Thee,

Steven Lynn
Dean, South Carolina Honors College
Louise Fry Scudder Professor