My Carolina makes free wristbands to Brad Paisley concert available to faculty and staff



My Carolina Alumni Association is offering University of South Carolina faculty and staff several ways to celebrate the opening of the new Alumni Center and see country music star Brad Paisley perform Friday, Oct. 16, as part of the alumni association’s homecoming celebration.

Approximately 750 free wristbands will be made available to faculty and staff on a first-come, first-served basis from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the Alumni Center. Each faculty and staff member may receive up to two wristbands, one for themselves and one for a guest. An official Carolina Card ID is required in order to receive wristbands.

Or, there are a limited number of tickets available to the My Carolina Welcome Home Party that precedes the concert. Faculty and staff can purchase up to two of these tickets for $10 each, which will let them watch the concert from a preferred viewing area. The party begins at 5 p.m. Oct. 16 and the concert starts at 7:30 that night. The Welcome Home Party will feature heavy hors’ oeuvres and beverages.

More than 2,100 staff and faculty on the Columbia campus are Carolina alumni.

The Alumni Center is located across from the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center at Senate and Lincoln streets in the Vista. Gates to general viewing areas on Senate St. will open at 6:30 p.m.

Grand opening and homecoming festivities begin Thursday, Oct. 15. Faculty and staff are invited to attend the grand opening ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, featuring President Harris Pastides and alumni officials who will dedicate the Alumni Center. The event is free. They also may attend the My Carolina Homecoming Tailgate Party, which will take place three hours prior to kickoff of the South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt football game Oct. 17. The tailgate is held in Gamecock Park near the stadium, and ticketing information for My Carolina members and nonmembers is available online at MyCarolina.org.

With the opening of the Alumni Center, My Carolina begins a new era in the life of the university, where the past is celebrated and the future — the new — is embraced. Faculty and staff can take a virtual tour of the building at MyNEWstalgia.com and then take an actual tour after Thursday’s grand opening ceremony or from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 or from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.

Complete in summer 2015, the Alumni Center features 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space that supports learning outside the classroom and serves as a place to celebrate life’s milestones and a home for alumni engagement. The $26 million center is privately funded, providing a home for faculty, staff and students as well as alumni.

For more information about My Carolina Alumni Association’s grand opening and homecoming events, contact My Carolina at 803-777-4111 or via email at connect@mycarolina.org.


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