The University of South Carolina has the top-ranked first-year experience in the nation, but a new initiative will make sure people know it's great being a Gamecock every year. The Carolina Experience will work with offices across campus, academic units and Student Government to emphasize and enhance the entire undergraduate experience.
Amber Fallucca is the inaugural director of the Carolina Experience for the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support. We asked her a few questions about how things are going and what students can expect in the coming year.
What does being the inaugural director of the Carolina Experience mean to you?
I feel very honored to serve in this inaugural capacity. Throughout my career, I tend to gravitate to roles where innovation, collaboration and the development of new initiatives or programs is expected. Specific to Carolina Experience, I am very excited and invested in the experiences of college students and helping to ensure they have a meaningful career while at USC and after graduation. It’s gratifying to see the excitement around this growing focus as the campus community is very invested in its success. This is a great opportunity.
What in your background at USC has prepared you for this role?
My higher education career has primarily focused on assessment and evaluation, student engagement and reflection, and collaborative projects spanning various areas of campus, including roles in University Housing as the director of assessment and the Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning as the director of the quality enhancement plan and associate director. I have served as a member of the USC community for 17 years, including teaching courses in the College of Education and South Carolina Honors College and University 101. I think the combination of my USC experience — various administrative roles, teaching experience and scholarly endeavors — has molded my perspective for this moment.
You’ve been in your new position for about five months. How has that time been overall, and have you had any pleasant surprises?
I feel very welcomed as I return to the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support after almost nine years in the Office of the Provost. I continue to use the word “readiness” as the early campus partner meetings with the Carolina Experience team have led to some great discussions and plans for implementation. Because readiness is high, there has been a lot of support to ensure USC students have a quality experience through the collective contributions.
I think I am a little surprised, in a great way, that the early interest and implementation has been as strong. I thought some conversations would require a longer timeframe, or even an alternate path. These are all things to be expected with a new initiative, but the eagerness is clear, and the investment is high.
In my short time in this role, it is clear USC is invested in ensuring students have a quality experience throughout the entirety of their college careers.”
Do you have any specific goals for your first year?
Yes! The biggest focus will be on establishing our team and increasing awareness of Carolina Experience across the campus. We have several exciting developments that will be implemented in the curricular and cocurricular space. While we are eager to execute these initial plans, we are prepared to learn of new ways that we can contribute to the overarching goals and establish partnerships with campus offices. A few specific plans that are worth mentioning include incorporating Carolina Experience Peer Leaders as a guiding support for students past the first year, a certificate program with the Center for Teaching Excellence on understanding USC student populations, expansion of technology platforms to support USC students and pilot expansion of UNIV 201 and UNIV 401 course sections dedicated to career development and holistic wellness.
What are your long-term goals in this position?
Long-term goals for this position include establishing a noted and trusted source for college student experiences past the first year through both a localized and national presence. Closer to home, the goal is for students exiting USC upon graduation to recall the high level of support they received throughout the entirety of their careers, including the many milestone moments they experienced, and how those memories will inform their time as proud Gamecock alumni in personal and professional ways.
Do you have a message to the Carolina community that you’d like to share?
In my short time in this role, it is clear USC is invested in ensuring students have a quality experience throughout the entirety of their college careers. With the start of this new department and focus, there will be ample opportunities to contribute and share ideas to help guide the direction for the Carolina Experience. We look forward to these conversations and learning through evidence about our progress, as well as how best we should advance our efforts moving forward. To our campus stakeholders: Please do not hesitate to reach out if there are ways we can collaborate.