From statewide impact to a national championship, the University of South Carolina left a giant mark on 2024. But when so much happens in a single year, it can be tough to keep up. With that in mind, here are a few highlights from a year that started strong, ended stronger and left the entire Gamecock Nation hungry for more.
The perfect season
USC’s women’s basketball team entered 2024 ranked No. 1 in the nation and boasting a 12-0 record — and they only picked up steam. As every Gamecock knows, Dawn Staley’s hardcourt crew went on to claim the NCAA championship behind the heroics of — well, pretty much the entire roster. From Camilla Cardoso’s buzzer beater at the SEC tournament to Tessa Johnson’s season-high 19-point performance in the championship game against Iowa and Raven Johnson’s “revenge tour” dominance of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the 2023-24 season was one gloriously long highlight reel.
“You carry the burden of every single one of your players, all the coaches and staff members that put so much into our team,” Staley told reporters after the game. “And it’s a heavy load to be undefeated, to finish the job.”
David Beasley in the classroom
Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley joined the faculty of the Joseph F. Rice School of Law as the Distinguished Professor of Practice and Public Service in March. Beasley is credited with reforming state government and revitalizing the state’s struggling economy as governor from 1995 to 1999. He served as executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme from 2017 to 2023. In 2020, he received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the organization for its efforts to combat hunger and conflict around the world.
“The mission of the law school is to educate lawyer leaders for their communities, our state and nation,” said William Hubbard, dean of the law school. “Gov. Beasley’s example of exemplary leadership and public service will inspire our students, broaden their perspectives and enhance their international understanding.”
Climbing the rankings
For the 11th straight year, USC earned the No. 1 ranking in the country for its International MBA program, according to the Best Graduate School rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. But the perennial powerhouse wasn’t the only program lighting up this year’s college rankings.
The College of Education climbed 11 spots to No. 29 in the category of Best Education Schools and has now improved by 58 spots over the past two years. Meanwhile, the College of Nursing’s master’s program climbed 10 spots to No. 22. The College of Nursing also ranked No. 1 for its online master’s program.
And that’s not all, folks. USC came in at No. 1 among first-year experience among public universities, No. 10 in living and learning communities, No. 3 in sport science and No. 7 for school library media. Military Times, meanwhile, put USC at No.7 among military-friendly schools.
“We are proud of the work being done by our faculty and staff to create an array of nationally recognized graduate programs, which provide superior education for our students who will become tomorrow’s academic and industry leaders,” said Provost Donna Arnett.
Award winners
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Guggenheim to Rome
Carol Harrison, a professor of history, won both a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome this spring. The two prestigious fellowships provided substantial financial support for Harrison as she worked on her book-in-progress, “A Women’s History of Vatican I,” which explores the contributions of women to the formation of the modern Catholic Church in Europe.
“To receive either a Guggenheim Fellowship or the Rome Prize alone would be remarkable, but this double honor is truly extraordinary and reflects the strength and impact of Dr. Harrison’s scholarship,” said Joel Samuels, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “She is a model scholar making important simultaneous contributions to the fields of religious studies and world history.”
Truman and Goldwater
Biochemistry and molecular biology major Reese Lycan was one of just 60 students nationwide to receive a 2024 Truman Scholarship. She is the 11th USC student ever to receive the coveted award and USC’s first Truman Scholar since 2019. The scholarship, named for U.S. President Harry S. Truman, is awarded to juniors who plan careers in public service.
USC students also claimed three Goldwater scholarships in 2024. Established in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the scholarship encourages undergraduates to pursue research careers in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. USC’s 2024 Goldwater Scholars were junior biomedical engineering majors Caroline Rucker and Jeremiah Tobin, and junior computer science major Katelyn Wyandt.
Susan Cutter’s hat trick
The second half of April was very good to Susan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor of geography. The director of the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on April 24 and to the National Academy of Sciences on April 30. Cutter, who has been a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science for 25 years, is the first faculty member at USC to achieve all three honors.
“Dr. Cutter has distinguished herself as a nationally recognized leader in the field of disaster research and as an accomplished author and editor, influential educator and valued mentor,” said President Michael Amiridis. “Through her outstanding scholarship and service, she elevates her field and her impact at USC. We are proud to congratulate her on such well-deserved recognition.”
Paper and PEN: Claire Jiménez
In May, author and assistant professor of English Claire Jiménez accepted the coveted PEN/Faulkner Award for her novel What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez. The novel, about the disappearance of a Puerto Rican girl from Staten Island and the women in her family who cannot stop looking for her, also earned high praise in national publications such as USA Today and Time.
“How lucky am I that this gets to be my livelihood,” said Jiménez, who holds a joint appointment in the Department of English and the Department of African American Studies. “I get to talk to other people about writing, and we get to talk about the books we love and share our stories. I feel incredibly honored to be here and to work with the students.”
Robust research
When the fiscal year ends, the numbers come in — and in fiscal year 2024, the numbers told an impressive story about research support. The university attracted $309 million in sponsored awards over the one-year period, which ended on June 30. Research grants increased 31 percent over fiscal year 2023, and federal funding increased by 35 percent. Overall, sponsored awards increased by 27 percent, indicating a strong research agenda and bullish outside investment in several key areas.
“Across the university, we are making great strides forward in research activity, as demonstrated by this all-time high in funding awards, and we are enhancing USC’s reputation as a leading research institution,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. “Through our outstanding researchers, with robust support from the Office of the Vice President for Research, USC is advancing science and technology, and we are creating solutions for critical challenges facing our state.”
Engineering the future
In June, USC’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing celebrated the generosity of its namesake donors. Seven members of the Molinaroli family have graduated from USC since the 1930s and another began this fall. The family’s $30 million investment was initiated by 1983 alumnus Alex Molinaroli and his wife, Kristin Ihle Molinaroli.
“A degree from the University of South Carolina can change your life and be an enabler to provide generational change for your family,” said Molinaroli, a former CEO of Johnson Controls. “The University of South Carolina always was and still is a family affair. It is a privilege for my family’s name to be associated with the College of Engineering and Computing as it becomes an incubator and foundation developer for the students who will be the next Fortune 100 CEOs and successful entrepreneurs.”
SC Nexus: Powering up
This summer, the university received word from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that it would receive $10.2 million to the advancement of battery research. The funding for USC is part of an overall award of $45 million for SC Nexus, a statewide consortium of partners working to improve the clean energy supply chain and develop cyber-secure grid resilience technologies. That’s a powerful boost for researchers at the forthcoming Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation; it also builds on USC’s longstanding reputation.
“Companies tell me this all the time — if you want to learn more about battery chemistry, battery assembly and battery safety, you come to the University of South Carolina,” said William Mustain a professor and associate dean for research in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing who has been tapped to lead the new institute.
Coming soon: 400 nurses per year
In August, the university and Lexington Medical Center opened a new 52,000-square-foot facility to train the next generation of nurses. Located on Lexington Medical Center’s West Columbia campus, the satellite clinical education building will be used primarily for clinical training of the university’s third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master’s program students. Within five years, the new facility will help train and graduate 400 nurses per year.
“We’re proud to partner with the University of South Carolina to directly address the nursing shortage in our state,” said Tod Augsburger, president and CEO of Lexington Medical Center’. “We are looking forward to growing the pipeline of skilled nurses for our organization and the state while continuing our mission to provide quality health services that meet the needs of our communities.”
Olympic Gold? That tracks
The Gamecocks have a great track record at the Olympic Games, and Quincy Hall added to it at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in August. In a stunning come-from-behind performance, Hall grabbed Olympic gold in the 400-meter, clocking a new personal best time of 43.40, the fifth-fastest 400-meter time in track and field history. Standing atop to podium in Paris, Hall became the first-ever Gamecock male to win an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 400-meter and the second to win gold, joining Otis Harris who secured the 4×400-meter relay gold for Team USA in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
38,000-plus
Overall student enrollment at USC Columbia reached a historic high in 2024, exceeding 38,300 students — and topping last fall’s enrollment high by nearly 2,000. Meanwhile, the university’s commitment to educating in-state students was on full display. Of the 7,290 freshmen enrolled at USC Columbia for the fall semester, 3,800 (52 percent) were South Carolina residents representing all 46 counties.
USC Next
Nothing says, “Let’s grow!” like a new campus master plan — and this fall we got exactly that. USC Next was developed in collaboration with the Sasaki Associates design firm and establishes an ambitious vision for future growth and development on the school’s Columbia campus.
Projects that have already been approved by USC’s Board of Trustees include the construction of a new health science campus at Columbia’s BullStreet District, renovations to Thomas Cooper Library and McKissick, and improvements to residence halls along the Sumter Street corridor.
Future USC Next projects include improvements to athletic venues and the land near Williams-Brice Stadium, an expansion of student dining areas, and additional parking and transportation options. USC also will continue to partner with state and local government to realize additional pedestrian connectors to the Congaree River, fulfilling a vision outlined in USC’s first master plan in 1994.
“The university and the entire community benefit from a campus plan that provides an inspiring vision for the future,” said Board Chairman Thad Westbrook. “USC Next does that and serves as a roadmap to ensure current and future campus development is strategic, integrated and consistent with what a South Carolina should expect from a world-class research university.”
A vital next step
In October, the university unveiled plans for another in a string of critical brain-related projects — this one a standalone hospital dedicated to integrated care of patients with brain and nervous system conditions. Part of USC’s planned 16-acre Health Sciences Campus, the new hospital will feature clinical research spaces and laboratories, and serve as a training site for USC students studying medicine, physical and speech therapy, nursing, pharmacy, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering and other disciplines.
“As USC expands its efforts to provide the highest quality medical education to South Carolina students and serve the state’s health care needs, building a single location for neurological treatment and rehabilitation is a vital next step,” said President Michael Amiridis. “This is a tremendous opportunity to address a critical gap in health care for brain-related conditions, not only for our state, but for the entire Southeast.”
Follow the leaders
The university filled several important leadership positions in 2024, starting with John “Brice” Bible Jr., who stepped in as vice president for information technology and chief information officer in March. Next, over the summer, Tara Sabo-Attwood was named dean of the Arnold School of Public Health and Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray was named dean of the School of Medicine Greenville. In the fall, USC welcomed new vice president for marketing Dan Dillon and new director of athletics Jeremiah Donati.
Strike up the band!
If you weren’t at the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, there’s a good chance you watched the magic on live TV. The lead up to the Carolina Band’s march through Manhattan on Thanksgiving morning included a promo segment on NBC’s Today show the day prior, and the main event was off-the-charts electric. Gamecocks tuned in coast-to-coast to watch the Mighty Sound of the Southeast take over Herald Square, and social media was abuzz for days as alumni, faculty, students and staff chimed in to congratulate the band on a performance to remember.
Tiger Burn
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Shane Beamer’s streaking Gamecocks beat Clemson 17-14. Nothing more need be said.