May 20, 2025, Megan Sexton
Susan Elkins, the founding chancellor of Palmetto College, steps down this month after 12 years leading the program which encompasses USC’s two-year system campuses along with online bachelor’s degree completion programs.
May 19, 2025, Rebekah Friedman
As the state’s flagship public university, the University of South Carolina seeks solutions to a range of modern challenges. And our researchers are lighting the way.
May 02, 2025, Rebekah Friedman / photos by Kim Truett
From obstetricians and nurses to social workers and psychiatrists, University of South Carolina graduates are especially needed in rural areas, where more than a quarter of the state’s residents live. And the impact isn’t only felt by the patient; it’s also felt by the communities themselves. Carolinian visited several alumni whose small-town efforts are having a big impact. These proud health care workers showed us the meaning of dedication and their commitment to the people and communities they serve.
April 29, 2025, Laura Erskine
For more than 50 years, USC has made an undergraduate education more attainable through TRIO programs. The foundation of these opportunities is the Pell Grant. Here, USC alumni share how the Pell Grant opened the door for them to achieve their dreams of earning their degrees and attaining fulfilling, impactful careers.
April 29, 2025, Carol J.G. Ward
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is opening a free mental health clinic to serve rural communities in Bamberg, Calhoun, Fairfield, Orangeburg and Chester counties. Launching this summer, the student-operated, faculty-supervised clinic will offer in-person and telehealth services to those with limited access to care.
April 29, 2025, Gregory Hardy and Laura Morris
Jennifer Baumstark, a seasoned certified nurse-midwife and newly appointed director of the University of South Carolina’s accredited nurse-midwifery program, is spearheading efforts to improve maternal health across South Carolina. With a focus on mentorship, advocacy and expanding the nursing-midwifery workforce, Baumstark brings over two decades of clinical and academic experience to this pivotal role.
April 07, 2025, Chris Horn
In a perfect world, state agencies and local governments would implement each new policy and program only after rigorous economic analysis that maps out the cost benefits, potential side effects and hidden costs of choosing one option over another. That data-driven approach to policymaking is the focus of S.C. EPiC, the South Carolina Economic Policy Center based in the economics department of the Darla Moore School of Business at USC.
April 01, 2025, Brandon Pugh
The Koger Center, USC School of Music professor Gail Barnes and USC School of Visual Arts and Design alumnus Wade Sellers have been named winners of the 2025 Governor’s Awards for the Arts by the South Carolina Arts Commission, recognizing exceptional practice or support of contemporary and traditional art forms.
March 24, 2025, Gregory Hardy
Midwives care for women throughout their lifetime and play a critical role in maternal health. The College of Nursing is launching the state’s only accredited nurse-midwifery education program to address South Carolina’s maternal health needs, particularly in rural communities.
March 18, 2025, Megan Sexton
For USC alumna Caroline Fermin, the decision to join the Marines at a time when only 2 percent of the officer corps were women led to a successful 25 years in the military with high-level global postings and numerous medals for meritorious service. She followed her military service with a thriving second career in public service, now as the director of Veterans Affairs for Beaufort County.
March 14, 2025, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina is developing a unique clinical neurological and rehabilitation center that will house the Palmetto State’s first standalone comprehensive medical facility dedicated entirely to integrated care of patients with brain and nervous system illnesses.
March 14, 2025, Laura Erskine
AJ Peterman is undergoing an EEG for a study led by Caitlin Hudac, director of USC’s Brain Research Across Development lab. Hudac first took her lab on the road to test children who have rare genetic conditions and couldn’t travel. Now, she hopes to expand her reach.
March 07, 2025, Laura Erskine
A primary care doctor is a key player in patient care, but South Carolina is facing a doctor shortage. That’s why both USC’s School of Medicine Columbia and School of Medicine Greenville are prioritizing primary care, with an emphasis on family medicine, thanks to their deans, Dr. Gerald Harmon (Columbia) and Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray (Greenville).
February 21, 2025, Gregory Hardy
The University of South Carolina broke ground on a facility that will redefine the future of health care education and research during a ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the site of its new School of Medicine Columbia. This cutting-edge, 300,000-square-foot-plus medical education and research facility will be part of USC’s transformative $300 million Health Sciences Campus, amid 16 acres in Columbia’s reimagined BullStreet District.
February 12, 2025, Megan Sexton
The Future Leaders in Medicine, a student organization at the USC School of Medicine Columbia, has teamed with Curing Kids Cancer to raise awareness – and funds— for the fight against childhood cancer.
February 10, 2025, Laura Erskine
Augusta Baker left a remarkable legacy in the fields of librarianship and children’s literature. After retiring from the New York Public Library system, Baker became storyteller-in-residence at USC from 1980 to 1994. It was the first position of its kind at an American university, a role created for Baker to teach students, librarians and educators how to make reading more exciting for children.
February 06, 2025, Andy Shain
On Feb. 11, University of South Carolina alumni and advocates will gather at the S.C. State House for Carolina Day to demonstrate how the state flagship university is building momentum in producing a more prosperous and healthier South Carolina.
January 15, 2025, Andy Shain
A new study from USC finds that the University of South Carolina system has a $7.4 billion annual impact on the state's economy.
January 07, 2025, Rebekah Friedman
At CarolinaLIFE, students with intellectual disabilities take charge of their futures through transformative education.
December 19, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
University of South Carolina graduate Monique Garvin, '19 knows how critically important her work is in combatting various forms of abuse in South Carolina’s communities and acutely recognizes the impact violence has on individuals.
December 06, 2024, Hadley McCollester
In South Carolina, 97 percent of newborn infants are screened for hearing ability — and 3.1 percent do not pass. At the Arnold School of Public Health, there’s a clinic that can help.
November 26, 2024, Kristine Hartvigsen
Charleston native Keith Heyward Jr. was a restless third-grader when he realized his career goal was to teach. He knew that young Black boys craved a teacher they could relate to. Today, the University of South Carolina alumnus teaches kindergarten at James Island Elementary School. He makes sure the youngsters who step into his classroom feel safe and empowered.
November 11, 2024
More than a quarter of South Carolinians call a rural area home, but these populations have a higher incidence of medical emergencies and are at greater risk of death because of barriers to access to timely medical care. USC researchers and alumni are working to change that, both for the state’s communities and at the national level.
October 31, 2024, Hannah Cambre
At USC, where one in five students identify as first-generation, the university is doing more than ever to help this important and growing population flourish with resources and support. We sat down with five first-gen students to learn more about their stories and the people and resources that have helped them thrive at USC.
October 18, 2024, Communications and Marketing
There is also no doubt that nurses — an integral part of the nation's health care system — are in short supply. From opening a new building at Lexington Medical Center to being the home of the top-ranked online graduate program in nursing education, the University of South Carolina College of Nursing is committed to addressing the need.
October 17, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection), a partnership between the West Columbia Police Department and the S.C. Department of Mental Health, is a community-based alternative to prosecution. Developed and staffed by two College of Social Work alumni, the program offers deflection and resources to people accused of nonviolent low-level offenses whose behavior stems from substance use, mental health challenges or poverty.
October 09, 2024, Chris Horn
School districts in South Carolina that are in high need of more mental health counselors will get a boost from Project PRISMS, a U.S. Department of Education-funded initiative to fill the pipeline with trained professionals.
November 14, 2023, Chris Horn
In the past two years, companies focused on battery development and electric vehicles have invested around $11 billion in the Palmetto State.Many of those firms have research ties with the University of South Carolina, which has more than a dozen faculty members and scores of graduate and undergraduate students engaged in battery and battery-related research.