Recent Stories

allie salrin

Student finds purpose through campus service

April 23, 2021, Madyn G. Coakley

Senior Allie Salrin came to the University of South Carolina intent on studying international business, but after taking a job in the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity during her first semester, she quickly realized her interest in public policy and service. Salrin is the recipient of the 2021 Undergraduate Student of the Year Award presented by the Association for Student Conduct Administration for her dedication to promoting the values of community, inclusion, integrity and education.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Recognition, Service, College of Arts and Sciences

Adarsh Shidhaye holding his framed Sullivan Award.

Sullivan award winner's college career exemplifies service

April 14, 2021, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Adarsh Shidhaye says he “hit the ground running” thanks to a pre-medical summer camp offered by the Office of Pre-Professional Advising. The program was so valuable to him that he started working as an ambassador during his freshman year, providing that same help to incoming students. Shidhaye’s service to his fellow students while earning a degree in public health as well as minors in business administration and medical humanities and culture has also earned him the university's highest undergraduate honor, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Recognition, Signature Events, Health Sciences, Service, Student Voices, Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina Honors College

Payton Ramsey holding her framed Swanger Award.

Swanger award winner uses her drive for hard work to help others

April 14, 2021, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Payton Ramsey of Hammond, Louisiana, has overcome a visual disability from childhood to become the first member of her family to attend college. The biological sciences major is also a member of the South Carolina Honors College who has spent her time at UofSC perfecting her leadership skills and expanding her mind through research. For her efforts over her four years at South Carolina, Ramsey received the 2021 Steven N. Swanger Award, the university’s second-highest undergraduate honor.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Recognition, Signature Events, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

photo of a bridge over a river with blue sky in the background

Concerts honor frontline workers, aim to strengthen community through music

March 23, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

Celebrating Local Heroes with The Concert Truck, a series of 10 events performed aboard a mobile music venue will honor 10 frontline heroes with video vignettes that highlight personal stories of sacrifice and courage and live music composed and performed by music students and alumni.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Service, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Music, South Carolina Honors College

students walk in building on campus

VIDEO: Team effort allowed students to return to campus in fall

March 18, 2021, Joshua Burrack

From the classroom to the research lab to the front lines of testing and tracing, the University of South Carolina community has taken extraordinary steps over the past year to safeguard its students, faculty and staff in the face of COVID-19. As we mark the one-year point of the pandemic, here’s the third in a three-part video series documenting the resilience, ingenuity and commitment that have guided us through this period.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Initiatives, Safety, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Service, Leadership, Arnold School of Public Health

researchers sample wastewater

COVID video series: Tracking wastewater

March 15, 2021, Joshua Burrack

From the classroom to the research lab to the front lines of testing and tracing, the University of South Carolina community has taken extraordinary steps over the past year to safeguard its students, faculty and staff in the face of COVID-19. As we mark the one-year point of the pandemic, here’s the second in a three-part video series documenting the resilience, ingenuity and commitment that have guided us through this period.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Initiatives, Safety, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Service, Careers, Arnold School of Public Health

Social Justice Award winners

Three chosen as UofSC's 2021 Social Justice Award winners

January 11, 2021, Megan Sexton

An endowed chair in the School of Information Science, an associate professor of higher education who directs the university’s Museum of Education, and a Gamecock football player who proclaimed “’Matter’ is the Minimum” during last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests are the university’s 2021 Social Justice Awards winners.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Initiatives, Diversity, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Careers, Student Voices, College of Education, College of Information and Communications, Arnold School of Public Health

Antonia Adams

After tragedy, student finds new beginning at UofSC Honors College

January 04, 2021, Megan Sexton

After losing both of her parents, Antonia Adams has made a new start at the South Carolina Honors College. Her journey shows the importance of perseverance and the belief that education can restore confidence and hope.

Topics: Students, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, Diversity, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, Darla Moore School of Business, South Carolina Honors College

Ian MacLeod and Shane Weatherford on balcony smiling.

VA program helps veterans transition to medical careers

November 09, 2020, Margaret Gregory

Two members of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Class of 2024 are bringing unique perspectives as they train for their future careers in medicine. Before entering medical school, Ian MacLeod and Shane Weatherford served their country in the U.S. armed services. Both are able to pursue their education thanks to the Veterans Healing Veterans Scholarship.

Topics: Students, Scholarships, Philanthropy, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

Candace Terry

Veterans bring strong work ethic, new perspectives to UofSC community

October 28, 2020, Megan Sexton

Military-affiliated students play an important role at the University of South Carolina. Veterans and active duty Gamecocks excel in the classroom and beyond, including alumni like Candace Terry who earned her Master of Social Work degree in May and now is the director of governmental affairs for the S.C. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, graduate-studies, Initiatives, Service, Leadership, Careers, Student Voices, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Social Work

UofSC NROTC battalion in white uniforms

Gamecock Battalion tops among Navy ROTC programs

October 27, 2020, Page Ivey

The University of South Carolina has the best Navy ROTC program in the country. That recognition comes as no surprise to the midshipmen and alumni of the program that began at Carolina in 1940. And it comes as the result of hard work by a team of staffers and the university’s support for it and other military-affiliated programs on campus.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Recognition, Partnerships, Service, Leadership, College of Arts and Sciences

exterior photo of the University of South Carolina law school

UofSC law students helped Breonna Taylor's family secure $12 million settlement

September 24, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina law students Jasmine Caruthers and Anna Catherine Parham say their research on no-knock warrants to assist the lawyers representing Breonna Taylor’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit was enlightening and emotional.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Experiential Learning, Service, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, School of Law

UofSC alumna Leeza Gibbons reads a story on video for Cocky's Reading Express

Bird watching: UofSC literacy efforts go virtual during COVID-19

August 26, 2020, Rebekah Friedman

COVID-19 has meant putting a hold on in-person programming, but Cocky’s Reading Express hasn’t stopped – it’s gone online. Since April, its Virtual Storytime YouTube playlist has featured a line-up of guest readers, including former mascots, Miss Gamecock 2020, and even famed talk show host and University of South Carolina alumna Leeza Gibbons.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Initiatives, Service, College of Information and Communications

Elizabeth Thompson leads a group exercise class

Class of 2020: Elizabeth Thompson

May 13, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

Elizabeth Thompson wanted to be at the head of the class — and she made sure she got there. No, we’re not talking about the computer engineering major’s classroom success, which landed her a job in her field straight out of college. We’re talking about Thompson’s other driving passion: group fitness instruction.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Healthy Carolina, Service, Careers, College of Engineering and Computing

Close up of several gardening pots with vibrant green sprouts.

Staying green while staying apart

April 16, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel

Prior to campus’s closure, the Student Council on Sustainability, a representative body of all sustainability leaders in several student organizations, were planning a week full of programming for Earth Day on Greene Street called Green on Greene Week. Now, the council has adjusted their plans to create Virtual Green Week.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Healthy Carolina, Service, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

Gov. McMaster shakes hands with USCDM Pres. Justin Gill

Governor proclaims South Carolina Dance Marathon Day

February 26, 2020, Allen Wallace

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued an official proclamation declaring Feb. 26, 2020 as South Carolina Dance Marathon Day. The proclamation recognizes the UofSC Dance Marathon for raising a record $1,038,156 for the hospital in 2019 and for their ongoing efforts to support the kids at Prisma Health Children's Hospital.

Topics: Students, University Leadership, University President, Philanthropy, Service, Leadership

daniella cook, aisha haynes, kyanna Samuel, spencer platt

2020 social justice award winners

January 09, 2020, Page Ivey

A community organizer and equity scholar, a three-degree alumna, an education student leader and a professor with a strong record of mentoring younger colleagues are the recipients of the University of South Carolina’s 2020 Social Justice Awards and will be honored at the annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast Jan. 17 in the Russell House Ballroom.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Initiatives, Diversity, Recognition, Signature Events, Service, College of Education

Dr. Patterson and patient

UofSC center brings health care to those in need

November 20, 2019, Margaret Gregory

In South Carolina, a majority of the 46 counties are considered to be medically underserved. The South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare is working to improve access to quality care through training programs that are helping grow the health care workforce.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Diversity, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

Kathy Carroll

Alumna takes reins as president of national school librarians association

November 11, 2019, Megan Sexton

School librarian Kathy Carroll likes to be in the middle of the action and that’s where she finds herself every day, whether it’s helping students at Westwood High School in Blythewood or advocating for her profession as president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians.

Topics: Alumni, Diversity, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Information and Communications

A portrait of Luke Rankin, our 2019 student body president.

Luke Rankin follows his calling

June 25, 2019, Mia Grimm

Luke Rankin seems like a natural born leader and has the resume to match, but at the beginning of his college career he never saw himself as running for student body president. Now, he's embraced his role as a servant leader, is working to connect different student groups and advocating for underrepresented communities on campus.

Topics: Students, Service, Leadership

Tarak Patel

Patient-centered approach deepens medical students' understanding of addiction

June 18, 2019, Alyssa Yancey

Tarak Patel, a second-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, had witnessed the devastation of addiction while volunteering at hospitals and free clinics, but he only had a surface-level understanding of the complexities of the issue. That changed earlier this summer when Patel participated in the Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS) at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, Minnesota.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Student Voices, Medicine (Columbia)

Jefferson in class with her students

Education alumna wins SC Teacher of the Year

June 06, 2019, Kathryn McPhail

Education alumna, Chanda Jefferson, was recently named the 2020 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. Her passion for serving others began when she drove the church van as a teenager. Now a decade into her career as an educator, she finds herself teaching much more than biology to her students.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Academics, Undergraduate Admissions, graduate-studies, Diversity, Service, Careers, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, The Graduate School

Uzbekistan plaza

Retailing professor wins Fulbright for work in Uzbekistan

June 04, 2019, Allen Wallace

The Fulbright program is one of the most famous and prestigious scholarship programs in the world, with 59 alumni who also have Nobel Prizes and 82 Pulitzer Prize winners. Many people in academia try throughout their career and never win a Fulbright Scholarship. Professor Mark Rosenbaum, chair of the University of South Carolina Department of Retailing, now has three.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Scholarships, Philanthropy, Partnerships, Service, Leadership, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Weaving a place to sleep

May 10, 2019, Chris Horn

When Leroy Sims’ church decided to make sleeping mats for Columbia’s homeless population from recycled plastic grocery bags, the custodial facilities manager at the University of South Carolina casually mentioned it to his colleagues. Next thing he knew, thousands of bags poured in.

Topics: Service

Andrew Super

Graduating senior leaves legacy of HOPE for people with disabilities

May 06, 2019, Allen Wallace

Andrew Super will graduate from the University of South Carolina May 11, but earning his diploma might be the second most impressive thing he has accomplished during his college career. In the past two and a half years, he has helped provide numerous free prosthetic devices for children and veterans in need, through a company he co-founded.

Topics: Students, Research, Experiential Learning, Philanthropy, Service, Entrepreneurship, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Students working at Colonial Life Arena during a South Carolina basketball game

March Madness in Columbia

March 02, 2019, Allen Wallace

This month, for the first time in almost 50 years, March Madness returns to Columbia, South Carolina, with the city chosen as a host site for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. As fan excitement builds, faculty in the University of South Carolina’s sport and entertainment management department share their expertise on what the event will mean for the city and the campus community.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Partnerships, Service, Leadership, Careers, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Miracle Kid Ellington Hewitt at Dance Marathon 2018

For the Kids

February 28, 2019, Allen Wallace

A year ago, University of South Carolina Dance Marathon made history, raising more than a million dollars for the kids at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital (then known as Palmetto Health). Just days after that success, they began working to do it again. That yearlong effort concludes Saturday with the student organization’s annual Main Event.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Philanthropy, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, School of Music, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work, South Carolina Honors College

Equine impact

Equine Economy

October 01, 2018, Allen Wallace

A recent American Horse Council study finds that the U.S. equine industry is responsible for about $122 billion in economic impact and 1.74 million jobs that generate $79 billion in salaries, wages and benefits. How much of that is felt in South Carolina? That’s the question University of South Carolina researchers will answer after receiving a $46,500 grant from the state agriculture department.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Economic Engagement, Service, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

USC Dance Marathon earned three national awards after raising more than $1,000,000 for Palmetto Health Children's Hospital.

Dancing to the Top

July 24, 2018, Allen Wallace

USC Dance Marathon claimed three national awards at the 2018 Miracle Network Dance Marathon Leadership Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The student organization raised more than $1,000,000 during the 2017-18 school year for the kids at Palmetto Health Children's Hospital.

Topics: Students, Philanthropy, Service, Leadership

Lauren Greenwald

Ways of being

June 26, 2018, Craig Brandhorst

Assistant professor of photography Lauren Greenwald considered becoming a doctor, pursued a career in architecture, lived on a sailboat for a year and worked as a project manager renovating apartments in Paris – all before finally going to graduate school to study photography. Her work is a reflection of that wanderlust, but the lens through which she examines the world could work for anyone, not just the aspiring artist.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Service, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences

Brooks Herring

A perfect ending

May 09, 2018, Marjorie Riddle Duffie

While he was an undergraduate, Brooks Herring worked tirelessly to improve the student veteran experience at the University of South Carolina, while also maintaining a perfect GPA, being a father to two sons, working part time as a bartender and personal trainer, regularly performing as a solo singer/guitarist and taking on multiple leadership roles on campus.

Topics: Students, Academics, Diversity, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, Careers, Student Voices, Darla Moore School of Business, Arnold School of Public Health

Awards Day winners

UofSC honors top students at Awards Day

April 19, 2018, Megan Sexton

The university its top student honors, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Steven N. Swanger awards, to four graduating seniors during the university’s annual Awards Day ceremony Thursday on the historic Horseshoe.

Topics: Students, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, Arnold School of Public Health

Galen Health Fellows

Galen Fellows

March 19, 2018, Megan Sexton

The first class of Galen Health Fellows arrived on campus in August, a group of more than 450 first-year students with dreams of careers in the health sciences.

Topics: Students, Faculty, University Leadership, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work

President Harris Pastides, Dean Haemoon Oh, Huong Nguyen and Kendall Roth in Vietnam

Carolina changes the world

March 08, 2018, John Brunelli

The University of South Carolina is expanding its global reach in Southeast Asia. President Harris Pastides recently signed partnerships with three universities in Vietnam, which will allow for collaboration in teaching, research and service. Now, the Office of Study Abroad is sending a delegation of faculty and staff to the country over spring break to explore other opportunities for Carolina students.

Topics: Faculty, University President, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Partnerships, Service, Careers, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Social Work

Dr. Todd Crump

Committed to Care

February 26, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Students, faculty members and alumni from the USC School of Medicine are making a difference in the Midlands by volunteering at two local free medical clinics. Students also work to support The Free Medical Clinic financially through the Black Tie White Coat Gala, an annual fundraising event.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Diversity, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health

Tori Vaeth at hotel

The 'SEARCH' for purpose

January 12, 2018, Kathryn McPhail

A cherished, childhood friendship led Tori Vaeth to study special education at the University of South Carolina. Now, the College of Education double alumna is leading a program that’s training and placing young adults with intellectual disabilities in rewarding careers.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, graduate-studies, Diversity, Economic Engagement, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, College of Education, The Graduate School, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

capstone scholars

Gateway to adventure

December 01, 2017, Jalesa Cooley

Whether heights, spiders or dark corners, we all have fears that need facing. Students in the Capstone Scholars program are encouraged to address their fears head-on and realize their potential through the Personal Challenge — a pillar of the Capstone experience that requires students to step out of their comfort zones and try something new.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Service

Karlye Denner

Undergraduate research opens door to opportunity

November 03, 2017, Jalesa Cooley

Pre-med sophomore Karlye Denner was working at a Columbia health clinic when she began to notice the high number of Latino patients who seemed at risk for diabetes. Intrigued, the Capstone Scholar from Closter, New Jersey, applied for a Magellan Apprentice Undergraduate Research Grant to conduct independent research on the issue.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, Student Voices

Emily Suski and Lisa Martin

Clinical approach

September 19, 2017, Chris Horn

The School of Law is launching two new legal clinics this academic year. A medicolegal clinic will team law students with medical students, medical residents and physicians to improve health outcomes for pediatric patients, while a domestic violence clinic will focus on protection, advocacy and community education.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia)

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