SEC Food Fight helps raise almost $30,000 for USC food pantries
October 16, 2025, Collyn Taylor
The University of South Carolina community banded together to raise almost $30,000 for food pantries across campus and defeat LSU in the SEC Food Fight.
Press Releases
USC officially designates center, approves state budget request during board meeting
September 26, 2025, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees met Friday (Sept. 26) and designated a new center for autism research, approved a systemwide state budget request and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to adopting AI responsibly.
Board of Trustees approves new center, vice president for system affairs during September meeting
September 26, 2025, Collyn Taylor
USC’s Board of Trustees met Friday (Sept. 26) on USC Aiken’s campus, approving numerous academic initiatives – including a new research center and a new vice president for system affairs and community engagement.
USC partnering with Zipcar to provide on-demand access to vehicles
September 24, 2025, Collyn Taylor
The University of South Carolina is partnering with Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, to offer on-demand access to vehicles to students, faculty and staff on the Columbia campus.
History shows why FEMA is essential in disasters
August 13, 2025, Susan Cutter
Ever since FEMA lost its independent status and became part of the Department of Homeland Security, it has faced complaints about delays caused by layers of bureaucracy. Take a look back at how the nation responded to disasters before the agency existed and what history reveals about FEMA effectiveness.
USC joining Campus Compact network
July 10, 2025, Collyn Taylor
USC is rejoining the Campus Compact network, a coalition of higher education institutions, to enhance its community engagement efforts.
Joffrey Ballet delivers unparalleled experience for USC student performers
March 27, 2025, Kristine Hartvigsen
It’s been a whirlwind semester for dancers and musicians at the University of South Carolina. Twenty-four Joffrey Ballet company members arrived on campus March 17 for a three-week residency culminating in an unprecedented collaborative performance April 5 at the Koger Center for the Arts. Students and faculty from USC’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Program and the USC Symphony Orchestra have joined forces with members of the Joffrey entourage to marry movement and music into a spectacular concert for the community.
Board of Trustees approves budgetary items, academic initiatives during March meeting
March 17, 2025, Collyn Taylor
The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a slew of academic initiatives as well as facilities projects across the USC System during its March meeting.
2024 outstanding student advocate talks career, TRIO, award
February 18, 2025, Thom Harman / photo by Kim Truett
Paulia D. Williams won the 2024 Dennis A. Pruitt Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students Award, the fourth TRIO staff member to win the award since its inception. Williams knows that most students need some help transitioning to college, especially first-generation college students. She sees it every day in her role with TRIO Programs — and she lived it herself.
The Starbase rocket testing facility is permanently changing the landscape of southern Texas
January 28, 2025, Robert A. Kopack
If there is a leader in the aerospace industry, SpaceX is it. Boca Chica, Texas, is home to SpaceX’s flagship assembly and test installation, Starbase. Since 2021, research has been conducted with environmental groups and community members in south Texas who see space exploration as a landscape-altering industry. Geography professor Robert A. Kopack writes about Starbase for The Conversation.
The good, the bad and the gutsy
January 03, 2025, Kristine Hartvigsen
The USC Baruch Institute's new director, Jill Stewart, is endlessly fascinated by the natural alchemy of the oft-maligned yet mighty microbe. These tiny living microorganisms are everywhere, from the surface of our skin and the air we breathe to the water we drink and the soil beneath our feet. In fact, microbes are essential to the persistence of life on Earth. So why do they sometimes get a bad rap?
USC awarded federal grant to boost state's college and career readiness
November 12, 2024, Brandon Pugh
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded USC one of its largest-ever grants — $35 million — for the College of Education's GEAR UP SC program to help disadvantaged students overcome barriers to college and career opportunities.
Early voting at USC begins Oct. 21
October 15, 2024, Collyn Taylor
USC is one of seven early polling sites in Richland County, providing access for registered voters to cast their ballots.
First renderings of USC's Brain Health Center unveiled
September 10, 2024, Collyn Taylor
USC's Board of Trustees approved the first designs of USC's state-of-the-art center, which will serve as the hub for the university's Brain Health Network.
USC Next outlines bold vision for Columbia campus
August 23, 2024, Jeff Stensland
USC's Board of Trustees approved USC Columbia's master plan, which will help meet the needs of students, faculty and staff for decades to come.
USC joins STARS College Network
July 23, 2024, Dana Woodward
The University of South Carolina has joined the STARS College Network, a coalition of 32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions dedicated to ensuring that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice.
Inaugural director excited about Carolina Experience
July 11, 2024, Thom Harman
Amber Fallucca is the inaugural director of the Carolina Experience, which will focus on the undergraduate experience past the first year — for transfer, sophomore, junior and senior students. As a coordinating office, they will collaborate with a variety of campus offices to elevate the entire student experience at USC.
USC issues RFP for development near Williams-Brice Stadium, Congaree River
June 19, 2024, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina is advancing a plan to spur development of nearly 900 acres of land near the Congaree River and Williams-Brice Stadium
USC holds inaugural staff appreciation day
May 16, 2024, Thom Harman
The University of South Carolina’s first Staff Appreciation and Awards Day attracted staff members from throughout the Columbia campus to the Russell House University Union for food and fun on Tuesday, May 14.
USC is building a remarkable future for students
May 08, 2024, Donna K. Arnett and J. Rex Tolliver
We must do more to ensure that every student’s college experience is worthy of the investment required of students, their families and the public. That’s why we’re focused on innovating to meet the demands of today’s students and anticipate the needs of tomorrow’s.
LaNaé Budden takes helm of First-Generation Center
March 22, 2024, Hannah Cambre
The university's First-Generation Center will launch this fall, providing support and guidance to first-generation students so they can maximize opportunities to succeed. On March 15, the center welcomed its inaugural director, LaNaé Budden.
Gamecocks come together for Carolina Day
February 09, 2024, Communications and Marketing staff
On Tuesday, Feb. 13, alumni and advocates of the University of South Carolina will come together for Carolina Day. The annual event is a chance for Gamecocks near and far to show their love for the university as well as the importance of USC in improving the lives of every S.C. resident.
New initiatives expand USC's first-gen support
January 22, 2024, Hannah Cambre
The University of South Carolina is committing to providing more comprehensive support to its first-generation student population, including a First-Generation Center launching in August 2024, a living and learning community for first-gen students, and an expanding partnership with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
SC Nexus receives federal designation as Regional Technology, Innovation Hub for advanced energy
October 24, 2023
The Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy received the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s designation as one of 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs. The state Commerce Department sought the designation for a broad consortium of institutions.
New institute puts USC on map for vector-borne illness research
October 16, 2023, Hannah Cambre
The Institute of Infectious Disease Translational Research will allow public health researcher Melissa Nolan to operate complementary studies at labs based in Columbia, El Salvador and Brazil, putting USC on the map as an international hub for maternal and infant health research.
USC to admit top 10% of S.C. high school class
August 01, 2023, Jeff Stensland
All South Carolina students who are ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class will be guaranteed admission to the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus starting with the Fall 2024 application cycle.
Prisma Health makes key investment in SC nurses
April 20, 2023, Page Ivey
To combat South Carolina’s nursing shortage in the next few years will take a team effort, involving health care companies as well as universities who train the essential health care workers. Prisma Health is providing $5 million to five South Carolina schools, including USC Columbia and USC Upstate, which will receive $1.3 million each. The program also helps the next generation of South Carolina nurses understand their roles within a larger health care system.
USC to launch Apple iOS coding certifications for students, residents across SC
November 22, 2022, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina, in partnership with Apple Inc., is launching a free coding certification course in the Spring 2023 semester to teach Apple’s iOS language to students in the USC system and to community members across South Carolina.
UofSC implements new compensation structure to improve employee recruitment, retention
September 16, 2022, Carol Ward
All University of South Carolina staff members will receive new job titles and about 650 will receive pay increases as part of an initiative to attract and retain employees. The Division of Human Resources recently completed a classification and compensation study to better align the university’s pay structure with salaries in the market and create a comprehensive strategy.
Program to establish five new research institutes
September 16, 2022, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina is launching a new $10 million program to spur high-impact interdisciplinary research projects. The Research Institutes Funding Program aims to establish five new start-up research institutes, with each receiving $500,000 in annual funding for up to four years.
UofSC, Lexington Medical Center enter new partnership
July 05, 2022, Kyndel Lee
The University of South Carolina College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center have partnered to build a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab and teaching space to provide clinical training for UofSC’s growing nursing student population.
Nursing alumnus, medical grad student honored for work on suicide prevention
May 12, 2022, Mollie Roe and Emily Miles
During his sophomore year, nursing student Bradley Quarles lost a family member to suicide. That experience, combined with the medical knowledge he learned in his studies, spurred Quarles to look for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.
Music professor gets creative in managing change
April 05, 2022, Dan Cook
When you think of change management, you might think of the Harvard Business Review or McKinsey’s global consultants. You probably don’t think about musicians. But in David Cutler’s new book, the distinguished professor of entrepreneurship and innovation in the School of Music takes lessons that began in the arts and translates them into a broad-based way of thinking about change in any other facet of life.
UofSC announces partnership to strengthen cyber security workforce in S.C.
March 28, 2022
The University of South Carolina announces a new partnership with Check Point Software Technologies, a global leader in Cyber Security Solutions. As a part of the ongoing cyber initiatives in South Carolina, the partnership will focus on providing UofSC students with innovative and collaborative learning opportunities that will prepare them for careers in the cyber security industry.
UofSC to expand civil rights education with $1.5 million gift from Williams to fund civil rights exhibits, programs and collections
February 15, 2022, Peggy Binette
A $1.5 million gift from Williams, an energy infrastructure company, will enhance the University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s ability to share South Carolina’s important role in the broader national movement.
Boeing supports UofSC's assistance to veterans through free legal clinic
November 11, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
When Navy veteran Brooks Herring needed help seeking custody of his son, he turned to the Veterans Legal Clinic at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law.
UofSC offers additional financial aid to students in need
September 07, 2021, Koby Padgett
Thanks to unprecedented state investment in need-based aid, the University of South Carolina awarded financial aid of $3,000 to more than 3,000 students for the 2021-22 academic year.
UofSC joins statewide cyber effort
February 03, 2021, Jeff Stensland
University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen joined Gov. Henry McMaster to announce an effort to develop a statewide cyber ecosystem— the first step in making South Carolina a highly-competitive player in the cyber industry.
UofSC, U.S. Army forge cyber training partnership
December 08, 2020, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina is partnering with the U.S. Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon in Savannah, Ga. to train personnel stationed there through specialized continuing education programs.
UofSC to expand saliva-based COVID-19 testing statewide
October 21, 2020, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina will expand rapid saliva-based COVID-19 testing to other colleges and universities across the state.
UofSC receives $500,000 NSF grant to accelerate entrepreneurship
September 20, 2017, Mike Ettlemyer
The University of South Carolina has been named the first Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site in the state with a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to accelerate entrepreneurship.
UofSC researcher leads team to improve aeronautical communications with $4.4 million in NASA funding
July 10, 2017, Mike Ettlemyer
A researcher in the College of Engineering and Computing is the principal investigator for a new NASA-funded $4.4 million research project to address limitations in aircraft communication networks to improve operations and increase safety.
Dirk Brown to direct new UofSC entrepreneur institute
May 17, 2017, Peggy Binette
The University of South Carolina has tapped tech entrepreneur, marketer and educator Dirk Brown to lead its recently established McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise.
Arnold School of Public Health to expand to Greenville
March 24, 2017, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina’s nationally-renowned Arnold School of Public Health will open a satellite program in Greenville focused on research and education that tackles some of South Carolina’s most pressing health needs. The expansion will allow students to receive graduate-level education at the intersection of public health and clinical medicine and conduct cutting-edge research into solutions to public health problems.
UofSC names Galen Health Fellows faculty principal
March 15, 2017, Peggy Binette
As part of a bold health sciences initiative, the University of South Carolina has named David Simmons as faculty principal of the Galen Health Fellows, a new living and learning community for undergraduates studying in the health sciences.
UofSC, IBM open Center for Innovation; announce new collaboration
April 14, 2016, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina and IBM announced a broadening of their collaboration, applying cognitive capabilities and the Internet of Things (IoT) to develop new solutions for predictive analytics and maintenance. On Thursday the two organizations are hosted the grand opening of the $25 million Center for Applied Innovation, where university, IBM and private sector researchers—including Fluor Corporation—will use the technology for a host of real-world applications.
Air Force ROTC can take students to new heights
March 10, 2016, Patrick Ingraham
Air Force ROTC detachment 775 at UofSC is a way for students to earn an education, find a career and serve their country
UofSC launches statewide cybersecurity effort
February 24, 2016, Jeff Stensland
the University of South Carolina, along with a consortium of leading industry, academic, and government partners, announces the creation of SC Cyber. SC Cyber is a statewide initiative, housed at USC, committed to securing our state’s critical infrastructure and training those on the front lines of the fight to protect technological assets.
UofSC's McNair Advance to offer courses in Charleston
February 08, 2016, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina’s McNair Center for Aerospace is offering advanced industrial engineering design certification courses in Charleston beginning this month.