
From 'Redneck Shop' to racial reconciliation
February 25, 2021, Megan Sexton
Alumnus Regan Freeman is working to help turn a former Ku Klux Klan store in Laurens, South Carolina, into a center for diversity and reconciliation.
February 25, 2021, Megan Sexton
Alumnus Regan Freeman is working to help turn a former Ku Klux Klan store in Laurens, South Carolina, into a center for diversity and reconciliation.
February 19, 2021, CJ Lake
In recent years, the University of South Carolina has taken steps to better acknowledge its whole history, knowing that being honest about the past will build a better, more inclusive future. Here is a look back at ways the university has celebrated Carolinians who have contributed to our progress and who will shape our university's future for generations to come.
February 18, 2021, Page Ivey
In a way, linguistics expert Tracey Weldon has been conducting research for her most recent book — "Middle Class African American English" — all of her life. A native of Columbia, Weldon explores the evolution of language spoken by African Americans at home and in the workplace.
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.
January 04, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
"Ready, Set — Kindergarten!" is a six-booklet resource for parents to support their child's development and school preparedness with activities they can do at home. The series was developed by the Carolina Family Engagement Center.
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.
December 19, 2020
It’s been a year — but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to celebrate, recognize and honor at the University of South Carolina in 2020. UofSC rose to each and every challenge this year and raised the bar for the year to come.
December 11, 2020, Rebecca Janzen
Each year, as many as 10 million people travel to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, in what is believed to be the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the Americas. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the pilgrimage will instead be held online this year. Rebecca Janzen, assistant professor of Spanish and comparative literature, explains the significance of the pilgrimage for The Conversation.
December 03, 2020, Nicole S. Maskiell
As COVID-19 affects frontline workers and communities of color far more than other demographic groups, and protesters agitate for racial justice, American society is wrestling with its racial memory and judging which monuments and memorials deserve a place. In The Conversation, history professor Nicole S. Maskiell looks back at how a few marginalized and oppressed people who served on the front lines of prior epidemics have been treated and remembered.
November 17, 2020, Communications and Public Affairs
The University of South Carolina is currently undertaking an effort to improve the accessibility of its digital content. Doug Foster, VP for information technology, and Kim Hodges, director of digital accessibility, offer insights into why the initiative is important and how it’s being undertaken.
September 30, 2020, Bryan Gentry
In “At War with Ourselves: 400 Years of You,” Nikky Finney, the poet and English professor, covers four centuries of American history, recounting uncomfortable truths about racism and violence. But she also sings of success and resilience.
September 15, 2020, Craig Brandhorst
Students with intellectual disabilities face an array of challenges as they navigate their way through high school and transition to adulthood. Anthony Plotner, an assistant professor of special education in the College of Education, is working to ease that transition in practice and research.
September 11, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel
Student Health Services’ weekly podcast, “Hear Me Out,” has just begun its third season with new student hosts who are highlighting diverse perspectives on mental health topics.
September 10, 2020, Page Ivey
As women reach new heights in the political arena, a third-wave of feminism begins to take on persistent inequities beyond gender.
September 08, 2020, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina welcomed almost 7,800 new students to the Columbia campus this fall and the incoming freshman class is more diverse and has more in-state students than any previous class.
August 20, 2020, Megan Sexton
A podcast-a-thon Aug. 28 will highlight Black excellence at UofSC through conversations with students, alumni and faculty. The live-streamed event will raise money for the One Creed, One Carolina campaign.
August 20, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel
Whether you are a first year student or nearing the end of your college career, now is the perfect time to explore the virtual or safer in-person events UofSC has to offer this week and find community on campus.
August 18, 2020, Christian Anderson
This is a time when there is an intensified movement – particularly at America’s colleges and universities – to remove statues and names from buildings or organizations that pay homage to Confederate leaders and others with racist views. In The Conversation, education professor Christian Anderson examines the question of what – if anything – should be put up in their place.
August 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward
A summer camp for fifth- and sixth grade-students in South Carolina’s Gullah/Geechee community will introduce Gullah/Geechee students to STEM content from their own community and provide opportunities to interact with professionals who look like them, working in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
July 31, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward
Rodrianna Gaddy took her love of learning about different cultures, combined it with her passion to help people and channeled both into her academic path at the University of South Carolina with a double major in international business and human resources management with a minor in Japanese. Gaddy was scheduled to study abroad in Japan this spring. Then COVID-19 hit.
July 22, 2020, Anna Swartwood House
No one knows exactly what Jesus looked like, and there are no known images of him from his lifetime. Art history professor Anna Swartwood House writes in The Conversation that the portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man has come under renewed scrutiny during this period of introspection over the legacy of racism in society.
July 09, 2020, Annika Dahlgren
This fall, the College of Arts and Sciences begins its new themed semester initiative that encourages faculty and students from across the university to explore ideas related to the core subject of justice. The theme is meant to combine work from the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural and mathematical sciences to bear on today's challenging issues and problems.
July 07, 2020, Dan Cook
Julian Williams is the University of South Carolina’s first vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. He comes to UofSC from Virginia’s George Mason University, where he served as vice president of inclusion and diversity. UofSC Today asked Williams about the challenges and opportunities of this moment.
April 09, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward
The university will continue rehabilitation and preservation of the Booker T. Washington Auditorium Building to create a permanent space for the Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s exhibit “Justice for All: South Carolina and the American Civil Rights Movement.” Funded with a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service, the restoration will advance efforts to create a destination for people to learn the history of Columbia and of the school.
March 31, 2020, Chris Horn
The history of enslaved people at South Carolina College — the precursor of today's University of South Carolina — is a difficult one to tell. But research has brought to light the names of many of those individuals, and the university is acknowledging the vital role they played in the college's early days. Here's the story of one of those enslaved workers — a man named Jack.
March 06, 2020, Jeff Stensland
William F. "Bill" Tate IV, the dean of the graduate school and vice provost for graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, was selected as the new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina on Friday (March 6).
February 21, 2020, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina announced Julian R. Williams will serve as its first Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Williams, who most recently served as Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity at Virginia’s George Mason University, was selected by President Bob Caslen following a national search process. His appointment was formally approved by the university’s Board of Trustees on Feb. 21.
February 03, 2020, Allen Wallace
A year after Coach Harold White passed away, his memory lives on, thanks in part to a scholarship created in his name.
January 30, 2020, Kathryn McPhail
Later this month, a new center called Bilingualism Matters at UofSC is opening under the direction of education professor Eurydice Bauer. The center is partnering with two Midlands area school districts to research how multilingual education benefits students and how schools can implement education programs.
January 14, 2020, Kathryn McPhail
More than 5,300 teachers left South Carolina public schools at the end of the 2018-19 school year. That seems like a staggering number, but it’s not an anomaly. It puts students at risk of missing out on the quality instruction they need and deserve, and the University of South Carolina’s College of Education is stepping in to help with a new initiative aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers.
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.
January 06, 2020, Megan Sexton
In 1986, an archivist and a university professor brought posthumous fame to African American photographer Richard Samuel Roberts. In 2019, the University of South Carolina Press reissued their landmark book celebrating his work.
December 11, 2019, Margaret Gregory
In 2002, 8-year-old Wanda Gibbs died after being hit by a car at her bus stop. After her tragic passing, the community came together and launched a fundraising initiative to ensure Wanda’s memory would live on. Their efforts established the Wanda Gibbs Scholarship at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, which was awarded for the first time earlier this year.
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.
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.
November 06, 2019, Josh German
Initiatives like Global Carolina and the annual International Education Week, taking place Nov. 11-15, help bring an international atmosphere to students on the University of South Carolina campus.
October 30, 2019, Craig Brandhorst
English Programs for Internationals celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has come a long way since 1979, when it was created in response to a growing international presence on campus.
October 14, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
After winning state championships in high school, Kaden Briggs was excited to earn a spot on the University of South Carolina’s track and field team. But he was shocked when he faced an unexpected hurdle – some skepticism about his chosen career path.
October 14, 2019, Kevin Bush
Love, deception and razor-sharp repartee take the Longstreet Theatre stage as the UofSC Theatre Program presents a Shakespeare classic with a modern twist.
September 19, 2019, Amanda Hernandez
Valerie Smith, Swarthmore College’s first African American president in its 155-year history, is committed to deepening human understanding through the process of learning and discovery. She will share her passion and perspective to South Carolina as the 2019 Adrenée Glover Freeman Lecturer.
September 12, 2019, Amanda Hernandez
The tumultuous decades of the 1950s and ‘60s inspired an artistic reaction from black female musicians whose work often emoted the mourning and anger they felt inside as a result of the struggle for civil rights. Musicologist Tammy Kernodle will explore that soul-stirring music as this year’s Robert Smalls lecturer.
September 09, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
For most students, the path to law school doesn’t include a stop in a fourth grade classroom. Well, at least not as the teacher of the class. But law student Brandon Adams says his experience as a teacher will help him become a better attorney, and he plans to combine his love of teaching and the law.
September 05, 2019, David Lee
Benjamin D. Reese Jr., an internationally renowned scholar on the topic of implicit bias, is visiting the University of South Carolina to speak as part of the Finding Common Ground Lecture series.
August 21, 2019, Jeff Stensland
The approximately 8,700 students arriving in Columbia this week are part of the largest pool of new students ever enrolled at the University of South Carolina’s flagship campus. Preliminary enrollment numbers show the university also is increasing in diversity and serving more students from South Carolina than ever before, surpassing last year’s record and setting a new bar for academic achievement.
August 08, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
The Accelerator for Learning and Leadership for South Carolina (ALL4SC) is an outreach project that will bring together researchers and professionals from 12 academic and professional units at the university to create a strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps for all students
August 05, 2019, Craig Brandhorst and Megan Sexton
You don’t need a degree from the University of South Carolina to get elected mayor in the Palmetto State, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This summer, Carolinian magazine traveled the state, from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, from the Midlands to the Pee Dee, interviewing South Carolina alumni who hold the esteemed office.
June 27, 2019, Sophie Bello, '21 visual communications
As Charleston's first poet laureate, Marcus Amaker, a 1999 alumnus of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, writes poems for and about the city and works in schools to encourage students' interest in writing.
June 13, 2019, Carol J.G. Ward
The "Justice for All" exhibit releases history from the archives to highlight events that illustrate the impact of South Carolina in the national civil rights movement.
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.
May 13, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Jackson Creek Elementary School, in Columbia, is committed to improving the way its teachers are educating students — both academically and socially. The school is collaborating with College of Education professors to offer all teachers and support staff ongoing professional development in culturally relevant teaching.
April 29, 2019, Carol J.G. Ward
Honors College junior Adriana Bowman is one of 30 recipients nationwide of the Pickering Fellowship awarded to students interested in a foreign service career. Multiple study abroad experiences have allowed the S.C. native to immerse herself in foreign languages and cultures.
February 18, 2019, Carol Ward
Noella “Binda” Niati has always been fascinated by the collision of hip-hop/rap, engagement and social change. As a doctoral candidate in the Educational Foundations and Inquiry program of the USC College of Education, she’s turned her attention to harnessing the power of hip hop in transforming education and citizen engagement.
February 18, 2019, Julie Turner
Noella “Binda” Niati has always been fascinated by the collision of hip-hop/rap, engagement and social change. As a doctoral candidate in the Educational Foundations and Inquiry program of the College of Education, she’s turned her attention to harnessing the power of hip-hop in transforming education and citizen engagement.
February 08, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Former Gamecocks football player Preston Thorne is back on campus, but now he’s tackling the teacher shortage instead of opponents. Since graduating 15 year ago, Thorne has taught history, coached high school football and even co-authored a children's book. Now, he's helping the College of Education recruit more students to the teaching profession.
January 22, 2019, Megan Sexton
Cleveland Sellers, an icon of the civil rights movement, returns to the University of South Carolina this semester to bring the message of justice, equality and peace to a new generation of college students.
January 17, 2019, Dana Woodward
The University of South Carolina’s MLK Weekend event series culminates Sunday, Jan. 20, with Freedom Rings, an artistic celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. The university partnered with the Columbia nonprofit Auntie Karen Foundation to bring together Midlands musicians, artists and spoken word performers to honor the civil rights leader in an event designed to bring the audience to its feet.
January 11, 2019, Chris Horn
A University of South Carolina faculty member, staff member and two students who exemplify Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to service, equality and social justice will be honored at the university’s annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast Jan. 18.
December 07, 2018, Diane Parham
Year after year, the number of lives transformed by the University of South Carolina’s Gamecock Guarantee program keeps growing. But numbers alone don’t tell the full story.
December 05, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
This month, Wendy Harriford Platt — a veteran teacher, mother, and daughter of a Carolina icon — will walk across the commencement stage to accept her doctorate degree in education with no regrets. Well, maybe just one regret — that her father will not be there to celebrate with her.
November 24, 2018, Page Ivey
Each fall, thousands of new students come to USC from out of state, and a lot of them later make a permanent home here, like Adrianne Beasley, director of aerospace initiatives for the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness.
November 16, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
Inspired by the University of South Carolina's inclusive environment, donors Clark West and Elliott Mitchell agreed to establish a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for USC School of Medicine students. West and Mitchell also established a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for students attending associate degree-granting institutions in South Carolina who wish to transfer to one of the Palmetto State’s baccalaureate-granting colleges or universities, including USC.
November 13, 2018, Keisa Gunby
The Finding Common Ground series, presented by the UofSC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, continues this fall with guest lecturer, Deirdre Cooper Owens, assistant professor of history at Queens College, CUNY, and author of Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. Owens will lead the fifth forum in this series beginning at 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Capstone Campus Room.
November 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
The College of Education was awarded its largest grant in nearly 20 years to fund a statewide program to better engage families in South Carolina’s public schools.
November 07, 2018, Page Ivey
Each fall, thousands of new students come to USC from out of state, and a lot of them later make a permanent home here, including Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.
November 01, 2018, Keisa Gunby
A summit on talking about race in America grew naturally out of a conversation. Jennifer Gunter, ’17 Ph.D. history and director of the S.C. Collaborative on Race and Reconciliation, wanted to bring together a group of community leaders dedicated to equity and inclusion to learn from one another about projects that were working.
October 05, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
Education professor and rabbi, Meir Muller, is devoted to countering antisemitism and bias through education. His work is shaping school curriculum for children in Europe and ultimately, here in South Carolina.
October 04, 2018, Ross Stevens
Author Ijeoma Oluo will discuss her provocative book, titled “So You Want to Talk About Race,” when she delivers the university’s 2018 Adrenée Glover Freeman Lecture Nov. 29. We caught up with her for a Q&A about what to expect.
September 18, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
South Carolina is in critical need of special educators, with special education vacancies making up the largest share – nearly 20 percent - of unfilled teaching positions last year. To tackle this growing issue, the College of Education is launching a new certificate program for both early childhood education undergraduate students as well as current teachers.
August 27, 2018, Annika Dahlgren
School of Medicine student Alison “Allie” Augsburger has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember, but working with her mentor and completing a prestigious summer program has helped focus her sights on the rigorous field of cardiothoracic surgery.
August 24, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A cellphone video of Mac Watson opening his acceptance letter from the CarolinaLIFE program spread quickly on social media and continues to gain him a lot of positive attention. Watson’s desire to attend Carolina began just last year, but his love for his future alma mater is bringing thousands to tears.
August 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
To increase diversity among South Carolina’s teachers while also tackling the growing teacher shortage, the College of Education is launching the Apple Core Initiative. Ten students, including Marisa Green, will take part in the pilot program which provides scholarships and support for underrepresented populations in South Carolina.
July 19, 2018, Megan Sexton
The new University of Possibilities program helps middle school students around the state understand the importance of preparing for college.
June 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
As the state faces a growing teacher shortage, the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College sign an agreement to create a more efficient path to teaching for transfer students such as YBeth Castro.
May 17, 2018, Megan Sexton
Carolina alumna Kari Croft is the founder and principal of RISE High, a charter school in Los Angeles. Croft was awarded a $10 million grant to start the school.
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.
May 02, 2018, Megan Sexton
Allisha Gray, who played in the WNBA last year after helping the Carolina women’s basketball team win the 2017 national championship, has returned to earn her degree in broadcast journalism.
April 25, 2018, Megan Sexton
Rhonda Jeffries’ research focuses on ways to close the achievement gap for racial minority and low-income students, specifically those tracked for remedial classes.
April 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
CarolinaLIFE provides an inclusive college experience for students with diverse learning needs. Students, like Ronald Parker, are immersed on campus – living, learning and experiencing college life. But, the impact of the program goes far beyond the students.
April 07, 2018, Page Ivey
Biology professor Bert Ely has always worked to recruit minority students, and in 2006 he developed the SCienceLab program to provide middle and high school students with a firsthand look at inquiry-based laboratory experiences.
April 03, 2018, Megan Sexton
Education professor Gloria Boutte has a simple goal: ensuring that all students are able to succeed in school, particularly those who are culturally and linguistically diverse.
March 26, 2018, Megan Sexton
Catherine Compton-Lilly, a professor in Carolina's College of Education, conducts research on inequity in schools and with immigrant families, with plans for a long-term project to follow a single school.
March 14, 2018, John Brunelli
William Harrison has taught real estate in the Darla Moore School of Business for the past 11 years and believes the time is right for his students to study the market in Vietnam.
March 02, 2018, Megan Sexton
Associate professor of marketing David Crockett understands the importance of mentoring. He was awarded the Williams-Qualls-Spratlen Multicultural Mentoring Award of Excellence from the American Marketing Association for his role mentoring students who have been traditionally underrepresented in academia.
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.
February 21, 2018, Allen Wallace
Victor Kidd is the first African-American doctoral student in the University of South Carolina’s sport and entertainment management Ph.D. program. He is also the first student overall from his program to win a SPARC grant — a merit-based grant designed to ignite research and creative excellence.
February 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A collaborative effort between the College of Education and the South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy, housed in the College of Information and Communications, is helping one community unify its literacy efforts.
January 27, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
Christopher Wach planned to make a career in military, but injuries sustained in Afghanistan earned him two Purple Hearts and a medical discharge. He was able to find a second home and a new career path at the University of South Carolina.
January 18, 2018, Dana Woodward
The university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorative event series wraps up Sunday, Jan. 21, with a performing arts show titled “Freedom Rings: An artistic celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.”
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.
January 11, 2018, Dana Woodward
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the University of South Carolina’s Black Law Students Association intends to mark the occasion with a film screening of "Rikers: An American Jail" and a community forum.
January 10, 2018, Page Ivey
A "Texas Super Lawyer," Benjamin Hall started the path to his legal career with a degree in religion from Carolina in 1977. Hall has been named Outstanding Black Alumni.
December 29, 2017, Aïda Rogers
From Scotland to Singapore and Germany to New Zealand, South Carolina Honors College alumni make their homes abroad.
December 18, 2017, Chris Horn
Two professors, a student and a staff member have been selected as 2018 recipients of Social Justice Awards by the University of South Carolina’s MLK Day planning committee.
December 15, 2017, Joshua Burrack
When Capstone is lit, you know something good has happened in Gamecock Nation and it was lit a lot in 2017. Take a look back at some of our top moments with our A to Z year-in-review video.
December 14, 2017, Taylor Evans
David Tran, a first-generation college student from Greenwood, South Carolina, dreamed of becoming a doctor. Thanks to the Gamecock Guarantee financial and academic support program, Tran has taken his first big step on that journey.
December 12, 2017, Aïda Rogers
Study abroad offers valuable lessons, priceless experiences.
December 06, 2017, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Premier pianist and composer Courtney Bryan will discuss her music’s overall ties to social justice campaigns and her inspirations across various genres during two public lectures Friday, Dec. 8 at the University of South Carolina.
December 05, 2017, Chris Horn
The names of enslaved workers and acknowledgement of their contributions at the University of South Carolina during its antebellum era are now immortalized on two bronze historic markers that will be unveiled in a ceremony Dec. 5 at Rutledge Chapel on the Horseshoe.
November 17, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
Maybe you’re familiar with the annual Thanksgiving for Internationals dinner at Columbia restaurant Immaculate Consumption; maybe you’re not. Either way, you can appreciate the spirit of the event.
October 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
University of South Carolina College of Education alumnus and Chapin High School principal, Akil Ross, was named the 2018 National Principal of the Year on Friday, October 20. The honor is the culmination of a passionate career as an educator that began just a few miles away from our campus 16 years ago.