Office of the Provost

Middle aged man explains his idea to a group with a poster on a board

USCreativity Events

Which UofSC events celebrate creativity?

Numerous UofSC special events exist to cultivate creative capacity. Others have adopted this focus to be a part of the USCreativity story.

If you know of an event that emphasizes creativity, innovation, uncommon exploration, and/or team-based problem-solving please submit details to dcutler@mozart.sc.edu.

Select a program or event below to learn more.

Facilitation Deep Dive (May 14-18, 2018)

Thirty USC faculty and staff participated in this train-the-trainer workshop addressing collaborative, creative problem solving. Following two days of interactive classes on human-centered design, attendees directly applied what they learned as co-facilitators of Great Gamecock Design Challenge, where they were joined by 60 additional collaborators. During the final day, attendees mapped professional design challenged for upcoming projects related to teaching, research, service, or an academic unit.

Great Gamecock Design Challenge: Design Challenge 1 (May 16-17, 2018)

An immersive, problem-solving experience where ten interdisciplinary faculty/staff/student teams collaborated to invent the extraordinary. Using human-centered design thinking, participants were challenged to reimagine a used bus as an extraordinary mobile space the cultivates creative collaboration around important problems facing SC. Concluding with a public competition, visions competed for an impressive $72,000 of project support.

Creativity Speaker: Warren Berger (Sep 20, 2018)

Warren Berger, author of the official USCreativity book A More Beautiful Question, is a questionologist and speaker who explores the subject of innovation. Over the years, he has researched hundreds of the world’s leading innovators, designers and creative thinkers to analyze how they ask fundamental questions, solve problems and create new possibilities.

Gamecock Teaching Days (Sep 25-26, 2018)

All USC Faculty and instructors are invited to participate in the first annual Gamecock Teaching Days. See some of the most creative faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences in action as they open their classrooms for the day to colleagues who would like to visit--then stay after class for informal coffee and conversation. If you enjoy meeting new colleagues and talking about teaching and learning, this event is for you.

TEDXUofSC (Oct 9, 2018)

TEDxUofSC is a conference hosted by the University of South Carolina for the greater Columbia community. The conference will highlight a series of short, powerful talks with the potential to change the way we view ourselves, our community, and our world. Coinciding with USC's Year of Creativity, TEDxUofSC 2018’s theme is “Create!” Showcased speakers and performers will exemplify creativity, imagination, and curiosity through their work and ideas.

CreateAthon@USC (Nov 2-3, 2018)

Every fall, students and mentors deprive themselves of sleep, even a shred of sanity, developing advertising and marketing communications for good causes in just 24 intense hours. It’s an all-volunteer, pro bono effort that benefits everyone involved: advancing the causes of deserving nonprofits, ramps up student skills, and brings professional mentors and students together in an experience that is intense, challenging, rewarding — and fun. When the 24 hours have come to a close, volunteers pitch their campaigns directly to the nonprofits, who leave CreateAthon with killer concepts for their organizations.

Carolina/College Music Society Summit 2.0 (Jan 17-20, 2019)

An experiential workshop on designing relevant, thriving 21st-century music programs that draws 230+ music faculty and administrators from across the globe to UofSC. Teams are challenged to answer: How can music programs better emphasize 21st-century priorities within existing courses and curricular structures? Multiple teams collaborate to reimagine traditional offerings, and then pitch proposals during a friendly competition.

Leadership Week (Jan 28-Feb 1, 2019)

This week-long event is a fun week highlighting leadership and leadership activities for all of our students. The culminating event will be the all-day Student Leadership and Diversity Conference on Saturday, February 2nd. In previous years, more than 50 events were hosted by the Academic Colleges and service units that are part of the Office of the Provost. This year, as part of the many events in USCreativity, there will be a focus on creative leadership and leadership activities.

Great Gamecock Design Challenge: Design Challenge 2 (Feb 9-10, 2019)

Following a first design challenge around reimagining a used bus into an extraordinary mobile space, this event challenges new teams to determine how the vehicle should be used to maximize impact. Goals include facilitating dialogue that wouldn’t otherwise occur, convening diverse groups of people who don’t normally interact, while inspiring collaborative, creative problem-solving around important problems facing South Carolina.

USCreativity Week (Feb 18-22, 2019)

The entire university shows solidarity behind the concept of creativity. All teaching faculty are invited to devote one class period to exploring how creativity intersects with course content. This might mean studying how creative thinking has historically shaped the topic, or challenging students to thinking differently by exploring unfamiliar, unconventional solutions for the future.

Proving Ground Competition (March 2019)

Check back for the date of this exciting competition.

Creativibe (Mar 22, 2019)

An unprecedented, student-designed event showcasing diverse creative output from across campus. Through its innovative format, audience members will be blown away by the depth and breadth of creative genius our university has to offer.

IdeaPop Conference (May 2019)

Held each May, IdeaPOP! is an in-house conference that examines higher education trends and issues through addresses and workshops whose content aligns with the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners.

SAVVY Arts Venture Challenge (June 1-8, 2019)

SAVVY is a revolutionary, internationally-recognized professional development workshop that teaches creative artists and administrators to become better entrepreneurs, collaborators, change agents, community pillars and dreamers. During season 6 of this problem-solving "game," nine interdisciplinary teams are paired with community-based non-arts entities (bank, health care, farm, military, etc.). After interviewing liaisons, groups custom design innovative, income-producing arts initiatives designed specifically to benefit their partner organization. The workshop concludes with a public competition.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.