The University of South Carolina won the 2021 Institution Excellence Award from the Association for Student Conduct Administration. Informally known as the “School of the Year” award, the honor recognizes excellence and innovation in the field of student conduct.

The Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity enforces the student Code of Conduct and Honor Code while ensuring due process for students and encouraging their ethical development. The office also collaborates with faculty to promote honesty and integrity in academic work and supports the campus community in striving to live by the tenets of the Carolinian Creed.

During the global pandemic, staff members moved quickly to be able to hold hearings virtually, ensuring that students were treated efficiently and respectfully.

After local and state governments instituted public health directives, staff designed a process to respond to potential violations. That process and the supporting sanctioning guidelines have served as models for college conduct offices across the country. The work also prepared the office for its responsibility to enforce the university’s COVID-19 testing requirements in the spring semester.

“I have been involved in conduct work for over 20 years and I have never seen a conduct office have the level of respect across all campus constituent groups: students, faculty, and staff,” Marc Shook, dean of students and deputy Title IX coordinator, wrote in his letter supporting the office’s award nomination. “They are good at what they do and deserving of this recognition.”