For more than twenty years, Dr. Stacy Fritz has called the University of South Carolina home. A graduate of University of Kentucky and the University of Florida, Fritz has worked the majority of the last two decades as a professor in USC’s Arnold School of Public Health. But over the last month and a half, Fritz has taken on the role of Chief Health Officer and Associate Vice President of Student Health and Well-Being for the university.

“USC stands out due to its strong sense of community, commitment to student success and innovative approach to education and research,” Fritz said. “I’ve never heard ‘that’s good enough, we’re doing a good enough job.’ That’s just not in our vernacular.”

Fritz joins the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support after serving as Chief of Staff for President Michael Amiridis since he joined the university in the summer of 2022. In that position, she was responsible for chaperoning presidential initiatives and strategic planning as well as functioned as the primary liaison to the president. A physical therapist by trade, Fritz also previously served as Program Director for the Arnold School’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program for nearly a decade between 2012 and 2021.

In her new role, Fritz provides leadership and direction for Student Health and Well-Being and its operating units, including Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Campus Recreation, Substance Abuse Prevention and Education (SAPE), Healthy Campus Initiatives and Employee Well-Being.

Early in her tenure, Fritz wants to prioritize listening and learning from students about what they want from Student Health and Well-Being. That process, she says, will help maintain and improve parts of the unit that are excelling in student service while creating innovative initiatives for areas the campus community wants to see improvement heading into 2025.

“Short term goal is stability, let’s find our points of excellence, let’s capitalize on those and let’s improve efficiency,” she said. “Longer term, I want to look at enhancing programs, bigger reach for health services, increasing our outreach activities and overall integration of health and well-being on campus, whether that’s in campus rec or in student health services.”

Another aspect of Fritz’s plans is increasing awareness and visibility for each department under her leadership. Both Campus Recreation and SAPE were recently moved under the Student Health and Well-Being umbrella, which was formally created in July 2023. Still many students don’t have a complete understanding of everything available to them.

“Lauren Olson, our associate director of campus recreation told me ‘We’re more than just barbells and basketballs.’ I think that’s an important part of Student Health and Well-Being, and it compliments nicely our prevention work in the Center for Health and Well-Being,” Fritz said.

Going forward, Fritz wants Student Health and Well-Being to be mission-driven, prioritizing the needs of the student body to ensure that the resources her unit provides are meaningful. That also includes adjusting how services are marketed to students to eliminate misconceptions and teach students what is already available on campus.