In 2003, Wright Culpepper walked into a University 101 classroom as a first-year student looking to find his place at the University of South Carolina. Two years later, he returned as a peer leader, helping guide new students through the same transition. By 2015, Culpepper had stepped to the front of the classroom as a University 101 Instructor, committed to giving students the same sense of belonging that shaped his own Carolina experience.

Now, a decade later, that commitment has earned him the M. Stuart Hunter Award for Outstanding Teaching in University 101 for the 2025-26 year, recognizing his lasting impact on hundreds of students inside and outside the classroom.

A legacy in the classroom

For Culpepper, now the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for the USC College of Nursing, the award represents more than recognition for excellent teaching. It reflects 20 years of involvement with a first-year seminar course that helped define his own college experience.

"I believe in the class, and I know that it's successful," Culpepper says. "The course is the best in the country. It played a role in my success when I was here."

As a first-year student, Culpepper took University 101 with instructor Bob Holdeman. He remembers it as a place where students could build relationships, learn how to navigate college life and become part of the Carolina community.

That experience stayed with him long after his first semester ended. In 2005, he returned to the University 101 classroom as Holdeman's peer leader, serving as a co-instructor and mentor for incoming students. And when Culpepper re-joined the university as a staff member years later, he made finding time to teach University 101 a high priority.

In the 11 years since, Culpepper has continued to prioritize the class — continuing to teach when he transitioned from the Graduate School to the College of Nursing in 2024 — and all along bringing the same community-focused approach that brought him into the university in 2003.

A caring curriculum

While Culpepper's commitment hasn't changed, his teaching philosophy over the years has evolved. Early in his career, he felt pressure to provide students with as much information as possible but realized over time that the most meaningful learning happens when students have the space to connect with one another.

"For me, I have evolved from feeling the pressure of, 'I've got so much information,'" he says. "Now it's far more student-led, and no more than 25 percent of each class should be the instructor or peer leader talking."

Instead, Culpepper focuses on helping students build community, engage in self-reflection and develop the confidence needed to succeed both academically and personally.

Since he began teaching University 101 in 2015, Culpepper estimates he has taught approximately 300 students, and about 10 have come back to help teach his sections of University 101.

"It means that they got something out of the class," Culpepper says. "Knowing that they wanted to work with me is extra special."

Though not one of his former students, Culpepper's 2025 peer leader Kate Heller went on to be recognized as the University 101 New Peer Leader of the Year.

Working with primarily nursing majors, Culpepper also sees firsthand how University 101 helps students prepare for the unique challenges of the profession. The course introduces students to time management, stress relief strategies, financial literacy and teamwork while helping them explore career pathways and long-term goals.

Thrilling surprise

Culpepper says he learned he had been selected for the M. Stuart Hunter Award when six students surprised him during what he thought was a routine meeting.

His reaction was simple.

"Thrilled," he says.

While he is honored by the recognition, the most rewarding part of teaching remains the opportunity to welcome each new generation of University of South Carolina students.

As a lifelong Gamecock supporter with deep family ties to the university, Culpepper enjoys sharing traditions and helping students create connections that will last long after graduation.

"I'm always excited about sharing those traditions with a new group of students that will hold the same emotions about the alma mater, football games and more," he says.

More than 20 years after first walking into a University 101 classroom, Culpepper continues to help students find what he found there himself: community, connection and a place to belong.