The Office of Communications and Public Affairs serves as the central communications for the University of South Carolina System. Its mission is to build, enhance and protect the system brand and help provide a consistent brand experience across all university touch points.

Services

• Designs and maintains the system website, southcarolina.edu
• Promotes programs and the work of students, alumni, faculty and staff through external and internal channels. Examples of these channels include:
  • @UofSC Today
  • Carolinian
  • USC Times
  • sc.edu
  • southcarolina.edu
  • Main university social media accounts
  • Press releases, media advisories, daybook, expert lists and other media relations tools
    Op-eds and other thought leadership pieces
  • Presidential remarks
  • Paid advertising including digital, print, outdoor and broadcast
• Develops and implements system-level marketing communications activities
• Develops the University of South Carolina System’s visual identity
• Provides assistance to all public relations and communications offices throughout the university system when needed and/or appropriate, including crisis communications
• Offers professional communications services to all campuses in the system at the strategic, production and self-service levels. These services include but are not limited to: strategic marketing communications, advertising, market research, creative design and production, public relations, event promotion, digital strategy, publication design and content creation
• Coordinates and provides alumni relations services through the My Carolina Alumni Association
• Provides printing services and design, including stationery and copier and printer services

The Vice President for Communications is the primary spokesperson for the University of South Carolina System, the Board of Trustees, the president and all system officers. The Assistant Vice President of Media and External Engagement, members of the public relations staff and individuals designated as University System Officers may also speak on behalf of the university system when appropriate.

USC Aiken, USC Beaufort, USC Upstate and Palmetto College establish and maintain campus-level offices of communications, external relations, public relations, marketing communications or the appropriate equivalent. Those offices are solely responsible for the dissemination of press releases, media advisories or other information to media outlets on each respective campus. Such a unit is the only campus unit authorized to act accordingly on behalf of the university, campus, academic or administrative units.

Each campus is encouraged to maintain its own individual brand campaign that highlights and promotes the uniqueness of each institution. Campus-level marketing and communications activities directed towards external audiences must take place in the context of, and not detract from, the overall University of South Carolina System marketing and communications strategy. College- or school-level programs may have individual customized marketing and communications strategies which coordinate with and are supplemental to the main campus marketing strategy.