The University of South Carolina celebrated 50 years of its Public History Program this weekend. Alumni, students, faculty and community partners gathered Saturday at the Close-Hipp Building for “50 Years of Putting History to Work,” a daylong event honoring one of the nation’s oldest history programs.  

Founded in 1975 as the Applied History Program, USC’s initiative emerged at a moment when historians were beginning to ask what it meant to take history beyond the classroom. Over the past five decades, graduates of the program have helped answer that question by working to interpret the past in communities across the country. 

“USC's Public History program has produced graduates who are leaders across the nation and around the world,” says Melissa Stuckey, director of public history. “Our alumni work everywhere from our nation’s capital to ‘Main Streets’ across South Carolina. Locally, you will find them in state parks, museums, libraries, archives and universities; at nonprofit organizations like Historic Columbia and South Carolina Humanities; and consulting on public and private historic preservation projects.” 

Since its inception, the program has expanded its reach and impact, now offering graduate degrees and certificates as well as collaborations with cultural institutions. Students in the program learn by working on projects in historic preservation, museum studies and cultural resource management, among others. 

Public historians are tasked to tell inclusive stories, confront difficult pasts and connect scholarship with everyday life. At USC, that mission has taken many forms, from oral history projects documenting the program’s own legacy to partnerships that bring history into communities across South Carolina and beyond. 

“Public historians have been instrumental in the digitization of archives, the growth of GIS for historical research and even in using AI to expand and deepen study and to increase accessibility to resources,” Stuckey says. 

Looking ahead, the next 50 years of public history at USC will likely be shaped by new technologies, evolving audiences and an increasing demand for inclusive storytelling. Digital archives, interactive exhibits and community-based research are already redefining how history is created and shared. 

“There is so much rich public history work taking place on campus and across the state. Our faculty and alumni have made incredible contributions towards changing the conversation about history in South Carolina to one that is broader, deeper, more diverse and more inclusive. The impact of that work can be seen all over the nation and state, but especially here in Columbia. Our museums, historic sites, archives, neighborhoods and universities are richer because of their contributions,” Stuckey says. 

“I am excited about growing the program, training the next generation of public history professionals, deepening existing public history partnerships, rekindling older ones, and developing new ones. It is an honor to steward the program into the future while upholding its legacy of excellence.”