Michelle Harris
Geography
Awarded to graduate students demonstrating leadership on campus, in their academic discipline or in the community.
The Graduate School is committed to supporting the exemplary work of the graduate student community and their invaluable contributions to the University of South Carolina. Each year, the Graduate School recognizes excellence in research, teaching, leadership and community engagement through a variety of merit-based awards and trustee fellowships for graduate students. The Graduate School is pleased to announce the 2023 award and trustee fellowship recipients. Awardees will receive funding to pursue academic work and lead community projects.
Please view the 2023 awardees below:
Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership
Outstanding Community Engagement Award
Emily Collie
Counseling and Rehabilitation
Awarded to any graduate student who has shown commitment to the Carolina community or beyond in the academic year through community service, social advocacy, civil engagement, or volunteerism.
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award
Elizabeth Churchya
Music
Amadi Afua Sefah-Twerefour
Marine Science
Awarded to graduate students who have shown themselves to be exceptional graduate instructors or instructional assistants.
Outstanding Research Award
Rajat Das Gupta
Epidemiology
Awarded to Ph.D. or Master’s students who conducted research vital to their academic discipline and society at large.
C.C. Royal Fellowship
Valerie Yelverton
Health Services Policy and Management
Trustee Fellowships are awarded to full-time graduate students who exhibit excellence in graduate study, research and scholarship. Trustee Fellowships are awarded to current students in memory of individuals who influenced particular fields of study and/or the University of South Carolina during their lifetimes.
About C.C. Royal
CC Royal was a lumberman from Aiken, South Carolina. In 1950, he bought Kiawah Island. Over the next 24 years, Royal logged pine trees, built the causeway to Kiawah, developed Eugenia Avenue and put in east-to-west logging roads, the precursors to today’s paved roads. In 1974, Royal sold the island to the Kuwait Investment Corporation for a large profit. Development of the island began in earnest.
Dera D. Parkinson Fellowship
Ling Hao
Teaching and Learning
Trustee Fellowships are awarded to full-time graduate students who exhibit excellence in graduate study, research and scholarship. Trustee Fellowships are awarded to current students in memory of individuals who influenced particular fields of study and/or the University of South Carolina during their lifetimes.
About Dera D. Parkinson
Dera Dry Parkinson was the first woman and sixth person to earn a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. She earned her degree in psychology. Dr. Parkinson was an educator, lecturer, author, parliamentarian, scholar and researcher. She taught history and psychology at Chicora College and Furman University. She was born in Albermarle, North Carolina and married to Dr. Burney Lynch, President emeritus of Mississippi State College for Women and former director of the Extension Division of the University of South Carolina.
George M. Reeves Fellowship
Hannah Burzynski
Biomedical Sciences
Trustee Fellowships are awarded to full-time graduate students who exhibit excellence in graduate study, research and scholarship. Trustee Fellowships are awarded to current students in memory of individuals who influenced particular fields of study and/or the University of South Carolina during their lifetimes.
George M. Reeves Fellowship
George M. Reeves graduated from the University of Paris with a D.U. in 1953. At the University of South Carolina, he was Director for the Lilly Teaching Fellows Program, Senior Assistant to the President, Dean of the Graduate School and faculty emeriti in French and Classics. In addition to his active involvement in the College of Arts and Sciences, Reeves supported the South Carolina Archaeological Research Trust.
Female Students in Humanities or Social Sciences: Rhude M. Patterson Fellowship
Wendy Chu
Psychology
Mary Quattlebaum
Psychology
Trustee Fellowships are awarded to full-time graduate students who exhibit excellence in graduate study, research and scholarship. Trustee Fellowships are awarded to current students in memory of individuals who influenced particular fields of study and/or the University of South Carolina during their lifetimes.
Nominees for the Rhude M. Patterson Fellowship must meet the following criteria:
- Female Graduate Student
- In the Humanities and/or Social Sciences Field
About Rhude M. Patterson
Rhude Meetze Patterson earned a master’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1952. The wife of William H. Patterson, USC's 24th president, Ms. Patterson served for three years as the curator of the University Collections where she was instrumental in cataloguing the Baruch Silver Collection and moving the university's permanent collections from the War Memorial Building to McKissick Museum. She also served as president of the Columbia Garden Club. This fellowship was first awarded in 1983 and grew out of Ms. Patterson’s concern that women were not receiving sufficient financial support for graduate studies.
Business Administration Students: Charles Coker Fellowship
Nathaniel Hill
International Business
Trustee Fellowships are awarded to full-time graduate students who exhibit excellence in graduate study, research and scholarship. Trustee Fellowships are awarded to current students in memory of individuals who influenced particular fields of study and/or the University of South Carolina during their lifetimes.
Nominees for the Charles Coker Fellowship must be business administration graduate students pursuing a master's or doctoral degree.
About Charles Coker
Charles Coker was the Chairman of the Board of Sonoco Products. He received an Honorary Degree from USC during the December 2001 commencement exercises. He was also a founding member of the USC-Business Partnership Foundation within the Darla Moore School of Business.
Topics: The Graduate School