The big blue ball
December 29, 2017, Aïda Rogers
From Scotland to Singapore and Germany to New Zealand, South Carolina Honors College alumni make their homes abroad.
2017 Archive
No. 1! UofSC sport science programs top national rankings
December 20, 2017, Allen Wallace
The University of South Carolina’s sport science programs are ranked No. 1 in the United States for the second year in a row, and No. 4 in the world by ShanghaiRanking's 2017 Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.
2017 A to Z
December 15, 2017, Joshua Burrack
When Capstone is lit, you know something good has happened in Gamecock Nation and it was lit a lot in 2017. Take a look back at some of our top moments with our A to Z year-in-review video.
Experiments in co-ed responsibility
December 14, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
When Capstone House opened in fall 1967, the new “women’s honor dormitory” was a little behind schedule: Carpets and drapes wouldn’t arrive for another week, the cafeteria wouldn’t open for another month and the grand opening of the revolving restaurant at the top had been bumped to November.
Anonymously yours
December 07, 2017, Megan Sexton
Thanks to a $5 million gift to the university from an anonymous donor, the country’s oldest freestanding academic library is getting a needed renovation. Work is well underway at the South Caroliniana, with all of the materials moved to the Thomas Cooper Library and other sites around campus.
Dealing with dyslexia
December 04, 2017, Chris Horn
It’s estimated that 6 percent to 10 percent of K-12 students — some say as many as 20 percent — struggle with reading disorders of some kind. Carolina psychology professor Scott Decker has a grant to assess every school district in South Carolina to see how well they are doing in identifying and helping students with dyslexia.
The karate kids
December 04, 2017, Chris Horn
The martial arts craze of the 1970s had hundreds of students signing up for Carolina's karate course. Many of those students including Keith Vitali and his younger brother, Steve, competed successfully in tournaments around the country, making Columbia and the University of South Carolina an important center of karate competition.
Making dreams come true
November 28, 2017, Megan Sexton
A nursing degree from the University of South Carolina helped make Patricia Edens Eddy’s dreams come true. Now, she wants to help make that experience available for others. Eddy and her husband, Nelson, have established an endowed fund to award scholarships to College of Nursing students.
A lasting tribute
November 28, 2017, Chris Horn
John Simmons finished his law degree at Carolina 30 years before the opening of the School of Law’s new building. His days as a walk-on for the men’s baseball team were at the now defunct Sarge Frye Field, long before Founders Stadium was built. But the passage of time and campus construction haven’t diminished Simmons’ ties to the university.
Bridging the gap, supporting our teachers
November 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
The College of Education recently launched a new program aimed at increasing teacher retention and success in the classroom by providing three additional years of support to new teachers after graduation.
A family affair
November 17, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
Maybe you’re familiar with the annual Thanksgiving for Internationals dinner at Columbia restaurant Immaculate Consumption; maybe you’re not. Either way, you can appreciate the spirit of the event.
Doing big things together
November 13, 2017, Jalesa Cooley
It’s not every day that a simple interaction with a professor leads you to the Olympics, or even to finding a trusted mentor, but it is for students who are lucky enough to interact with John Grady. After 13 years at the University of South Carolina, these inspiring interactions have resulted in Grady being honored with the 2017 Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students Award.
Creating opportunities
November 08, 2017, Megan Sexton
Lawrence Hill arrived in Columbia in the summer of 1977 as a student in the first-ever class at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Now, the Greenville urologist is making a gift to ensure other students will have the same opportunities to receive a top-rate medical education. His planned gifts of $3 million to the School of Medicine Columbia and $3 million to the School of Medicine Greenville will be used for scholarships.
Newspaper wars
November 02, 2017, Mary-Kathryn Craft
UofSC alumnus Sid Bedingfield will discuss his book “Newspaper Wars” and the role journalists play in South Carolina’s civil rights struggle during a Nov. 8 public lecture sponsored by the College of Arts and Science’s History Center.
Easing the pain
October 27, 2017, Alyssa Yancey
Inspired by the loss of her aunt to breast cancer, Kandy Velázquez decided to pursue research on how to ease pain. Velázquez, an alumna of the Arnold School of Public Health and a current post doctoral fellow in the School of Medicine, will receive nearly $1 million from the National Institutes of Health over the next five years to fund her research.
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award: Lee M. Thomas, '70
October 23, 2017, Page Ivey
Lee Thomas’ long career took him from public service during a tumultuous period of environmental disasters in the U.S. and abroad to a long stint in the corporate world. The 1970 graduate with a master's in education is this year's Algernon Sydney Sullivan alumni award winner.
A thousand passions, 1 heartbeat
October 20, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
University of South Carolina College of Education alumnus and Chapin High School principal, Akil Ross, was named the 2018 National Principal of the Year on Friday, October 20. The honor is the culmination of a passionate career as an educator that began just a few miles away from our campus 16 years ago.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Raphael Lee, '71
October 17, 2017, Page Ivey
Raphael Lee, a pioneering plastic surgeon and biomedical engineer, has focused his medical research on tissue injury and repair, therapeutic control of scar formation and reconstructive surgery.
Advancing educational equity for African-American children
October 11, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Rapping the words to the U.S. Constitution might seem odd — unless you’re a student in one of Brandon Harrison’s classes. Harrison, and other public school teachers, are collaborating with education professors here at Carolina to identify which methods work best when teaching African-American students.
Setting a foundation
October 11, 2017, Jalesa Cooley
Ross Lordo knew he wanted to be a leader from the moment he completed high school. Now, after four years of serving in student government, the Fort Mill native is spending his senior year serving at the highest student government position — student body president.
Destined to help
October 10, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Kahlil Demonbreun always knew what he wanted to do, even if he couldn’t put an exact name to it. Demonbreun, the 2016 recipient of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing Alumni Award, grew up in Michigan surrounded by strong women whose influence led him down a somewhat unusual career path.
A roost fit for Cocky
October 02, 2017, Megan Sexton
During the years he roamed the sidelines as Cocky, Garrett Humphries was never able to take part in a beloved Carolina tradition, tailgating at Williams-Brice. He’s making up for it now – in style. Humphries owns a train car on the Cockaboose Railroad, allowing him to celebrate pre- and post-game in the shadow of the stadium.
Choosing right, when all the choices are correct
September 25, 2017, John Brunelli
May 2017 graduates of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing set a new record on the National Council Licensure Examination, the standardized test used for the licensing of nurses in the U.S. The cohort of 158 nursing students earned a pass rate of 99.3 percent. The year-to-date average for the college is 98.3 percent. The national average is approximately 83.6 percent.
From refugee to global education advocate
September 22, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
At just 6 years old, Noella “Binda” Niati was forced to flee her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid intense violence and political upheaval. More than two decades later, she is headed back to Africa to study ways to encourage children, especially girls, to stay in school longer.
All in the family
September 20, 2017, Page Ivey
Since its inception in 1981, the Family Fund has generated more than $50 million for Carolina. Gifts through the Family Fund support groundbreaking research, strengthen programs and initiatives, recruit and develop world-class faculty and fund scholarships.
Clinical approach
September 19, 2017, Chris Horn
The School of Law is launching two new legal clinics this academic year. A medicolegal clinic will team law students with medical students, medical residents and physicians to improve health outcomes for pediatric patients, while a domestic violence clinic will focus on protection, advocacy and community education.
The Game Before the Game
September 18, 2017, Allen Wallace
Tailgating has become as important as the game to many college football fans, but how did it grow to be such a big deal? UofSC Professor Andy Gillentine is one of the world's leading experts on tailgating, and his two decades of research have helped shape its present and future.
Get ready for a Cocky weekend
September 07, 2017, Megan Sexton
On Sept. 15, a 6-foot-5, 773-pound bronze statue of the beloved mascot will be dedicated in front of Davis College, just off Greene Street next to the Melton Observatory. Cocky is seated on a bench, with one hand raised high with a spurs-up sign. His other hand rests on a stack of books, a nod to Cocky’s role as a literacy leader around the state.
Uniquely Ours
September 06, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
The university’s new law school building was designed with today’s law student in mind but with the state’s rich legal heritage on full display.
Crafting a tradition
September 05, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
The Hansen family's artistic legacy spans three generations at the University of South Carolina. Harry Hansen was a long-time art professor whose son, Danny, and grandson, Kendall, are finding success with their fast-growing handcrafted jewelry business.
Home sweet home
August 22, 2017, Megan Sexton
Meet the Carolinians who have turned their dreams of home into reality in unlikely ways, one converting a sprawling schoolhouse; another turning a warehouse into elegant living space. The third has taken Henry David Thoreau’s admonition “Simplify, simplify” to its logical conclusion, a home built on a philosophy of living that surpasses the physical dimensions of its walls.
Head of the class
August 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
As 28,000 students file through the doors of Richland Two schools for the first day of a new year, a College of Education alumnus will be leading the way.
A career well spent
August 16, 2017, Chris Horn
Since 1963, Joe and Neva Gibbons have made it their mission to befriend and help Joe's chemical engineering students in any way they could. That legacy continued even after Joe Gibbons retired in 2006.
Brew it yourself
August 15, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
Before he finished college, Kevin Varner, ’93, was working in a brewery. By his mid-20s, he had started one himself. Now, a quarter century later, the founder of Columbia’s Hunter-Gatherer Brewery and Ale House is back at it, opening a second brewery, this one so big you could fly a plane through the front door — or at least taxi in.
Cause and reflect
August 09, 2017, Chris Horn
An innovative program at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department aims to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder among its officers — and change the culture in law enforcement that makes it difficult to ask for help.
Top of his game
August 07, 2017, Allen Wallace
The eyes of the golf world will be on Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., as it hosts the PGA Championship Aug. 10-13. They'll see the results of years of work from a team led by HRSM alumnus Tom DeLozier.
From trooper to magistrate, with help from Palmetto College
July 25, 2017, Megan Sexton
With his newly earned degree from the University of South Carolina Upstate, D.J. Bron traded in his S.C. Highway Patrol uniform for a magistrate’s robe this summer. It's a position he couldn't have imagined without Palmetto College, part of the university system that offers online bachelor’s degree completion programs.
When tracking math students doesn't add up
July 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Education professor Rhonda Jeffries and graduate student Hope Reed wanted to close the achievement gap for underrepresented students, specifically those tracked to be in remedial classes. So, they took a risk with a group of freshman students at Blythewood High School and conducted a secret experiment of sorts that proved to be powerful.
Leading the charge
July 11, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Gerald Harmon will help formulate American Medical Association positions and policies as chair of the board of trustees. Harmon has enjoyed a distinguished military career and a decades-long medical practice in Georgetown.
A Natural Course
July 07, 2017, Laura Kammerer
As a Carolina pharmacy student, David Foreman ’87 never anticipated he would venture far from the traditional drugstore. But after a family member sparked his interest in natural products, he followed his passion and became a go-to national expert in the field.
Channeling his inner drive
June 26, 2017, Megan Sexton
University of South Carolina alumnus Allan McLeland is in a pretty exclusive club. He’s one of seven people who have swum the English Channel and climbed Mount Everest. He braved the rough, cold waters off England in 2008 and reaching the summit of the world’s tallest mountain this past May.
Close reading
June 05, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
MFA graduate and author Mark Powell, who has a new book out this month, talks about the creative writing process through the lens of his own words.
Reaching new heights
May 31, 2017, Jalesa Cooley
Brandon Johnson decided he would study law and work to help young people in his community the day his older brother went to prison in 2009. His desire to fully understand what his family was dealing with during the time sparked a passion in his mind to dig deeper and begin understanding the legal system. Eight years later, Johnson is well on his way to that goal thanks to the Council on Legal Education Opportunity.
Lending a hand
May 31, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Yancey Kemp Wise earned a master's degree in social work from USC to help others deal with the mental illness she battled for most of her adult life. A fellowship she established to honor her mother is helping present-day students continue her legacy of caring.
Tomorrow's leaders
May 24, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
UofSC's Close Family Emerging Leaders Program is a eight-week program that has helped students with different social skill sets cultivate their leadership ability to prepare them for college and beyond.
Remembering D-Day through film and stories
May 23, 2017, Megan Sexton
D-Day will be marked in early June with parades and commemorations along the beaches in northern France. University of South Carolina alumnus Wade Sellers will be there, too, on the independent filmmaker’s third trip to the French coast. This time, he’ll be screening the film he directed and edited, “Return to Normandy,” in the primetime slot at the Normandy-World War II International Film Festival.
Reducing crime through reading
May 22, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
For three weeks each May, English education master’s students head to the Department of Justice's Birchwood High School to help youth improve their reading.
Collecting memories with a microphone
May 18, 2017, Kathy Henry Dowell, University Libraries
Rebecca Borovsky was a student in Evolution of American Higher Education assigned to do something she had never done before: interview, record, transcribe and make available the memories of a University High graduate, a high school previously held in the Wardlaw College as a laboratory school and training ground for teachers.
USC researchers land $1.3 million grant to enhance STEM education
May 03, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Researchers from the School of Medicine and College of Education recently received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to study the best ways to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through participation at informal learning sites.
Ten years and counting...and reading and writing
May 03, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Second-grade teacher Kelly Herring is about to finish her 10th year in the classroom. Herring was among the first class of students to graduate from the College of Education’s elementary education undergraduate degree program in 2007. Since 2007, nearly 740 students have completed the program.
'Round the Mulberry
May 02, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
The Hicks mulberry all but vanished more than 100 years ago. English professor David Shields wants to bring it back.
New director of Equal Opportunity Programs named
May 02, 2017, Megan Sexton
Cliff Scott is the new director of the University of South Carolina’s Office of Equal Opportunity Programs – a job he accepted for its challenges and because it would allow him to contribute to the university in a new way.
The classroom is calling
April 13, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Just months after graduating from college and starting her first job as a television producer, Amanda Bishop realized she had missed her calling.
Championship celebration
April 11, 2017
The city of Columbia threw a parade for the NCAA National Champion Gamecocks. The women's basketball team rode down Main Street on a variety of vehicles to the Statehouse for a celebration.
Planting a love of learning
March 27, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
A self-proclaimed “outdoorsy” person, Todd Beasley started his own small business at just 10 years old gardening for other families in his neighborhood. Now three decades later, the College of Education alumnus is the new director of programs at one of the largest botanical gardens in the country — the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
The timely promise of telehealth
March 21, 2017, Chris Horn
Clinical faculty at the University of South Carolina are using technology and innovation to change the way health care is delivered and improve the wellbeing of the state’s rural population.
The transformation of Lincoln and Greene
March 07, 2017, Megan Sexton
If you haven’t walked around the intersection of Greene and Lincoln streets lately, you’re in for a surprise. It’s Foundation Square, the latest gem of the Greene Street corridor, a pedestrian- and bike-friendly gateway that eventually will connect the university with the Congaree River in Columbia’s Vista.
Law alumni's efforts bring about criminal record reform
February 17, 2017
Two law alumni are working to help reform criminal record issues that can plague people who are jailed for failing to pay child support.
Alumna's work with Holocaust exhibit shapes her teaching
February 16, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
When high school math teacher Morgan Bailey steps in front of her class in rural Walterboro, South Carolina, she worries that some of the faces looking back at her may not graduate. Bailey is trying to enrich her students learning by sharing her experiences as a former intern with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and through her friendship with Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss.
Fake news is real
February 14, 2017, Page Ivey
Fake news. You’ve heard about it, consumed it, probably even believed it — at least on occasion. But what is it? Why does it exist? How do we combat it and why can’t it just go away? USC Times invited two faculty members and an alumnus who serves as the attorney for the South Carolina Press Association to discuss one of the most vexing of 21st century media problems — the rampant spread of fake news, clickbait profiteering and outright propaganda.
Fieldwork: Alum captures the Falcons in action
February 14, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Kara Durrette, ’10 journalism, showcases the Atlanta Falcons and uses all aspects of her Carolina education as the team’s digital media producer.
Lean on me
February 06, 2017
There’s no question that having a good mentor can help shape an individual’s career — especially in the field of law. That’s why the University of South Carolina School of Law has devoted substantial resources to take its mentoring program to a new level.
Debt relief fund aids alumni working in public interest law
January 30, 2017
This year, the Public Interest Law Loan Fund celebrates 15 years of aiding University of South Carolina School of Law alumni who have chosen careers in public interest law and dedicated their practice to helping those who are often unable to help themselves.
Family makes innovative gift in father's honor
January 19, 2017, Page Ivey
Nan Easterlin and Barry Storey were “raised Gamecocks.” So when the two Georgia grads wanted to do something to honor their father, a 1951 engineering graduate of the University of South Carolina, they stuck to what they knew.
Alumna leads Georgia Dome through incredible week
January 19, 2017, Allen Wallace
Millions of football fans watched from all over the world Jan. 15 as Dallas Green Bay battled in a nerve-wracking playoff game. A field goal on the final play meant celebration for the Packers and their fans, and despair for the Cowboys’ side. For University of South Carolina alumna Tamlyn Horne, it meant it was time to go to work.
Say yes to Carolina Day at the Statehouse
January 19, 2017, Peggy Binette
Inspired by his rural roots, Dr. Caughman Taylor believes in the power and purpose of advocacy. On Wednesday he'll join Carolina alumni, faculty, staff and students for Carolina Day at the Statehouse. That's when he and others will meet with legislators to share their stories in support of higher education as being vital to the economic health of the state and lives of its residents.
Marshall Winn on making good choices
January 13, 2017, Aïda Rogers
Marshall Winn doesn’t like speculating about what might have happened if he’d taken that full ride to Harvard instead of accepting the one to the South Carolina Honors College.
DC at 25: Heidi Brooks, alumna
January 10, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
The Washington Semester Program celebrates its 25th anniversary of providing full-time, semester-long internships at congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofits and other D.C.-based organizations. In the last of our series of stories talking to alumni and current participants in the program, we talk to alumna Heidi Brooks, chief operating offering of the Schott Foundation for Public Education.
DC at 25: Kimberly Medina, senior
January 02, 2017, Craig Brandhorst
The Washington Semester Program celebrates its 25th anniversary of providing full-time, semester-long internships at congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofits and other D.C.-based organizations. In our series of stories talking to alumni and current participants in the program, we talk to Kimberly Medina, a senior political science and international studies major.