Recent Stories

Icon of how an artificial intelligence brain connects to concepts of technology, transportation, vision, the brain, ideas and health care.

2024 artificial intelligence faculty experts list

April 03, 2024, Gregory Hardy

University of South Carolina researchers explore how artificial intelligence can be used for advancements in health care, education, manufacturing, energy, disaster management and transportation. They are also helping shape and inform the ethics and policies surrounding these emergent solutions.

Joe Rice with his wife at the law school dedication ceremony.

USC's newly named Joseph F. Rice School of Law reflects powerhouse attorney's ambition, philanthropy and commitment to the profession

January 17, 2024, Craig Brandhorst

Attorney Joe Rice is one of the most respected plaintiff’s attorneys in the country. The cofounder of the Charleston-based Motley Rice law firm has secured hundreds of billions of dollars for clients, taking on Goliath-sized opponents like Big Tobacco and the financiers of 9/11.

a man leans on a railing with a cable-stayed bridge in the background

USC School of Law named the Joseph F. Rice School of Law

November 10, 2023, Peggy Binette

The University of South Carolina’s School of Law has a new name thanks to the generosity and vision of well-known alumnus and longtime benefactor, plaintiffs’ trial lawyer Joe Rice. The official name, the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, was announced Friday (Nov. 10) during a signage unveiling ceremony at the law school building at the corner of Bull and Senate streets.

Seth Rose and his family photographed on the Horseshoe.

Alumnus and tennis standout Seth Rose gives back -- and not just for racket sports.

November 08, 2023, Craig Brandhorst

Seth Rose, ’03, was a first team All-American in men’s tennis, and he paid his alma mater back by helping finance two courts on campus But Rose’s love for the Gamecocks extends beyond tennis. The 2014 Gamecock Athletics Hall of Fame inductee is also a huge Gamecock football fan, and his philanthropy reflects it.

Jared Johnson and Clint Wallace, two of the four owners of All Good Books.

Independent bookstore begins first chapter -- and USC's fingerprints are on every page

August 11, 2023, Megan Sexton

Walk through the doors at All Good Books, a thriving bookstore in the heart of Five Points, and you’ll see neat shelves filled with classics and new releases, a counter for coffee, beer and wine and – perhaps most important of all — a welcoming vibe.

head and shoulders shot of Alysja Carlisle

USC Law alumna keeps learning, giving back

August 10, 2023, Megan Sexton

As vice president and legal counsel at Belk in Charlotte, School of Law alumna Alysja Carlisle reviews and drafts commercial contracts, manages projects and addresses a wide range of general corporate, privacy and intellectual property issues. She also gives her time and talents to organizations around the region and her alma mater.

Steve Benjamin on the USC Horseshoe

Former Columbia mayor ready for White House gig

June 02, 2023, Page Ivey

Steve Benjamin, former mayor of Columbia and two-time graduate of USC, is director of the Office of Public Engagement and a senior adviser to the president and the White House. Benjamin sat down with USC Today earlier this year to discuss the job and how his experiences as a political science major and law school student prepared him for his 12 years as Columbia mayor and for his new role in the White House.

Portrait of William C. Hubbard, dean of the School of Law.

Law dean William Hubbard elected to prestigious national academy

April 19, 2023, Laura Kammerer

William C. Hubbard, dean of the School of Law, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences which is a prestigious fellowship of scholars and leaders. Distinguished members include Benjamin Franklin and Colin Powell, and current members include more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

Honoree Amber Guyton kneels over her brick and smiles

Meet the Black alumnae whose contributions are commemorated on the Horseshoe

March 14, 2023, Rebekah Friedman

As a tribute to the Black alumnae featured in the student-produced documentary The Backbone, USC’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion installed 18 personalized bricks on the Horseshoe. The honorees' stories span seven decades of university history.

A scales of justice icon in white with green background.

Boeing supports USC's assistance to veterans through free legal clinic

February 10, 2023, Communications and Marketing

The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free legal services to low-income veterans living in South Carolina who are facing issues with credit and related financial matters, housing, government benefits and family law. It was established in 2018 by a grant from the South Carolina Bar Foundation. Thanks to continued support from Boeing — $450,000 to date — the clinic has been able to serve more than 70 veterans since opening.

The library named after Peden McLeod, at the USC Salkehatchie campus in Walterboro.

Family and community support fuels building renovation at USC Salkehatchie

February 09, 2023, Chris Horn

Peden McLeod, a 1967 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law believed in public service. Founder, chairman and CEO of the Bank of Walterboro as well as a state legislator, McLeod worked tirelessly to establish and support the USC Salkehatchie campus. It’s fitting, then, that the only building named for an individual on the campus in Walterboro honors McLeod: the Peden McLeod Library, which was dedicated in 1998.

An illustration of hand holding a lightning rod.

USC researchers advancing transition to a new energy landscape

January 12, 2023, Megan Sexton

From policy-making surrounding cleaner energy technologies to researching better ways to make and store electricity to studying advanced nuclear materials for interplanetary space travel, University of South Carolina researchers are advancing the transition to a changing energy landscape.

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The Best of Times?

April 25, 2022, Craig Brandhorst

A lot happens over the course of an academic year, and there’s absolutely no way to highlight everything. So, no, don’t think of this as a Best Of list. This is merely a smattering of the achievements and memorable moments that defined 2021-22, a small taste of the year that was. Trust us, there’s plenty more where this came from — and plenty more to come.

Lorri Unumb

After son's diagnosis, alumna becomes leading advocate for families affected by autism

April 25, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

Alumna Lorri Unumb's journey to becoming an advocate for families affected by autism began when she and her husband Dan noticed their son Ryan wasn’t behaving and developing like other children. Ryan was diagnosed with autism shortly before his second birthday. Today, Unumb is internationally known for her advocacy.

Freshman students walk the hallway in between classes during the bell break

Legacy of Jim Crow still affects funding for public schools

April 19, 2022, Derek W. Black and Axton Crolley

The Brown v. Board of Education decision framed racial segregation as the cause of educational inequality. Brown's focus on physical segregation inadvertently left important and less obvious aspects of local funding inequality unchecked. This still drives underfunding in predominantly poor and minority schools. Law professor Derek W. Black and law fellow Axton Crolley write for The Conversation on the historical connection between segregation and states' reliance on local school funding.

UofSC Horseshoe

US News rankings: UofSC tops in International MBA, med school grads in underserved areas

March 28, 2022, Megan Sexton

The University of South Carolina’s international business program retained its spot as the best in the country, while the School of Medicine Columbia remained the best school for graduates practicing in underserved areas, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings.

Glynnis Hagins wearing a black dress and cream and cream jacket stands in a brick courtyard with stone benches and fall trees in the background.

Law student to focus on housing security and stability through prestigious fellowship

December 06, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

Glynnis Hagins, a third-year law student at UofSC, has received a Skadden Fellowship that will allow her to pursue her passions of law, education and public interest. She is one of 28 Skadden Fellowship recipients for 2022 and the first UofSC law student to receive the prestigious award, one of the more competitive in the country.

Thomas Crocker smiling

Constitutional law scholar discusses his new book on presidential powers

October 18, 2021, Craig Brandhorst

Law professor Thomas Crocker specializes in constitutional law, criminal procedure, free speech and democracy, national security and the Constitution. His new book, "Overcoming Necessity: Emergency, Constraint, and the Meanings of American Constitutionalism" (Yale University Press) is an analysis of how the concept of necessity, in conflict with constitutional commitments, creates dynamic challenges to constitutional governance, especially during times of emergency.

Michelle Dhunjishah and William Hubbard at Children's Law Center

Children's Law Center moves into renovated facility that's ideal for training

June 29, 2021, Chris Horn

It’s been a long time coming, but the Children’s Law Center finally has a permanent home, complete with a mock court room and a mock crime scene apartment for forensic training purposes. Those two assets are vital to the center’s mission of providing training to more than 10,000 professionals in justice, law enforcement and child welfare in South Carolina.

baseball diamond in Truist Park in Atlanta with rain tarp in place and view of skyline in background

MLB's decision to drop Atlanta highlights the economic power companies can wield over lawmakers - when they choose to

April 14, 2021, Benjamin Means

Over 100 companies publicly denounced Georgia’s new restrictive voting law, Major League Baseball went beyond words by moving the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver. In The Conversation, law professor Benjamin Means writes about how corporations use their economic power as leverage to get what they want from lawmakers.

woman with brown hair, white shirt and navy jacket with a man's hand on her shoulder

Women frequently experience sexual harassment at work, yet few claims ever reach a courtroom

April 13, 2021, Joseph A. Seiner

Sexual harassment at work is a very common occurrence for women, regardless of age or income level. Among women who have experienced unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, almost all reported that male harassers usually go unpunished. Law professor Joseph Seiner writes in The Conversation about the unfortunate reality that engaging in this conduct will result in no real consequences.

UofSC home to 60 ranked programs

UofSC med school leads nation for grads practicing in underserved areas

March 29, 2021, Megan Sexton

The School of Medicine Columbia is the top medical program in the country for graduates who are practicing in areas where there is a shortage of health care professionals, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings. The rankings also show that UofSC is now home to more than 60 nationally ranked programs.

Maxcy Monument on the Historic Horseshoe with sunlight streaming through the trees.
exterior photo of the University of South Carolina law school

UofSC law students helped Breonna Taylor's family secure $12 million settlement

September 24, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina law students Jasmine Caruthers and Anna Catherine Parham say their research on no-knock warrants to assist the lawyers representing Breonna Taylor’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit was enlightening and emotional.

Mary Gordon Ellis portrait

100 years of suffrage: After the vote, comes an era of 'firsts'

August 20, 2020, Page Ivey

South Carolina’s few but dedicated suffragists were no doubt disappointed that the state was not among the first 36 to ratify the 19th amendment, but they almost immediately set about the business of turning their suffrage organizations into education and advocacy groups. In the process, these bold women kicked off the era of “firsts.”

Drawing of a patrolman looking over the passes of plantation slaves

Ahmaud Arbery's killing puts citizen's arrest laws in spotlight

May 29, 2020, Seth Stoughton

The killing of an unarmed black jogger by white residents is shocking, but it should come as no surprise. Law professor Seth Stoughton writes for The Conversation that if anything, Ahmaud Arbery’s death in Georgia on Feb. 23 was predictable: the latest tragic example of the fatal consequences that can occur when private citizens seek to take the law into their own hands.

teacher and student in classroom

COVID-19 impact: Redirection of CARES Act funds shortchanges low-income students

May 29, 2020, Derek Black

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, designated $13.5 billion for public schools that was supposed to be distributed based on the number of low-income students enrolled in a district. Law professor Derek Black writes for The Conversation that a new directive from the U.S. Department of Education, which tells districts to share far more of the money than expected private and religious school students, contradicts the CARES Act.

archival image of student protests in May 1970

50 years of May

April 27, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

A half century ago, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and seismic shifts in American culture, the campus of the University of South Carolina became a battleground — between students and the administration, between a young generation and the establishment, between radically different worldviews. But the dramatic events of that spring, which came to be known as The Months of May, weren’t strictly destructive. The lessons of that era also changed lives and changed the university itself.

child with parents arguing in the background

COVID-19 impact: Co-parenting during a pandemic

April 14, 2020, Marcia Zug

As millions of people around the world practice social distancing and self-quarantine, they are separating themselves from everyone but their immediate family members. However, for divorced or separated parents who share custody of their children, the definition of “immediate family” isn’t obvious. Law professor Marcia Zug writes for The Conversation on family law in the age of the coronavirus.

UofSC faculty experts on coronavirus

March 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs has compiled a list of faculty experts who can discuss topics relevant to the coronavirus pandemic.

James Cutsinger

Professor helped students find the light within

December 02, 2019, Chris Horn

Not many professors inspire lofty tribute. Some we forget and others are scarcely remembered. James Cutsinger, a religious studies professor who taught at the university for 37 years, earned the respect and admiration of students for decades while helping them to achieve the most noble of goals: the ability to think.

Skyline with the USC smoke stack and downtown Columbia buildings

Campus, city thrive together through decades of change

October 22, 2019, Communications and Public Affairs staff

From growth and innovation on campus to an increasingly bustling city life, the university and the city are thriving together in a symbiotic relationship. In many cases, it’s South Carolina alumni themselves who are leading change in the city as entrepreneurs and community leaders.

Brandon Adams, education alumnus

Education alum trades classroom for courtroom

September 09, 2019, Kathryn McPhail

For most students, the path to law school doesn’t include a stop in a fourth grade classroom. Well, at least not as the teacher of the class. But law student Brandon Adams says his experience as a teacher will help him become a better attorney, and he plans to combine his love of teaching and the law.

map of South Carolina with UofSC Alumnni mayor's cities pinned

Keys to the City

August 05, 2019, Craig Brandhorst and Megan Sexton

You don’t need a degree from the University of South Carolina to get elected mayor in the Palmetto State, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This summer, Carolinian magazine traveled the state, from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, from the Midlands to the Pee Dee, interviewing South Carolina alumni who hold the esteemed office.

Project Hope

Cause for hope

April 03, 2019, Chris Horn

When Wendy Rothermel’s son Cade was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, her family life was upside down, punctuated by his frequent temper tantrums. But when the family connected with Project HOPE and Cade’s therapy began, positive changes followed. The nonprofit foundation, launched by two university alumnae, is bringing hope to families across the state.

Paul Morella as Clarence Darrow

In his words

February 07, 2019, Dana Woodward

In the one-man production, “A Passion for Justice: An Encounter with Clarence Darrow,” actor Paul Morella portrays a selection of Darrow’s most dynamic arguments. The show takes place Feb. 11 at the Karen J. Williams Courtroom in the UofSC School of Law.

Freeze-dried crickets

Guess what's coming to dinner

January 25, 2018, Chris Horn

Insects are regularly consumed by an estimated 2 billion people, a practice that has its roots in culture and sometimes necessity. Law professor Marie Boyd studies the regulation of insects as food as part of her research on the Food and Drug Administration. She says insect-based food has a long way to go, both from a cultural and regulatory standpoint, in the U.S.

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.

Emily Suski and Lisa Martin

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.

Cold Case

Solving the cold case

May 23, 2017, Chris Horn

Established about three years ago in the Children’s Law Center with funding from the Casey Family Programs, Cold Case goes to bat for S.C. children who have lingered in foster care for years. The goal is to help them to be adopted or to establish meaningful contact with a family member or adult friend who will be there for them down the road.