2026 heart health faculty experts list
February 01, 2026, Gregory Hardy
February is American Heart Month. The University of South Carolina is home to many faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in cardio care and research.
Stories for Faculty and Staff
Carolina Band wins competition hosted by Metallica
January 30, 2026, Kristine Hartvigsen
In a 9 a.m. Instagram story by Metallica and EA Sports on Jan. 30, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo announced the winners of its 3rd Annual Metallica Marching Band Competition – Collegiate Edition. The Carolina Band was named grand-prize winner in the Division 1 category.
Black History Month resources at University Libraries
January 30, 2026, Catherine Pruitt
February is Black History Month, to honor and celebrate this, visit Thomas Cooper Library to utilize their resources to learn more about African American history in South Carolina and here at USC.
Winter storms don't have to be deadly
January 30, 2026, Brett Robertson
Winter storms pose multiple dangers at once, and people often underestimate how quickly conditions can become life-threatening. Here is what people need to know to reduce their risk of injury during severe winter weather.
USC campuses must meet new digital accessibility standards by April 24
January 29, 2026, Communications and marketing
The U.S. Department of Justice has finalized a rule under Title II of the ADA requiring public institutions to meet updated digital accessibility standards by April 24, 2026. The rule applies to all USC campuses and covers all digital content and services. Each unit is accountable for ensuring its digital content is accessible. Tools and training are available to help units.
Gamecock legend Connor Shaw starts a nonprofit after a close call
January 29, 2026, Thom Harman / photos by Kim Truett
While coaching his son’s flag football team last fall, former USC quarterback Connor Shaw went into sudden cardiac arrest. Quick thinking, the presence of first responders and an automated external defibrillator saved his life. Now fully recovered, Shaw has started a nonprofit to increase CPR training and bring AEDs to athletic fields statewide, and beyond.
USC earns Carnegie redesignation for community engagement
January 27, 2026, Collyn Taylor
The University of South Carolina has earned 2026 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement and is one of less than 100 public institutions nationally with Carnegie designations in community engagement and as an R1 research institution.
Latest U.S. News online rankings show strength, momentum at College of Nursing
January 26, 2026, Dan Cook
The University of South Carolina's College of Nursing continues to be a national leader in online nursing education. Four nursing programs at the University of South Carolina rank in the Top 10 nationally in the latest online rankings from U.S. News & World Report, including its online master's in nursing program, which has been in the Top 5 for six consecutive years.
Center for Civil Rights History and Research Celebrates 10 Years of Impact
January 26, 2026, Hadley McCollester
The Civil Rights movement in South Carolina has long been overlooked and overshadowed. The Center for Civil Rights History and Research has spent the last decade working to document and bring awareness and scholarship to South Carolina's role in the movement. In this documentary, Bobby Donaldson, executive director of the center, takes us through the amazing work done over the past 10 years and what is on the horizon.
Campus Conversation: Ruby Voortmeyer
January 23, 2026, Catherine Pruitt
A Campus Conversation with Ruby Voortmeyer, an engineering student-athlete who rides for Gamecock Equestrian.
Engineering researchers are studying next-generation materials to improve SC infrastructure
January 22, 2026, Rebekah Friedman
Fabio Matta’s next-generation building materials include fiber-reinforced plastic bars — essentially, glass fibers immersed in a strong polymeric resin. They are stronger than steel, don’t corrode and are lighter than traditional materials — all qualities that make them ideal for bridge and infrastructure rehabilitation.
TEDxCongaree Vista set for March 14
January 21, 2026, Chris Horn
A group of University of South Carolina students has planned and organized TEDxCongaree Vista, featuring speakers whose topics are likely to spark conversation and inspire action.
Longest-serving USC trustee Eddie Floyd dies, aged 91
January 15, 2026, Dan Cook
Retired physician Eddie Floyd, the longest-serving member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, passed away recently. A former heart surgeon and chairman of the board from 1992 to 1996, Floyd earned a bachelor’s degree in business from USC in 1956, and he served on the USC board from 1982 to 2024.
The Carolina Agency: 20 years of student development, community impact
January 14, 2026, Catherine Pruitt
For 20 years, The Carolina Agency has been the student-run public relations and media agency giving College of Information and Communications students real-world experience in a professional setting. In addition to offering students an internship credit and an authentic work experience in a professional setting, The Carolina Agency also prides itself on its service to community clients.
5 recognized for social justice work
January 13, 2026, Kristine Hartvigsen
The University of South Carolina has recognized students, faculty and staff members for their work on campus and in the larger community with 2026 Martin Luther King Social Justice Awards. The awards recognize individuals who have exemplified the philosophies of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through acts of community service, social justice or racial reconciliation.
USC leads the nation in fragile X research and education
January 08, 2026, Bryan Gentry
A new grant from the National Institutes of Health will help USC faculty study fragile X-associated health conditions, which may affect thousands of people in South Carolina, and identify new ways to diagnose and treat the conditions.
USC Rice Law professor David Sella-Villa studies cause and effect of modern privacy policy
December 19, 2025, Kristine Hartvigsen
No area of government, business, industry or law goes untouched by the latest technologies, whose benefits also come with risk. David Sella-Villa, assistant professor at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, says the current system of privacy laws demands that a sense of “caveat emptor” accompany the choices we make with our data.
USC professor's trailblazing sport entertainment career earns national recognition
December 19, 2025, Kristine Hartvigsen
Sports Business Journal recently named USC senior instructor Susan O’Malley one of the top 125 influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century. Follow her path to stardom.
School of Medicine Greenville students put lifestyle medicine values to the test in Ironman event
December 19, 2025, Chris Horn
Seven USC School of Medicine Greenville students demonstrated their commitment to lifestyle medicine by training for and completing an Ironman 70.3 competition in Wilmington, North Carolina.
USC approves key renovation projects
December 16, 2025, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees gave final approval Tuesday (Dec. 16) to projects designed to reinvigorate several iconic buildings in the heart of the Columbia campus.
Sophomore Audrey Webb wins holiday card contest on second try
December 15, 2025, Thom Harman / photo by Kim Truett
USC Columbia sophomore Audrey Webb won the 2025 holiday card design contest. A computer science major from Fort Mill, South Carolina, Webb's winning design imagines what the Cocky statue on campus would look like if it snowed. Her design is featured on President Michael Amiridis' and First Lady Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis' holiday card, and it earned Webb a $500 gift card.
Board approves major facilities projects, academic initiatives in December meeting
December 15, 2025, Collyn Taylor
The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees continues to advance USC Next projects. The board issued Phase II approvals for renovation projects to McKissick Museum, Thomas Cooper Library and Barnwell College.
USC team identifies new class of disinfection byproducts in water treatment systems
December 12, 2025, Chris Horn
An environmental chemistry research lab at USC at the forefront of efforts to find and identify disinfection byproducts in U.S. water treatment systems has discovered a new, highly toxic class of byproducts.
Serving the scientific community
December 12, 2025, Chris Horn
USC chemistry professor Linda Shimizu has a long list of accomplishments, including recently being named a fellow of the American Chemical Society, one of only 36 chemistry professors worldwide to receive the honor in 2025 for scientific and professional accomplishments.
Carolina Trustees Professorship: Robert McCormick
December 12, 2025, Thom Harman
Spend any time talking to Robert McCormick, and his love of history and passion for teaching it to others is readily apparent. This year he was recognized for that lifelong passion by being named the 2025 Carolina Trustees Professorship for System Campuses.
A chemistry professor's quest to make perfectly homogeneous nanocrystals
December 11, 2025, Chris Horn
Millions of times smaller than a grain of salt, nanocrystals have become extraordinarily useful in electronics, drug delivery, biological imaging and beyond.
School of Music faculty members nominated for Grammy awards
December 10, 2025, Marlena Crovatt-Bagwell
Ensembles led by School of Music bassoon professor Michael Harley and guitar assistant professor Mak Grgić are nominees for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented Feb. 1 in Los Angeles. Theirs are the latest of several Grammy nominations for musicians with USC connections.
2025: Year in review
December 10, 2025, Dan Cook
Heading into 2025, the field of higher education faced significant challenges. But at the University of South Carolina, all signs point to dynamic growth and institutional strength.
Engineering professor named National Academy of Inventors fellow
December 09, 2025, Collyn Taylor
Biomedical engineering professor Ehsan Jabbarzadeh became the University of South Carolina's fourth National Academy of Inventors fellow.
How an Honors College student's thesis became a children's book
December 09, 2025, Chris Horn
Paige Canady planned to write a straightforward honors thesis, the kind that might get read once or twice, then put on a shelf. But after collaborating with an art education student, the project became a cleverly illustrated children’s book, one that Canady hopes will be read by families everywhere.
Marshall Scholarship finalist Michael Pitre studies the circuitry of the brain -- and plans a future in neurosurgery
December 08, 2025, Page Ivey
South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre likes to get up around 3 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to make the two-hour drive to Folly Beach to surf at the Washout before heading back to Columbia and his 11:40 a.m. class. It’s a regimen that aligns nicely with the Marshall Scholar finalist’s jam-packed schedule that includes earning his BARSC-MD degree in just three years, working as an emergency medical technician, and researching the circuitry of the brain on his way to becoming a neurosurgeon.
Engineering prof named university's third-ever National Academy of Inventors fellow
December 05, 2025, Chris Horn
Electrical engineering professor Guoan Wang got his first U.S. patent while in graduate school and now has more than 60 patents and more than 50 additional patents pending. He was elected to the National Academy of Inventors’ 2024 Class of Fellows, the highest professional distinction awarded to inventors.
Civil engineering study tests effectiveness of biopolymers in slowing flood-related soil erosion
December 04, 2025, Chris Horn
A common food additive used as a thickener in soups, salad dressings and ice cream has demonstrated high potential for another use — slowing dangerous erosion on overtopped dams and levees.
Class of 2025 December graduates
December 03, 2025, Megan Sexton
As the December Class of 2025 prepares to walk across the commencement stage, graduates leave the University of South Carolina with memories of enduring friendships, newfound passions, supportive mentors and life-changing experiences.
Global supply chain major lands key post-grad position
December 02, 2025, Page Ivey
Yana Patel came to the Darla Moore School of Business with one plan, but after talking with mentors and faculty in the business school, she found a path better suited to her career goals. After she graduates from USC in May 2026, she will be part of the selective Operations Leadership Development Program at defense contractor Lockheed Martine.
Campus Conversation: Kirstyn Dietrich
December 01, 2025, Catherine Pruitt
A campus conversation with Kirstyn Dietrich.
School of Medicine Greenville student reflects on how USC helped him develop a global perspective
November 26, 2025, Téa Smith
Studying abroad during undergrad at USC helped JD Dawson, a third-year medical student at the School of Medicine Greenville, develop a global perspective on health care that he’s carried into his postgrad education.
When darkness shines: How dark stars could illuminate the early universe
November 26, 2025, Alexey A. Petrov
Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope discovered three unusual astronomical objects in early 2025, which may be examples of dark stars. Alexey Petrov, a USC endowed chair in physics, writes for The Conversation on how this could alter scientists’ understanding of how ordinary stars form.
Sulfur-based batteries could offer electric vehicles a greener, longer-range option
November 18, 2025, Golareh Jalilvand
Imagine an electric car that could go 600, 700 or even 1,000 miles on a single charge. Golareh Jalilvand, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at USC's Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, writes for The Conversation on how battery researchers are seeking options to lithium-ion batteries that have better performance, improved environmental sustainability and lower cost.
Innovative cardiac teaching tool earns recognition for nursing faculty
November 18, 2025, Laura Erskine
Heart defects affect about 1 percent of all babies born in the United States each year, making the cardiovascular system an important part of the nursing curriculum. To help students master this material, assistant professor Stephanie Schaller invented a new tool that lets students learn heart defects through hands-on activities.
USC students and alumni win South Carolina InnoVision Awards
November 14, 2025, Laura Erskine
Six finalists with ties to USC were recognized by the 2025 InnoVision Awards, with three winning top honors. The winning businesses are led by students in the South Carolina Honors College, alumni and graduate students from the Molinaroli College of Engineering, and alumni from the Darla Moore School of Business and the Honors College.
Community health centers provide care for 1 in 10 Americans, but funding cuts threaten their survival
November 13, 2025, Jennifer Springhart
Many Americans who lack or have insufficient health insurance seek health care from a network of safety net clinics called community health centers. Dr. Jennifer Springhart of USC's School of Medicine Greenville writes for The Conversation about how decreasing their capacity could destabilize other elements of local health care delivery systems.
A guide to Rivalry Week
November 12, 2025, Catherine Pruitt and Ainsley Hoffmann
Carolina will take on rivals Clemson on Nov. 29. Check out this guide to experience all the exciting events leading up to the big game.
Pair of Honors students named finalists for prestigious fellowships
November 12, 2025, Collyn Taylor
USC has a Rhodes and Marshall finalist in the same cycle for the first time since 2011 with the potential to have a Rhodes recipient for the first time since 2016 and Marshall recipient for the first time since 2009.
Clinical Practice Teaching Award: Megan Tran
November 12, 2025, Dan Cook
It would be a stretch to say that playing the clarinet led to Megan Tran’s career as a pharmacist — but not much of one. In high school, Tran — now a clinical assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy — played the clarinet and the tenor sax. Playing in the marching band was a big reason the Clover, South Carolina, native came to USC, and she considered a career as a band director. But an aunt encouraged her to keep an open mind about career options, and Tran ended up falling in love with pharmacy.
Rhodes scholar finalist plans a career in maternal health care
November 12, 2025, Megan Sexton
USC Honors College student and public health major Hannah Brennen, who was a Rhodes scholar finalist, plans to attend medical school to pursue her interest in maternal health.
Future physician-scientist selected as Marshall Scholarship finalist
November 11, 2025, Valerie Weingart
South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre has been named a finalist for the 2026 Marshall Scholarships. If selected, he plans to pursue an MPhil in biological sciences to develop novel treatments for Parkinson's disease before returning to USC for medical school.
Social work initiative expands behavioral health care access in rural South Carolina
November 10, 2025, Carol JG Ward
The University of South Carolina’s Rural Occupations Workforce Expansion (ROWE) program trains MSW students to serve in underserved communities, strengthening South Carolina’s rural behavioral health workforce and improving access to mental health care.
Brett Sherman: Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award Winner
November 06, 2025, Craig Brandhorst
Associate professor Brett Sherman fell in love with philosophy as a teenager, before he even understood what he was reading. Now, the 2025 Mungo J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award winner inspires a similar curiosity in his students at the University of South Carolina.
Soldier-scholar focuses on helping veterans
November 05, 2025, Page Ivey
Nikki Wooten was a soldier before she was a scholar — a fact that helps drive and inform her research dedicated to helping American’s military members and veterans access the resources they need for better mental health.