February 26, 2025, Carol J.G. Ward
Renee Shaw’s journey is a testament to courage and perseverance. Now a social worker, she draws from her own experiences with homelessness and hardship to uplift others and to make a meaningful impact in her community.
December 18, 2024, Craig Brandhorst/Photo by Kim Truett
Sharita Sims may not live in New York, but as manager of the New York Public Library’s community wellness programs, she couldn’t be more committed to the city and its people.
October 31, 2024, Laura Morris
More than a quarter of South Carolina residents live in rural areas and must overcome greater health care challenges than their urban counterparts. USC faculty members are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
October 25, 2024, Gregory Hardy
Forensic social work is a specific discipline that examines how social workers intersect and interact with the legal system under domains both criminal and civil. Stephanie Hunter has 22 years of experience in the field, specifically working in criminal indigent defense. Now an assistant clinical professor at USC’s College of Social Work, she finds that both students and professionals often require an explanation about the field.
October 17, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection), a partnership between the West Columbia Police Department and the S.C. Department of Mental Health, is a community-based alternative to prosecution. Developed and staffed by two College of Social Work alumni, the program offers deflection and resources to people accused of nonviolent low-level offenses whose behavior stems from substance use, mental health challenges or poverty.
September 30, 2024, Laura Morris
Health science researchers from the University of South Carolina are taking a new approach to address chronic health conditions and reduce patient hardships across the state.
August 23, 2024, Gregory Hardy
As Betty Wilson begins this fall as an assistant professor at the College of Social Work, she sees it as a return to her community. The research interests of the two-time USC graduate and South Carolina native cover community-police relations, criminal justice reform, historical and racial trauma, and family and community resilience.
August 20, 2024, Téa Smith
Pillars for Carolina is a four-day student-led leadership and service program designed to help incoming students learn and explore the University of South Carolina and the Columbia community. Student co-directors Evey Konstantopoulos and Jackson Hensley share their experiences participating in the program the summer before starting college.
August 01, 2024
For a lot of University of South Carolina students, the realization that this is a special place comes quickly. One walk around the Horseshoe, one time cheering in the stands at Williams-Brice Stadium, and that’s all it takes. But those signature experiences are only a tiny part of what it means to be a Gamecock. Life-altering experiences can be found all over campus and beyond.
July 11, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
A team at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work has developed a series of online training sessions to combat health worker burnout.
June 13, 2024, Gregory Hardy
College of Social Work professor Ann Gowdy sees it as her goal to equip her students with the knowledge that people with lived experience should be invited to the table to talk about housing issues and solutions. One of the most effective ways she’s found to demonstrate to graduate students the need for rural social work is by hosting guest speakers from community organizations who can further their understanding by making deeper connections.
May 01, 2024, Laura Morris
The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1. Researchers at the University of South Carolina are available to discuss multiple aspects of the 2024 hurricane season, including preparation and communication, environmental impact and historical perspectives.
April 25, 2024, Megan Sexton
As the Class of 2024 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.
February 21, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
Building and understanding community has motivated Jackie Whitmore since he was captivated by his grandmother’s family stories during his childhood in Columbia, South Carolina. It led him to a career in social work and fueled a passion for African American history in his home state.
February 14, 2024, Gregory Hardy
It’s natural for anyone to become anxious or scared about entering a new environment. As children cope with their anxieties, parents can help by building routines to follow.
February 05, 2024, Téa Smith
When Lee Patterson earned her master’s in social work in 2012, she never imagined putting it to use at Richland Library — or any library. Ten years later, she is doing exactly that.
December 14, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward
Melissa Watson Ward grew up in a low-resource community in Columbia, South Carolina and has dedicated her career to helping people from communities like hers. When a career opportunity emerged to make a real impact on clients’ lives, she took it. Now she's training women and non-binary individuals to run at all levels of government from local to federal.
October 10, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward
Social Work professor Ben Roth is co-authoring a book about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. About 500 individuals in six states, including South Carolina, participated in interviews for the research. Roth’s team found that young people who received DACA benefited in important ways but also faced constant signals that make them feel like they don’t belong.
October 10, 2023
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The University of South Carolina has several faculty members who can offer expertise on the subject.
October 03, 2023, Laura Morris
The Palmetto State — facing physician and nursing shortages, an aging population and a growing number of children requiring welfare services — is partnering with universities and organizations to recruit and retain students interested in health care careers by reducing financial barriers.
September 06, 2023, Dan Cook
From both sides of the political spectrum, the social space for spirited dialogue and debate has been steadily shrinking for years. A new group on campus hopes to expand the conversation.
July 18, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward
As Baby Boomers age, the number of older adult households is rapidly growing. Many of those planning for their retirement years are deciding there’s no place like home. Researchers from the College of Social Work teamed up with Richland Library to teach life skills that promote independence and allow individuals to age in a familiar space and environment, reducing long-term care costs and maintaining established routines.
May 22, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
When it comes to understanding the challenges related to pregnancy, birth and early childhood, USC’s researchers deliver answers.
May 09, 2023, Hannah Cambre
Teri Browne will assume her role as dean of the College of Social Work on May 15.
May 05, 2023, Lauryn Jiles
When Jenna Wilson became director of the Carolina Closet, she never imagined she’d be in the graduation business. She launched a joint collection project for students unable to buy their own cap and gown.
April 19, 2023, Téa Smith
When Lee Patterson earned her master’s in social work from the University of South Carolina in 2012, she never imagined putting it to use at Richland Library — or any library. But 10 years later, she is doing exactly what she set out to do when she entered the field: help people.
April 10, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
As senior director of policy and research at Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, Chynna A. Phillips is taking on poverty one partnership at a time.
April 05, 2023, Chris Horn
Robert Hock, a USC's College of Social Work professor, is heading an NIH-funded study to assist parents of children recently diagnosed on the autism spectrum. The project deploys autism parent navigators experienced in finding and using resources for children on the autism spectrum to serve as guides for uninitiated parents.
February 14, 2023, Téa Smith
New interim bachelor of social work program coordinator Bree Alexander is eager to give students more opportunities to pursue their research interests — on their own or working with a faulty member.
January 10, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
Health care workers are in the midst of a burnout crisis. As director of field education for the College of Social Work, Melissa Reitmeier has seen it first-hand when placing students in clinical sites across the state. She and her colleagues hope their new online training series will help.
November 14, 2022, Kyndel Lee
The West Columbia Outreach Program allows social work graduate students to complete field hours in the law enforcement field, giving them hands-on experience with case file management.
July 29, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Associate professor of social work Kristen Seay and her collaborators take on adverse childhood experiences among foster children.
January 26, 2022, Abe Danaher
The university’s interprofessional education program allows future social workers, pharmacists, nurses, doctors and others to step outside their educational siloes and engage their future colleagues in meaningful conversation.
June 17, 2021, Chris Woodley
Teri Browne has been named interim dean of the College of Social Work, effective Aug. 1. She succeeds Ronald Pitner, who has served as interim dean since April 2020.
April 21, 2021, Chris Woodley
South Carolina College of Social Work professor Sue Levkoff and College of Arts and Sciences professor Alan White established the South Carolina - Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (SC-ADAR) program to address the lack of diversity among scientific experts.
April 14, 2021, Page Ivey
Jaeseung Kim, assistant professor in the College of Social Work since 2018, studies work and caregiving challenges for low-income parents and how work-family policies, both private and public, can help address such challenges. We asked Kim about how the pandemic has affected men and women differently and how to help those suffering the effects.
April 09, 2021, Chris Woodley
Kimberly Tissot was met with a challenge in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the executive director of Able South Carolina, a Columbia-based organization that provides services to people with disabilities, Tissot had to find a way to continue offering services to those in need.
December 18, 2020
It’s been a year — but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to celebrate, recognize and honor at the University of South Carolina in 2020. UofSC rose to each and every challenge this year and raised the bar for the year to come.
October 28, 2020, Megan Sexton
Military-affiliated students play an important role at the University of South Carolina. Veterans and active duty Gamecocks excel in the classroom and beyond, including alumni like Candace Terry who earned her Master of Social Work degree in May and now is the director of governmental affairs for the S.C. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
September 10, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel
Student Health Services’ weekly podcast, “Hear Me Out,” has just begun its third season with new student hosts who are highlighting diverse perspectives on mental health topics.
April 28, 2020, Page Ivey
Melissa C. Reitmeier is an associate clinical professor and director of field education in the College of Social Work. She addresses how COVID-19 is impacting both the need for and the delivery of social services.
March 05, 2020, Megan Sexton
While artificial intelligence research and programs are growing around the country, the University of South Carolina’s AI Institute is among the first in the Southeast to include diverse colleges and departments.
March 03, 2020, Tenell Felder
The College of Social Work is celebrating 50 years of improving the lives of people in South Carolina and beyond. Two alumni and a faculty member are among the many who are continuing that work.
November 04, 2019, Craig Brandhorst
John Doering-White became interested in immigration issues as an undergraduate and followed his research interests to Mexico as a graduate student. Now an associate professor at the University of South Carolina with a joint appointment in social work and anthropology, he hopes his research will contribute to the development of a more humane immigration system in the both the United States and Mexico.
June 18, 2019, Chris Horn
About one-quarter of children in the U.S. under the age of 18 are immigrants or the children of immigrants, a status that often translates into educational disadvantages. A College of Social Work faculty member is involved in surveying school social workers nationwide to learn what they are doing to help those children navigate successfully through their public school experiences.
May 29, 2019, Chris Horn
A new Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University of South Carolina will launch this summer, building on and harnessing the collective efforts of dozens of faculty members who already are advancing AI research initiatives in diverse academic disciplines.
May 22, 2019, Page Ivey
Social work and public health researchers Sue Levkoff and Daniela Friedman are teaming up to open a new front line in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, particularly among the African American population, which has a greater incidence of the disease and related dementias.
April 05, 2019, Megan Sexton
Breanne Grace got her first glimpse of a refugee community as an undergraduate, studying abroad in Tanzania. A political science major interested in law school and a career in politics at the time, the immersive experience opened her eyes to war and conflict issues she had studied in the classroom, seeing them in a much more human way.
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.
March 04, 2019, Craig Brandhorst
The University of South Carolina has been a global player for a long time. But since 2011, when the Focus Carolina strategic plan was announced, the university has significantly increased its internationalization efforts, transforming a healthy overseas presence into a clearly defined global footprint.