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.
February 23, 2024, Kathryn McPhail
Shannon Bowen, a professor in the University of South Carolina’s College of Information and Communications, researches ethical decision making and AI within organizations, heads the AI-Ethics Advisory Board and conducts ethics training with leaders of organizations to help them avoid and solve problems and develop strategic communications plans.
February 12, 2024, Page Ivey
Bob Woodward brings his lifelong enthusiasm for practicing journalism at the highest level to the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications when he speaks at the 2024 Buchheit Family Lecture on Feb. 28. Woodward will talk with students about his experiences over the past 50-plus years as a reporter — almost all of it at The Washington Post — and what he sees for the future of journalism.
January 11, 2024, Rebekah Friedman
After losing her mother to Alzheimer’s, journalist and TV personality Leeza Gibbons devoted her second act to helping caregivers through Leeza’s Care Connection.
August 23, 2023, Alexis Watts
Seven Gamecocks were on the frontlines of the March opening of the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium & Reptile Conservation Center at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. With degrees ranging from advertising and public relations to biology and marine science, these University of South Carolina graduates play important roles in powering the No. 1 tourist destination in South Carolina, which attracts more than 1 million visitors annually.
August 16, 2023, Collyn Taylor
Athletics media mastermind Justin King owes his success to his team, but the USC alumnus has a singular vision and a passion for excellence.
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.
July 25, 2023, Nicole A. Cooke
Library professionals are more than book jockeys, and they do more than read at story time. They are experts in classification, pedagogy, data science, media literacy and storytelling. Librarians are now defending the rights of readers and writers in the battles raging across the U.S. over censorship, book challenges and book bans.
June 28, 2023, Jabari M. Evans
Amen and Ausar Thompson, the identical twin brothers who were just selected as the fourth and fifth picks, respectively, in the 2023 NBA draft. The duo symbolizes the transformative potential of Overtime Elite, which offers young athletes a new path to maximize their earning potential. Jabari M. Evans, assistant professor of race and media, writes about Overtime Elite for The Conversation.
June 07, 2023, Megan Sexton
When Clay and Grainne Owen’s son Killian died of leukemia at age 9, the family’s tragedy became their mission — to find better treatments and make childhood cancer a curable disease. Their charity, Curing Kids Cancer, has raised more than $25 million since 2005.
March 27, 2023, J. Scott Parker
Reigning women’s college basketball player of the year Aliyah Boston dominates on the court and in the classroom. Boston, who is once again in contention for the Naismith award and is pursuing her second NCAA championship is also a three-time Academic All-American.
March 24, 2023, Reagin von Lehe
From editor-in-chief of Garnet and Black magazine to interviewing Martin Scorsese, Erika Ryan has left an impression on every newsroom in her career path. The mass communications alumna has explored almost all forms of news media.
March 08, 2023, Michaela Taylor
Poetry has been ingrained in Jennifer Bartell Boykin’s life since she was young, and it’s followed her through adventures as a student, journalist, teacher, advisor and more. Now, it’s empowering her as Columbia’s new poet laureate.
February 23, 2023, Reagin von Lehe
Chance and Mackenzie Edwards packed a lot of life into a short time period: They got married, went on a honeymoon; he got laid off and they started a business — all during a pandemic. But for the College of Information and Communications graduates, the struggles led to something they’re now thankful for.
December 14, 2022, Communications and Marketing
Did campus feel just a little bit livelier this year? A touch more spirited? A tad more optimistic? We thought so, too — and not only because we named a new president back in January. Yeah, that was one heck of a way to ring in the new year, and it set the tone for the months ahead, but in the end, 2022 was about all of us, from the President’s House to Russell House, from Colonial Life to Williams-Brice. It was about respecting tradition, rediscovering our identity, remembering our past and reimagining our future. In 2022, the University of South Carolina reminded us all what it means to be USC.
December 13, 2022, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina will launch a first of its kind interdisciplinary certificate program in Digital Studies, giving students the opportunity to gain in-demand digital skills that prepare them for careers in every field.
November 16, 2022, Alexis Watts
2015 Broadcast Journalism graduate, Alyssa Lang gives fans an all-access pass to the most storied conference in sports. Lang is a host, anchor and reporter for SEC Network. She is now holding down studio shows, breaking major stories and doing the hard work of bringing fans essential reports about their beloved teams.
July 29, 2022, Alexis Watts
School of Journalism and Mass Communications graduate and former Miss Gamecock, Meera Bhonslé will compete for the title of Miss USA on Oct. 3.
May 17, 2022, Savannah Bennett
The Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Initiative is changing the mold, encouraging students to embrace a form of business journalism that goes beyond the numbers. Just in its fourth year, this program has evolved quickly and led two journalism students, Connor Hart and Emma Dooling, to win multiple awards.
May 16, 2022, Sabrina Habib
Sharing ideas can get messy when colleagues don't understand or support novel concepts - or if they shut them down altogether. Visual communications professor Sabrina Habib writes for The Conversation on concrete ways to facilitate idea generation, both individually and in groups.
May 10, 2022, Jungmi Jun
With the tone of social media conversations regarding the COVID-19 vaccine are varying around the world, this research team wanted to understand if these tones matched differing country-level vaccination rates. Journalism and mass communications professor Jungmi Jun writes for The Conversation on the influence emotions toward vaccines may have on whether a person decides to get a COVID-19 vaccination or not.
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.
March 22, 2022, Jabari Evans
Hip-hop artist and School of Journalism and Mass Communications professor, Jabari Evans, interviews with The Conversation. He answers questions on his career, how he got to where he is today, what he enjoys most about what he studies, his motivations and what is next for his research.
March 07, 2022, Savannah Bennett
With only a few short months until summer, it’s time for parents to find summer activities for their children. UofSC offers a wide variety of summer camps for all interests from music to soccer and dance to engineering.
January 26, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward
The professional experience and expertise of two University of South Carolina alumnae and a law professor have led to their selection for roles in federal agencies and courts.
December 16, 2021, Parker Blackburn
School of Journalism and Mass Communications sparked a passion for storytelling for Taylor Jennings-Brown, a 2021 mass communications graduate, who has landed a coveted Kroc Fellowship to work at NPR.
November 17, 2021, Jabari Evans
A lot could be gained by not overlooking the creativity and ingenuity of teens and young adults like drill music vanguard Chief Keef. Journalism and mass communications professor Jabari Evans writes for The Conversation that drill subculture arose out the ways Chicago's Black youth navigate violence and poverty by innovating within social media.
November 15, 2021, Karen Gavigan
The number of school librarians in the United States has dropped about 20 percent over the past decade, and research shows access to school librarians has become a major educational equity issue. Karen Gavin, information science professor, writes for The Conversation about the impact school librarians have on student achievement.
October 12, 2021, Matt Edwards
Visual communications instructor Jason Porter knows his students are deserving of the dream jobs they’ve worked hard to prepare for. That’s why he makes careers more accessible to them by welcoming guest speakers into his classroom. When the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to in-person classes in spring 2020, Porter launched his Let’s Get a Job podcast as a way to continue sharing guest speakers with students.
October 05, 2021, Lauren Arabis
If you turned to the internet for insights leading up to the 2020 presidential election, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Anna Wiederkehr’s work. Wiederkehr, a 2012 visual communications alumna, is the senior visual journalist for FiveThirtyEight, a website that uses statistical data to explore everything from sports to politics.
September 27, 2021, Brett Robertson
When a disaster strikes, you may have to get by without power, safe running water or help for several days. Brett Robertson, a journalism and mass communications professor, writes for The Conversation that an important safety measure is to have emergency supplies on hand and in a safe place where you can easily get to them.
September 13, 2021, Téa Smith
Children have the internet at their fingertips with phones and tablet, but the ability to discern what’s fact and what’s fiction hasn’t kept pace with advances in technology and accessibility. Faculty and staff in the College of Information and Communications are working to bridge that knowledge gap with a children’s book about news literacy.
August 30, 2021, Brooke McKeever
Journalism professor Brooke McKeever is among four public health and communications experts from Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi and South Carolina who explain for The Conversation how they are teaming up with nonprofits and other partners to encourage more people in their states and local communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
August 23, 2021, Savannah Bennett
Marjorie Weber was a widow in her 40s when she decided to return to college to earn her teaching degree from the University of South Carolina where her late husband had been an education professor. She also served as a starting point for a string of family members attending South Carolina, including a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters, who are current education students. They are among the hundreds of students who follow family members to become Gamecocks each year.
June 09, 2021, Chris Horn
When Van Kornegay earned his pilot’s license last year, his feet never left the ground, but he paved a runway for students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Kornegay’s FAA drone license opens the door for him to teach a new visual communications course in which students will learn to fly camera-equipped drones that have become a go-to tool in documentary making, news gathering, infrastructure inspection, real estate marketing and more.
May 13, 2021, Eric P. Robinson
The United States government – in the midst of World War I – undertook unprecedented efforts to control and restrict what it saw as “unpatriotic” speech through passage of the Sedition Act of 1918. The restrictions – and the courts’ reactions to them – mark an important landmark in testing the limits of the First Amendment, and the beginnings of the current understanding of free speech in the U.S.
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.
March 09, 2021, Rebekah Buffington Friedman
Health disparities are common in LGBTQIA+ populations, in part because discrimination makes health information harder to come by. Over the next two years, a team of researchers from the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science and Arnold School of Public Health will collaborate to recruit, learn from and develop specialized training for LGBTQIA+ community health workers.
March 04, 2021, Chris Horn
The steady rise in podcast popularity has produced a bountiful crop of shows for listeners worldwide — 1.75 million and counting — including a growing list of podcasts produced by University of South Carolina faculty, staff and students.
January 14, 2021, Carol JG Ward
Misinformation and disinformation circulated, consumed and believed by the public have a powerful influence on public opinion — often in a harmful way. Faculty members in the College of Information and Communications have conducted research to help improve media literacy, to teach people how to evaluate quality sources and to recognize clues for misinformation.
December 03, 2020, Rebekah Friedman
If you’ve ever come across a story or image or video online and thought to yourself, “There’s no way this is real,” there’s a good chance you were right. Fake news is a growing threat, and advances in technology are making it harder to spot. Two researchers in the College of Information and Communications discuss what it is, how it works and what can be done to address it.
November 17, 2020, Chris Horn
Most school assignments get turned in for a grade and are soon forgotten. But the speech Gweneth Gough wrote for a class at the University of South Carolina became the foundation for new legislation on mental health education recently signed by the governor.
August 26, 2020, Rebekah Friedman
COVID-19 has meant putting a hold on in-person programming, but Cocky’s Reading Express hasn’t stopped – it’s gone online. Since April, its Virtual Storytime YouTube playlist has featured a line-up of guest readers, including former mascots, Miss Gamecock 2020, and even famed talk show host and University of South Carolina alumna Leeza Gibbons.
June 16, 2020, Megan Sexton
ZVerse, a Columbia company founded by UofSC alumnus John Carrington, has become an important player in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19, producing millions of face shields for health care workers around the country.
June 12, 2020, Karen Gavigan
Because the combination of text and images in graphic novels can communicate issues and emotions that words alone often cannot, more educators and parents are finding them to be effective tools for tackling tough issues with kids. In early March, information science professor Karen Gavin shared a collection of books for The Conversation, including some that can educate children about racism and other forms of bigotry.
May 28, 2020, Chris Horn
This past spring semester, Paige Fallon began a study abroad experience in Europe, then got sick with COVID-19 and ended up in quarantine back home in Ohio. But the rising senior made the most of her experience after recovering from the virus that has killed some 350,000 worldwide — she helped save a life.
May 21, 2020, Craig Brandhorst
Advertising graduate Sarah Waldrop says it was a day on Greene Street at the annual Give4Garnet fundraiser that will stand out as one of her favorite memories as a Gamecock.
May 05, 2020, Megan Sexton
The coronavirus disrupted Hank Johnson's job search plans, but the new visual communications graduate is continuing on his path to a future in video, design or creative direction.
May 04, 2020, Chris Horn
Class of 2020 graduate Zach Sweat didn't get into the university on his first try. But he took to heart the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed..."
March 16, 2020, Page Ivey
The University of South Carolina continues to shine with 54 unique nationally ranked graduate programs — nine in the top 25 — in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools list released Tuesday (March 17).