USC celebrates newest graduates
April 26, 2024, Dana Woodward
The University of South Carolina will welcome thousands of new alumni from across the system in a series of commencement ceremonies beginning April 26, 2024.
Recent Stories
Students will hear from Bob Woodward on history, future of journalism
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.
Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation supports conversation about Jewish history
November 07, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
In the spring, audiences at USC had the chance to learn more about Jewish history from award-winning author and Holocaust expert Wendy Lower. Her weeklong fellowship with the university’s Jewish studies program was made possible by a generous gift from the Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation.
Discover USC
April 13, 2023, Reagin von Lehe
The Discover USC event showcases student research at the university, especially the work of seniors, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. These projects represent all disciplines in research, scholarship, leadership and creativity. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the annual, systemwide showcase will be held 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 21 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
UofSC's McNair Institute inspiring student entrepreneurs
November 04, 2021, Laura Kammerer
Columbia native Ben Green will speak live at the McNair Entrepreneurship Showcase on Friday (Nov. 12) at the Russell House Underground. The event, sponsored by the university’s McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise, will also feature speakers such as MapQuest founder Chris Heivly, ’84 master’s geography, and Mixtroz co-founder Ashlee Ammons.
UofSC announces May commencement speakers
April 21, 2021, Jeff Stensland
Newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and S.C. Rep. G. Murrell Smith Jr. will receive honorary degrees and address University of South Carolina graduates during May commencement ceremonies on the Columbia campus.
TEDxUofSC 2020 goes virtual
October 13, 2020, Thom Harman
The University of South Carolina will host its first ever virtual TEDxUofSC event Wednesday, Oct. 21. Guided by TED’s goal of sharing “ideas worth spreading,” TEDxUofSC 2020 will be broadcast from the Columbia campus via Facebook Live from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
TEDxUofSC 2020
January 06, 2020, Kohl Friery
The University of South Carolina will host its second TEDx event, TEDxUofSC, on Oct. 15. TEDxUofSC will feature eight speakers that each have an idea worth sharing to better the community.
Student lands interview with acclaimed crime writer
October 29, 2019, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
In October, crime novelist James Ellroy visited the University of South Carolina for the 2019 Fall Literary Festival, sponsored by University Libraries and the English department. On his last day on campus, Ellroy sat down with junior English and theater major Susan Swavely for an interview at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ Kennedy Greenhouse Studio.
Award-winning SC author Joyce Hansen featured at Fall Literary Festival
October 10, 2019, Annika Dahlgren
When Joyce Hansen, an award-winning young adult author, was learning to read, she and her mother picked up "Alice and Wonderland" and read it over and over again. Those early reading experiences inspired her passion for storytelling, a joy that turned into a career. Hansen is among a trio of authors coming to campus for this month's Fall Literary Festival.
Trailblazer brings passion for equity to UofSC lecture
September 19, 2019, Amanda Hernandez
Valerie Smith, Swarthmore College’s first African American president in its 155-year history, is committed to deepening human understanding through the process of learning and discovery. She will share her passion and perspective to South Carolina as the 2019 Adrenée Glover Freeman Lecturer.
Music scholar explores women's role in '60s protest culture
September 11, 2019, Amanda Hernandez
The tumultuous decades of the 1950s and ‘60s inspired an artistic reaction from black female musicians whose work often emoted the mourning and anger they felt inside as a result of the struggle for civil rights. Musicologist Tammy Kernodle will explore that soul-stirring music as this year’s Robert Smalls lecturer.
Implicit bias expert brings insights to UofSC
September 04, 2019, David Lee
Benjamin D. Reese Jr., an internationally renowned scholar on the topic of implicit bias, is visiting the University of South Carolina to speak as part of the Finding Common Ground Lecture series.
Working together to find solutions
April 16, 2019, John Brunelli
The immediate past president of the National Medical Association will deliver the keynote address at the 12th annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture on April 23.
Continuing to shine the light
April 11, 2019, Megan Sexton
Alumnus Jimmy DeButts, an editor and columnist at The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, returned to campus this month to talk to students about the importance of local news — and about his five colleagues who were killed when a gunman stormed his newsroom.
'The power of presence'
March 21, 2019, Helen Dennis
As violence in Rwanda escalated in the spring of 1994, the United States government ordered all of its citizens to return home, but Carl Wilkens chose to stay. Wilkens will tell his story, among other stories of rebuilding and reconciling, at this year’s Solomon-Tenenbaum lecture. He will present his talk, “Legacies of Genocide: From the Holocaust to Rwanda and Beyond,” at 7 p.m. Sunday (March 24) in the UofSC Alumni Center.
The Road to the White House runs through UofSC
March 20, 2019, Dana Woodward
The University of South Carolina is a must-stop for presidential hopefuls. Keep up with who's visiting campus during the 2020 election season here.
Boots on the ground
March 13, 2019, Dana Woodward
The Rev. Gary Mason is a Methodist minister and internationally known peacemaker who has worked on reconciliation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for more than 20 years. Mason will present his talk, “Maintaining peace in Northern Ireland: Brexit and the Good Friday agreement,” at 3:30 p.m. on March 22.
Inside the book
March 07, 2019, Carol J.G. Ward
The Open Book Series offers readers a chance to take a peek inside the writing process with authors speaking about their works at these free literary events.
From refugee to novelist
February 21, 2019, Dana Woodward
A story 40 years in the making, award-winning novelist Thi Bui will come to tell it as the Carolina International House at Maxcy College Spring 2019 Visiting Fellow. Bui will give a talk titled, “The Best We Could Do: The Search for Freedom and Home Across Borders.”
Behind the camera
February 14, 2019, Dana Woodward
From 1985 to 2000, while innovators in Silicon Valley were focused on changing the world as we know it, Doug Menuez was focused on documenting it. With unprecedented access to Steve Jobs and other visionaries of the time, Menuez was able to photograph the people who created more jobs and wealth than any other time in human history. And on Wednesday, Feb. 20, faculty, staff, students and the public will be able to hear about that time from the award-winning photographer and documentarian himself.
A contemporary classic
November 28, 2018, Megan Sexton
Gabriela Lena Frank, a Grammy Award-winning composer who made the Washington Post’s list of the 35 most significant women composers in history, will visit the School of Music next week for a series of events.
Finding common ground
November 13, 2018, Keisa Gunby
The Finding Common Ground series, presented by the UofSC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, continues this fall with guest lecturer, Deirdre Cooper Owens, assistant professor of history at Queens College, CUNY, and author of Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. Owens will lead the fifth forum in this series beginning at 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Capstone Campus Room.
Fall Literary Festival 2018
October 28, 2018, Kathy Henry Dowell
A 1951 University of South Carolina graduate who loved literature and libraries, Dorothy Smith made a proposal to University Libraries and the English department 20 years ago: If the two groups would work together to host an annual literary festival, she would establish an endowment to support it financially.
Talking TEDx
October 09, 2018, Page Ivey
Overcoming stereotypes and drug addiction, learning to listen in uncomfortable conversations about race, and finding new ways to diagnose and treat mental illnesses were just some of the wide range of topics presented by speakers at the inaugural TEDxUofSC event Tuesday.
So you want to talk about race
October 04, 2018, Ross Stevens
Author Ijeoma Oluo will discuss her provocative book, titled “So You Want to Talk About Race,” when she delivers the university’s 2018 Adrenée Glover Freeman Lecture Nov. 29. We caught up with her for a Q&A about what to expect.
Eyewitness to history
September 19, 2018
Pete Souza, the former chief official White House photographer for President Obama and an official White House photographer for President Reagan, will deliver the Buchheit Family Lecture on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. We caught up with him to ask a few questions about his work and the future of journalism.
Lineup set for TEDxUofSC
July 31, 2018, Megan Sexton
The lineup of speakers is set for the inaugural TEDxUofSC conference Oct. 9 at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center.
Cosmic collection finds new home
May 10, 2018, Peggy Binette
The personal archive of South Carolina astronaut and retired NASA administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. has found a new home at the University of South Carolina.
Reconstruction's legacy
April 04, 2018, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy will focus on South Carolina’s historic ties to landmark civil right cases as part of “Reconstruction’s Legacy: The History and Contemporary Significance of the 14th Amendment,” a symposium presented by the History Center and Historic Columbia.
'The skin you're in' may determine your health
March 28, 2018, John Brunelli
University of California Berkeley public health professor Amani Nuru-Jeter will deliver the 11th annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture April 6.
The Open Book - 2018 Edition
March 20, 2018, Dana Woodward
In 2018, the Open Book Series celebrates its sixth birthday. Both a literary series and a free community read, the Open Book brings a variety of authors to campus over a four-week period, starting Monday, March 26, when host Elise Blackwell leads a discussion of Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel, “The Underground Railroad.”
'A happy accident'
March 20, 2018, Megan Sexton
South Carolina Honors College graduate Caroline Parler Potter headed to England as a Rhodes Scholar in 2000. She's still at Oxford, where she earned her master’s and doctorate in anthropology and is now a medical anthropologist. She'll return to Carolina on April 20 to give the keynote address at Discover USC.
Status update
March 15, 2018, Lynn Schutte
Status inequalities are common in society today, but how did that come to be? That question will be part of the focus of the University of South Carolina’s annual Mayhew Lecture on Thursday, March 22.
Dos Passos collection
February 22, 2018, Nicole Carrico
Richard Layman's collection of John Dos Passos, a “lost generation” author, playwright, artist and political activist, has found a permanent home at the University Libraries Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. University Libraries will celebrate the acquisition Feb. 28 with a public lecture and exhibit.
Medical researchers work together to improve South Carolina's health
February 08, 2018, John Brunelli
National Council for Behavior Health medical director Joseph Parks will be the keynote speaker at the Integrated Behavioral Health Symposium spearheaded by the College of Social Work. The symposium will be held Monday (Feb. 12) at the Alumni Center.
McNair Entrepreneurship Showcase to feature Drybar founder Alli Webb
February 01, 2018, Taylor Evans
Alli Webb, founder of blow out salon company Drybar, will speak on her journey from hairdresser to entrepreneur during the McNair Entrepreneurship Showcase on Feb. 9.
History on trial
January 24, 2018, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Deborah E. Lipstadt, who won a famous legal battle surrounding a Holocaust denier, will speak about modern anti-Semitism during the 2018 Solomon-Tenenbaum Lectureship in Jewish Studies on Jan. 28.
December grads told to participate, innovate
December 18, 2017, Page Ivey
Find someone to love, find a job you like — and get involved in civic life, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer told December 2017 graduates during commencement exercises Dec. 18.
Key of social justice
December 06, 2017, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Premier pianist and composer Courtney Bryan will discuss her music’s overall ties to social justice campaigns and her inspirations across various genres during two public lectures Friday, Dec. 8 at the University of South Carolina.
Immigration ethics
October 25, 2017, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Boston College theological ethics professor Kristin Heyer will deliver the 18th annual Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Lecture in Moral, Ethical and Religious Studies. Heyer says today’s immigration dialogue often has been framed in terms of crisis management alone, and she will explore how the scripture and Catholic social tradition can shape the debate.
Reconstruction and history focus of upcoming Robert Smalls Lecture
August 31, 2017, Mary-Kathryn Craft
Historian Thavolia Glymph will deliver the 20th Annual Robert Smalls Lecture on Sept. 7 focusing on Reconstruction and how we write and remember history.
Columbia campus awards nearly 6,800 degrees
May 05, 2017
The University of South Carolina Columbia campus awarded nearly 6,800 degrees Friday and Saturday (May 5-6), including 4,921 bachelor’s degrees.
U.N. secretary-general to address UofSC graduates
April 24, 2017, Jeff Stensland
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will receive an honorary degree and deliver special remarks to graduates as part of the University of South Carolina’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 6 at the Colonial Life Arena.
Public health leader to deliver Clyburn Lecture at UofSC April 18
March 31, 2017, Dana D'Haeseleer
Addressing health inequities at a time of chaos and privilege will be the focus of the 10th annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture April 18 at the University of South Carolina.
Civil rights filmmaker Stanley Nelson to visit UofSC
March 23, 2017, Peggy Binette
Award-winning civil rights documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson Jr. will visit the University of South Carolina March 29-31 to preview his latest documentary and give a series of public talks. We caught up with Nelson to discuss some of the topics he'll explore with university faculty, staff and students.
Q&A: New York Times columnist discusses economics, journalism in the Trump presidency
March 09, 2017, Dana D'Haeseleer
We caught up with David Leonhardt, New York Times columnist and this year's Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism lecturer, to discuss politics, economics and the future of business journalism. Leonhardt's public talk takes place March 14.
Solomon-Tenenbaum Lecture is catalyst for public understanding
February 01, 2017, Peggy Binette
Samuel Tenenbaum reflects on the impact that the Solomon-Tenenbaum Lectureship has had on the community and in his life for the past 27 years. This year’s lecture will feature Jon D. Levenson of Harvard Divinity School who will explore the shared Abrahamic traditions found in Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.
McKissick explores different treatments of yellow fever
January 26, 2017, John Brunelli
Yellow fever patients in Charleston died by the hundreds in the mid-19th century. "Black Medicine White Bodies," a new exhibit at McKissick Museum shows how traditional treatments saved people during the epidemics that plagued the Lowcountry.
Why the universe is accelerating
January 10, 2017, Chris Horn
Nearly 90 years ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding. Now we know, thanks to research by Adam Riess and other scientists, that this cosmic expansion is speeding up. The Nobel-winning astrophysicist will explain the phenomenon of a faster-expanding universe in a Jan. 17 public lecture at Carolina.
Nursing student realizes dream with graduation
December 12, 2016, Megan Sexton
When Emily Bethea walked across the commencement stage Monday, it marked the completion of a dream that began more than a decade ago, as she watched over her mother and infant brother in the hospital.
Old, new friendships bring acclaimed illustrator's works to UofSC
November 04, 2016, Dan Cook
Anita Lobel, the acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books, will be honored with the Thomas Cooper Society Medal in recognition of her contribution to the arts on Nov. 17. The award comes as part of Lobel's burgeoning ties to the university — and her longstanding friendship with two alumnae.
McNair opens new entrepreneur institute
November 03, 2016, Jeff Stensland
USC alumnus Bob McNair will visit Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 10 to announce the establishment of the $8 million McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise.
'Birth of a Nation' 100 years later: Q&A with writer Dick Lehr explores film's legacy
September 22, 2016, Peggy Binette
The History Center will host Dick Lehr, a former Boston Globe reporter and professor at Boston University, Sept. 26 and 27 for a series of discussions about the 1915 film "Birth of a Nation" and book “The Birth of a Nation: How a Legendary Filmmaker and Crusading Editor Reignited America’s Civil War."
FYRE: Q&A with Marian Wright Edelman
September 15, 2016, Page Ivey
Marian Wright Edelman wrote “The Measure of Our Success” as an open letter 24 years ago to her three sons. The book was selected for this year’s First-Year Reading Experience and Edelman will speak on campus Tuesday (Sept. 20).
The boardinghouse reach with Elizabeth Engelhardt
September 01, 2016, Peggy Binette
Southern boardinghouses and their shaping influence on foodways, gender and culture in the South will be the focus of the University of South Carolina’s Townsend Lecture, Thursday, Sept. 15.
Astrophysicist and best-selling writer Mario Livio kicks off new lecture series
September 01, 2016, Steven Powell
Even the likes of Einstein and Darwin made major mistakes, but it’s all part and parcel of progress. That’s the theme of “Brilliant Blunders,” one of two public lectures that best-selling author and astrophysicist Mario Livio will give when he comes to campus next week.
VIDEO: Commencement 2016
May 06, 2016, John Brunelli
The University of South Carolina is celebrating more than 4,000 graduates in commencement ceremonies this weekend. We've captured a few moments from this largest graduating class in school history.
Helping women teach each other to lead
March 30, 2016, Page Ivey
Helping her peers, especially other young women, find their leadership voice is Caroline Westberg’s passion. She has spent the past year – her senior year at the University of South Carolina – creating Women LEAD. On Wednesday, Westberg was named the 2016 Outstanding Woman of the Year.
Pulitzer Prize winner comes to UofSC
March 30, 2016, Glenn Hare
Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, short story writer and essayist Anthony Doerr takes part in the university’s 2016 The Open Book Series.
Ancestry DNA in black political culture
March 24, 2016, Peggy Binette
Alondra Nelson, the dean of social science at Columbia University, will discuss how the science and technology of ancestry analysis has placed the double helix of DNA in the middle of social issues surrounding race as this year’s Robert Smalls lecturer on March 30 at the University of South Carolina.
Divided we stand
March 17, 2016, Peggy Binette
History professor Marjorie Spruill will give a public talk about how the events that divided American women in the 1970s are connected to the polarized politics that has gripped America since 1980. Her talk, which will take place at 6 p.m. March 22 in Capstone House, is based on forthcoming book with Bloomsbury Press, titled “Divided We Stand: Women’s Rights, Family Values & the Polarization of American Politics.”
Putting the 'Spotlight' on investigative reporting
March 10, 2016, Megan Sexton
“Spotlight,” the Oscar-winning movie that tells the story of The Boston Globe’s investigation of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, has been praised by journalists for its authentic portrayal of the work it takes to do in-depth reporting. “Everyone should see the movie and should be cheering for good journalism,” said Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Information and Communications.
Cellular healing offers fresh hope
February 25, 2016, Peggy Binette
Rudolf Jaenisch has dedicated his life to helping people who are battling neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. And while his parents and grandparents chose careers in medicine, he chose the healing path of cellular science.
NCAA and UofSC presidents discuss leadership, college athletics
February 12, 2016, Peggy Binette
President Harris Pastides is passionate about helping students develop their leadership skills. That’s why he created the Carolina Leadership Initiative in 2010, which includes an annual President’s Leadership Dialogue that makes leaders from various fields and backgrounds available to students and the campus community.
Q&A on the Student Leadership and Diversity Conference
January 31, 2016
The University of South Carolina is hosting the 30th annual Student Leadership and Diversity Conference this month as well as the first SEC Universities: Uniting Voices for Social Change. We caught up with the folks at the Leadership and Service Center at UofSC to learn more.
Exhibit explores trauma in "The Space Between"
January 21, 2016, Glenn Hare
Michaela Pilar Brown's intensely personal exploration of the effects of psychological trauma and physical movement among black women comes to life tonight as Brown presents “Mother Wound,” a live performance that explores the genetic memory of trauma. The performance and exhibition reception is at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21.
Sen. Kimpson to keynote annual MLK breakfast
January 07, 2016, Megan Sexton
State Sen. Marlon Kimpson will bring his personal story of education and equity to the University of South Carolina on Tuesday when he speaks at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in The Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium.