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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.

Topics: Students, Academics, Research, Scholarships, Recognition, Health Sciences, Student Voices, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College

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USC experience paved the way for Pulitzer finalist Mary Ramsey

August 27, 2025, Page Ivey

When Mary Ramsey arrived at the University of South Carolina, she was already certain of two things: she wanted to be a Gamecock, and she wanted to be a journalist. After earning her bachelor's degree in journalism, she has made stops at newspapers in Arizona, Kentucky and now at the Charlotte Observer, where one of her stories was part of the paper's Pulitzer Prize finalist package for covering Hurricane Helene.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Experiential Learning, Careers, College of Information and Communications

man stands outside a building holding a violin on his shoulder with the bow on the strings

Honors student builds career path in engineering, while nurturing his passion for music

May 05, 2025, Page Ivey

Aidan Billings followed his head and his heart when he came to the University of South Carolina. Billings, who also is in the South Carolina Honors College, didn’t think a career as a musician would provide the income he wanted for his life, so he chose engineering for that aspect. But the second violinist in USC’s Symphony Orchestra says he loves playing classical music and does it professionally with several orchestras in the state.

Topics: Students, Research, Student Voices, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, School of Music, South Carolina Honors College

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Journalism alumna builds career in Columbia's arts scene

February 07, 2025, Page Ivey

Sumner Bender credits a movie with inspiring her first true career choice. It seems only fitting, then, that the 2007 public relations graduate now leads Columbia’s art house cinema, The Nickelodeon Theatre. Her journey from PR to nonprofit executive has woven through Columbia’s arts scene for most of her adult life.

Topics: Alumni, Experiential Learning, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, College of Information and Communications

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Garnet Apple winner: Khalid Ballouli

July 31, 2024, Page Ivey

Khalid Ballouli’s path to academia took a detour through professional baseball, so it’s only natural this his teaching style is a little different. An associate professor in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, Ballouli teaches undergraduate classes in sport and entertainment marketing as well as graduate-level courses in research design and business research and analytics.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Recognition, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

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U101 instructor of the year calls on lifetime of experiences to guide students

July 24, 2024, Page Ivey

Kitty Sutton began her professional life as an attorney and thinks the lawyerly ability to hear a person’s story without passing judgment is part of what makes her successful as a University 101 instructor. In fact, her students were so impressed with Sutton’s skills that she is the 2024 recipient of the M. Stuart Hunter Award for Outstanding Teaching in University 101.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Recognition, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

woman stands in hospital scrubs with stethoscope around her neck.

Nursing alumna brings health care background to role of county coroner

March 06, 2024, Page Ivey

Growing up in the foster care system in Florida, Naida Rutherford found herself homeless with few prospects just two days after graduating from high school. But the faith of a classmate’s parents and her own determination to get a degree ultimately led her to a career in nursing. In 2020, Rutherford became the first woman, the first person of color and the first person with a medical background to be elected Richland County coroner.

Topics: Alumni, Academics, Health Sciences, Careers, College of Nursing

An illustration of a brain with a red targeted spot on it.

School of Medicine researchers pursue new treatment options for glioblastoma

March 05, 2024, Page Ivey

Assistant professor of medicine Deepak Bhere was drawn to the study of stem cell therapy because he wanted to do research that has real impact on patients’ lives. His team at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia has the potential to do just that as they pursue new treatment options for patients with glioblastoma.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Leadership, Careers, Medicine (Columbia), Breakthrough Research

two people stand in front of beer vats

Alumni couple use 'complementary skillset' to create thriving taproom

February 26, 2024, Page Ivey

Brian and Nicole Cendrowski spent more than a decade dreaming of opening their own brewery before settling on a plan and a location. Their Fireforge Brewery & Taproom in downtown Greenville weathered the pandemic and is now a thriving member of the Upstate community they call home.

Topics: Alumni, Entrepreneurship, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, South Carolina Honors College

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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.

Topics: speakers, Experiential Learning, Careers, College of Information and Communications

maxcy monument on the usc horseshoe

Social justice awards recognize outstanding staff members

January 09, 2024, Page Ivey

Two staff members have been recognized for their social justice efforts on campus and in the larger community as 2024 Social Justice Award winners. The University of South Carolina created the Social Justice Awards to recognize individuals who have exemplified the philosophies of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through acts of community service, social justice or racial reconciliation.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Diversity, Recognition, Service, College of Education

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Searching for hidden connections

November 13, 2023, Page Ivey

A team of researchers, including several in the College of Pharmacy, are hoping to use the computing power of artificial intelligence to find subtle connections among the hundreds of drug-therapy studies published each year. The researchers are mining data on approved drugs and their outcomes, particularly in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Partnerships, College of Pharmacy

a jockey on horseback waves as two men walk beside the horse

History professor documents Latino excellence in horseracing

October 12, 2023, Page Ivey

The next time you watch a horse race, note the accents in the voices, read the names — not just the jockeys and grooms, but the trainers and owners. Chances are most of the people you see excelling in horseracing are Latino. “Over 80% of the people on the track throughout the second half of the 20th and into the 21st century are Latino,” says University of South Carolina history professor Gabrielle Kuenzli.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Diversity, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Julius Fridriksson stands outside with greenery in the background

Focus SC: New institutes will use cutting-edge research to solve South Carolina problems

September 19, 2023, Page Ivey

In May, the University of South Carolina announced that it will invest $10 million over the next four years in five new interdisciplinary research institutes that will address some of the Palmetto State’s biggest challenges, including health, education and water quality. USC Today talked with Vice President for Research Julius Fridriksson about the genesis and goals of the initiative.

Topics: University Leadership, Research, Initiatives, Health Sciences

the orb atop the maxcy monument on the USC Horseshoe

Improvement Practitioner Program aims to create team of efficiency experts across campus

July 14, 2023, Page Ivey

USC’s Organizational Excellence Officer Stacey Bradley is working to create a working world where no one hears or says: “That’s just the way we’ve always done it.” Her office has been tasked with training a team of employees to become “efficiency experts,” who can deploy to any area of the university to help streamline processes.

Topics: University Leadership, Initiatives

a radar image of hurricane hugo making landfall in SC in 1989

USC geography graduates help guide state, nation through hurricane season

July 13, 2023, Page Ivey

Every summer, the South Carolina coast and the southeastern U.S. faces the threat of hurricanes that range in size from sustained winds of 74 mph to the state’s most catastrophic hurricane, Hugo in 1989 that resulted in $10 billion in damages. Helping minimize the damage from these storms is the job of several graduates of the University of South Carolina’s geography master’s program.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

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Alumna Tjuan Dogan helps people around the world access online education

June 21, 2023, Page Ivey

When Tjuan Dogan came to USC to study advertising and public relations, her career goal was to carry a briefcase to work. From that beginning, Dogan, who has a bachelor’s in advertising and a master’s and a Ph.D. in education all from USC, crafted a career path that now has her helping nontraditional students find their careers and new lives through education.

Topics: Alumni, Diversity, Careers, College of Education, College of Information and Communications

An image of the QR code for this story with a bright green background.

COVID gave QR codes new life

June 14, 2023, Page Ivey

After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the hospitality and tourism industries in March 2020, businesses, particularly restaurants, encouraged customers to return, in part, by offering contactless menus. One key piece of that was the QR code — a technology created by a subsidiary of Toyota as a means of tracking its manufacturing processes.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Breakthrough Research, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Careers, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

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.

Topics: Alumni, Experiential Learning, Leadership, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Joseph F. Rice School of Law

A very close shot of a USC nursing student with her hand on her stethescope.

Prisma Health makes key investment in SC nurses

April 20, 2023, Page Ivey

To combat South Carolina’s nursing shortage in the next few years will take a team effort, involving health care companies as well as universities who train the essential health care workers. Prisma Health is providing $5 million to five South Carolina schools, including USC Columbia and USC Upstate, which will receive $1.3 million each. The program also helps the next generation of South Carolina nurses understand their roles within a larger health care system.

Topics: Initiatives, Entrepreneurship, Careers, College of Nursing

Woman stands next to the SEC women's basketball trophy with a handwritten south carolina sign in front and a backdrop with ESPN SEC Network logo on it

Original FAMs: Longtime women's basketball fans predate current success

March 23, 2023, Page Ivey

Many of the fans following the South Carolina women's basketball team through the NCAA Tournament have been with the Gamecocks since the beginning — some quite literally since that first women’s team played in 1974 — sitting in mostly empty arenas, cheering on their team in good years and bad. Now South Carolina is No. 1 not just on the court, but also in filling arenas with average attendance at women’s games over 12,000 and frequent sellouts of all 18,000 seats.

Topics: Alumni

red and white striped lighthouse at sea pines plantation

Fueling SC's top industry

February 17, 2023, Page Ivey

Tourism is the main driver of South Carolina’s economy, accounting for about 10 percent of jobs in the state and an estimated annual impact of $29 billion. The University of South Carolina helps keep this economic engine humming by preparing graduates of the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management to take on key roles in a variety of businesses and by helping those businesses adapt and grow.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Research, Careers, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Teachers in the TIP program (need more precise caption)

Colonial Life offers key support for College of Education's CarolinaTIP

February 10, 2023, Page Ivey

CarolinaTIP focuses on teachers in their first three years as they transition from learning how to teach to leading their own classrooms. About half of all South Carolina teachers who leave their jobs each year are in their first five years of working in the classroom. The Carolina Teacher Induction Program has reduced the number of new teachers leaving the profession by offering them coaching support from more experienced classroom leaders — most of whom are retired instructors who want to give back to the profession.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Initiatives, Carolinian, Service, Leadership, College of Education

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Social work researcher explores impact on those who want more work hours but don't get them

January 18, 2023, Page Ivey

As many as 10 percent of U.S. workers want more work hours than their companies are offering — a condition known as underemployment. College of Social Work professor Jaeseung Kim is investigating the economic and personal fallout of underemployment, including the consequences of erratic weekends, shift cancellations or lack of control over hours.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Economic Engagement, Partnerships, Service, Leadership

maxcy monument on the usc horseshoe

Social justice awards recognize outstanding student, faculty members

January 09, 2023, Page Ivey

Four faculty members and a student have been recognized for their work on campus and in the larger community with 2023 Social Justice Awards. The University of South Carolina created the Social Justice Awards to recognize individuals who have exemplified the philosophies of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through acts of community service, social justice or racial reconciliation.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Diversity, Recognition, Service, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education

A studio portrait of Dawn Staley with net around her neck.

USC's women's basketball coach Dawn Staley wins championships, builds champions

January 05, 2023, Page Ivey

Basketball-wise, Dawn Staley has done it all. As a player, she won MVP trophies and gold medals. As a coach, she has won national titles, coach of the year honors and more gold medals. As a mentor, she has watched Gamecock power forward turned WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson win season MVP and a WNBA championship. But Staley also transcends the sport, raising awareness for issues she cares about and money for causes she believes in. At her core, she is an advocate — for her players, first, but also for people whose voices might not be heard.

Topics: Carolinian, Leadership, Careers

professor Khalid Ballouli shows some of his professional baseball cards

HRSM professor researches topic outside his field, but inside his heart

June 28, 2022, Page Ivey

Khalid Ballouli knows first-hand what life is like for an aspiring professional ballplayer. It was his personal experience, which included six years as a pitcher in the minor leagues after playing for the Southeastern Conference’s Texas A&M University, that led him to his 10-year research project interviewing young players and their families about their experiences in travel baseball.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Molly Peirano

Beyond athletics: Title IX and the future of gender equity on college campuses

June 21, 2022, Page Ivey

Alumna Molly Peirano is leading the university’s new Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Peirano discusses plans and goals for the office and the future of the landmark civil rights regulation that prohibits sex discrimination in any education program receiving federal funds.

Topics: Alumni, University Leadership, Initiatives, Diversity, College of Education

Rebecca Janzen

Professor explores aspects of Mexican culture in literature

April 27, 2022, Page Ivey

Spanish and comparative literature professor Rebecca Janzen has checked all the North America boxes: She is from Canada, works in the U.S. and her field of study is Mexican literature and culture. And, nine years removed from her Ph.D., she has published four books that all look at some aspect of Mexican culture or government and certain populations inside the country.

Topics: Faculty, Research, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

donna walker

Leadership program puts pharmacists on forefront of improving health care

January 11, 2022, Page Ivey

Helping develop and inspire pharmacy leaders is the goal of the Walker Leadership Scholars Program at the University of South Carolina’s College of Pharmacy, says program founder Donna Walker (1979 pharmacy, 1984 MBA). Each year, the competitive program selects two high-capacity students from the first-year pharmacy class to be scholars for three consecutive years.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Health Sciences, Leadership, College of Pharmacy

Ebony Toussaint

New faculty spotlight: Ebony Toussaint

November 02, 2021, Page Ivey

University of South Carolina alumna Ebony Toussaint joined the university as a faculty member this fall, working with the Rural and Minority Health Research Center in the Arnold School of Public Health. One of her first research projects will be a study of how evictions impact mental health, on which she will work with her husband, Etienne Toussaint, who is a new law professor.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Careers, Arnold School of Public Health

Nate Johnson at Rose Hill Plantation

Putting history to work in the world

September 16, 2021, Page Ivey

UofSC's public history graduates apply their knowledge and love of history to encourage civic engagement by making the past more understandable and accessible to the general public. They also are helping to refine our understanding of our past through new scholarship to tell a more inclusive history.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Graduate Studies, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

Allie Trice will attend graduate school at Oxford thanks to the Barry Scholarship

English, history graduate is first UofSC recipient of Barry Scholarship to study at Oxford

June 14, 2021, Page Ivey

Allie Trice was an outstanding undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina, excelling in class and conducting publishable research. But a dedication to the pursuit of truth is even more important for the university’s first recipient of the Barry Scholarship, which opened the door to graduate school at the University of Oxford.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Research, Scholarships, Graduate Studies, History, Recognition, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Jaeseung Kim in a suit and tie

COVID-19 Impact: Gender disparities in pandemic's effect

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.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, COVID-19, College of Social Work

rendering of a basketball court with the words Gamecock women's basketball on and off the court

Win or lose on the court, UofSC women's basketball student-athletes have great success in life

December 04, 2020, Page Ivey

About a dozen UofSC women's basketball players have gone on to success in the WNBA, but even more former Gamecocks have gone on to become successful teachers, doctors, social workers and corporate vice presidents following their playing days. Those who have “gone pro” off the court credit the lessons they learned while student-athletes at UofSC with much of their success.

Topics: Alumni, Experiential Learning, Leadership, Careers

dawson tate

First-generation student learns what college is really like

November 03, 2020, Page Ivey

Growing up in Indian Land, South Carolina, Dawson Tate’s vision of college came mostly from what he saw in the movies. But during his time in the Opportunity Scholars Program at South Carolina, Tate has decided he likes what he sees and wants to continue his education through the doctorate level so he can return to his hometown and become a teacher and principal.

Topics: Students, Academics, Scholarships, Careers, College of Education

UofSC NROTC battalion in white uniforms

Gamecock Battalion tops among Navy ROTC programs

October 27, 2020, Page Ivey

The University of South Carolina has the best Navy ROTC program in the country. That recognition comes as no surprise to the midshipmen and alumni of the program that began at Carolina in 1940. And it comes as the result of hard work by a team of staffers and the university’s support for it and other military-affiliated programs on campus.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Recognition, Partnerships, Service, Leadership, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Kjana o

'Go big or go home'

October 08, 2020, Page Ivey

Kjahna O knew from the time she was a young girl, growing up in Southern California, that she wanted to be involved in football. After earning her master’s degree in the sport and entertainment management program at the University of South Carolina, O earned a spot with the Atlanta Falcons, helping that team find the best college players to round out its roster each year.

Topics: Alumni, Academics, Experiential Learning, Graduate Studies, Careers, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

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