University of South Carolina Campuses Overview

The University of South Carolina (USC), a public research university, stands as the flagship of the University of South Carolina System and the largest university in the state by enrollment. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, its main campus spans over 359 acres (145 ha) in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, near the South Carolina State House. This article provides an overview of the University of South Carolina System, its various campuses, governance, history, and student life.

The University of South Carolina System

The University of South Carolina System is a collection of campuses established in 1957 to expand the educational opportunities for the citizens of South Carolina and extend the reach of USC throughout the state. The system currently consists of eight campuses, with the flagship campus in Columbia. The campuses in Aiken, Beaufort, and Spartanburg are comprehensive campuses, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Four of the campuses have branches in nearby locales.

Governance and Administration

The University of South Carolina System is governed by the Board of Trustees, which oversees the overall management of the system. The Board of Trustees is composed of 20 members. A President, appointed by the board, serves as the chief executive officer of the system and manages the day-to-day affairs of the campuses. The President is also responsible for long-range planning and recommending improvements to the Board of Trustees. Each senior campus is administered by a chancellor, and each regional campus is managed by a dean, all of whom report directly to the President. Both the Board of Trustees and the President have offices in the Osborne Administration Building, at the northeast corner of The Horseshoe.

The Board of Trustees is a body created by the state of South Carolina responsible for the maintenance and operation of the university, including the University of South Carolina System. The board was established in legislation passed by the General Assembly on December 19, 1801, for the foundation of South Carolina College. The original board was composed of twenty-five members, twelve of whom were ex officio and 13 were elected. They first met on February 12, 1802, at the home of Governor John Drayton.

Seven standing committees have been set up to streamline the business of the board of trustees. A special or ad hoc committee can be formed by the Chairman of the Board should a need arise. The trustees have the final say on all affairs that are pertinent to the University.

Historical Context

Founded as South Carolina College on December 19, 1801, by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly initiated by Governor John Drayton, the institution aimed to promote harmony between the Lowcountry and the Backcountry. Classes commenced on January 10, 1805, with an initial enrollment of nine students and a traditional classical curriculum. The first president was the Baptist minister and theologian Reverend Jonathan Maxcy.

When South Carolina College opened its doors in 1805, the building now known as Rutledge College was the only building on campus. Located one block southeast of the State Capitol, it served as an administrative office, academic building, residence hall, and chapel. However, the master plan for the original campus called for a total of eleven buildings, all facing a large lush gathering area. In 1807, the original President's House was the next building to be erected. The building now known as DeSaussure College followed shortly thereafter, and the remaining eight buildings were constructed over the next several decades. When completed, all eleven buildings formed a U-shape open to Sumter Street.

The college became a symbol of the South in the antebellum period as its graduates were on the forefront of secession from the Union. Slavery and slave labor played a fundamental role in the foundation and construction of the University of South Carolina. Many of the primary buildings in the central heart of campus, known today as the horseshoe, were built not only by slave labor but also of slave-made brick. Slave labor played a large role in the maintenance operational duties of early campus activities.

Seventy-two students were present for classes in January 1862, and the college functioned until a call by the Confederate government for South Carolina to fill its quota of 18,000 soldiers. A system of conscription began on March 20 for all men between the ages of 18 and 45, but many students volunteered. With the depletion of students, professors issued a notice that the college would open to those under 18 years old.

The University Act of 1869 during the Reconstruction era reorganized the university and provided it with generous financial support. An amendment was added to the act by W. J. Whipper, a black representative from Beaufort, that would prevent racial discrimination from the admissions policy of the university. The legislature further proved its seriousness towards racial equality by electing two black trustees, Benjamin A. Boseman and Francis Lewis Cardozo, to the governing board of the university on March 9, 1869. A normal school was established by the legislature on the campus of the university as well as a preparatory school for black students, since most former slaves were ill-prepared for academic work. In addition, to encourage enrollment by blacks, tuition and other fees were abolished.

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On October 7, 1873, Henry E. Hayne, the Secretary of State of South Carolina, became the first black student when he registered for the fall session in the medical college of the university. Many white students and faculty left the school in protest, and Hayne's registration became national news. Two years later, the majority of students at the university were black, and enrolled students included Richard T. Greener, T. McCants Stewart, William D. Crum, William Sinclair, and Alonzo Townsend. Opponents of desegregation labeled the university as "the radical university," blaming its changes on being occupied by outsiders with radical ideas.

When Reconstruction ended in 1877, South Carolina's legislature became all-white again. That year, South Carolina state leaders closed the university. In 1893, South Carolina's legislature required that the university let women enroll, although the university did not yet allow women to live on campus. Frances Guignard Gibbes was admitted in 1895, and Mattie Jean Adams became the first female graduate in 1898. Black students did not return to the University of South Carolina until 1963, when Henrie Monteith, Robert Anderson, and James Solomon enrolled. The university was one of the last large public universities to desegregate. Students who integrated the university feared violence and were excluded from many aspects of social life and extra-curriculars.

The Horseshoe

The Horseshoe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and most of its buildings reflect the federal style of architecture in vogue in the early days of the nation. Built in 1909, Davis College was the university's first new building after the Civil War. Over the years the 11 original buildings on the Horseshoe survived a fire, an earthquake, and the Civil War, but in 1939 McKissick Museum replaced the original President's House.

Expansion and Modernization

During the 20th century, the campus began to spread out dramatically from the Horseshoe. Today it includes the student union, 24 residence halls, numerous academic buildings, Longstreet Theatre, the Koger Center for the Arts, the Carolina Coliseum, the Colonial Life Arena, Carolina Stadium, and various facilities for Olympic sports. (Williams-Brice Stadium is located approximately one mile off campus.) Recent additions to the campus are the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, the Greek Village, the Green Quad, the Honors Residence Hall, the Public Health Research Center, the Graduate Columbia hotel, the Colonial Life Arena and Carolina Stadium.

Academics and Research

Founded in 1978, the South Carolina Honors College offers support to academically gifted undergraduate students. After gaining acceptance to the University of South Carolina, students must apply separately to the Honors College and demonstrate significant academic achievement.

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During his tenure as president of the University of South Carolina, John Palms articulated a "Cathedrals of Excellence" budgeting philosophy. Former President Andrew Sorensen raised even larger sums for research, including a $300 million grant for colorectal cancer. Department of Energy as one of 31 universities nationwide to house an Energy Frontier Research Center that is expected to bring $12.5 million in federal funding, the largest single award in the university's history, to the College of Engineering and Computing.

The University of South Carolina is a member of the SEC Academic Consortium. Now renamed the SECU, the initiative was a collaborative endeavor designed to promote research, scholarship and achievement amongst the member universities in the Southeastern conference. The SECU bolsters collaborative academic endeavors of Southeastern Conference universities.

Student Life

Over 34,500 students attend the Columbia campus of the University of South Carolina, coming from all 46 South Carolina counties. In addition, students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries are represented here.

University Housing provides over 6,200 on-campus housing units. Rent includes all utilities. Undergraduates may choose housing in a specific "living and learning community". Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Since campus academic enrollment exceeds the capacity of on-campus housing, the university is adding more residence halls, most of which will be suite-style.

The university's student government is composed of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. A 50-member Student Senate is led by the student body speaker of the Senate. The Student Senate enacts referendums, resolutions, and bills to enhance the student body in non-academic fields, maintains a budget for student life projects, confirms nominations for cabinet positions, and makes recommendations for change within the university.

Student Media and Organizations

The Daily Gamecock is an editorially independent, daily student newspaper founded in 1908. The student run radio station, WUSC, began broadcasting on the AM dial in 1947. In January 1977 WUSC began broadcasting on the FM dial, and in 1982 the station found its current home at 90.5 FM. Students publish a literary magazine, Garnet & Black, which was formed in 1994 as a consolidation of the university's former yearbook and its literary magazine. The University of South Carolina established its first television station in the Fall 2006, Student Government Television (SGTV). It was funded by Student Government until April 2007 when Student Government released SGTV to the Department of Student Media, which also operates The Daily Gamecock, Garnet & Black Magazine and WUSC-FM.

Greek Life and Social Scene

About 22% of undergraduate men and 34% of undergraduate women participate in fraternities and sororities. These Greek letter organizations are governed by an internal body, the Greek Council. Students tend to socialize off campus in Five Points and the Congaree Vista. Lake Murray and the three rivers (Saluda River, Broad River, and Congaree River) around Columbia offer students many recreational activities.

Athletics and Traditions

The university's mascot, Cocky entertaining Gamecock fans at Gamecock Village prior to game vs. Williams-Brice Stadium (est. The university offers club, intramural, and varsity sports. The Gamecock reported in its March 1911 issue that very little progress had been made on the alma mater for the university despite a reward of $50 by the faculty. English professor, George A. Wauchope, took it upon himself and wrote the lyrics for the alma mater in 1911 set to the tune Flow Gently, Sweet Afton by Robert Burns.

A Period of Protest

On May 4, 1970, students at the University of South Carolina requested that the flag be lowered to half staff to honor those who had died in the Kent State shootings. An equal size counter-protest gathered at the flagpole and demanded that flag remain hoisted at the top of the pole. To thwart off any potential bloodshed, President Tom Jones ordered that the flag be lowered. However, the protesters felt emboldened and took over the Russell House. The board acted to discipline the students on May 11. A crowd of 300 students formed, marched on the administrative building where the trustees were meeting, and demanded amnesty for the students. The board refused and the protesters responded by vandalizing cars parked at the building. One car that was flipped over was bought the same day by a trustee. The protesters occupied the first floor of the building causing the trustees to huddle in a room on the second floor. After waiting a few hours in the room, Hugh Willcox, a trustee in his 70s, simply left the room, walked past the students, and sped away in his car. Sol Blatt, Jr. commented that he would not have done that for $100,000. The National Guard arrived later that night and the protesters dispersed at their sight.

Athletics Committee

Up until 1981, the positions of head football coach and athletic director were combined. Despite being the athletic director, the head football coach held little sway over the hiring and firing of the coaches for the other athletic programs. The true power lay with the chairman of the athletic committee and the position was dominated from the 1930s to the 1970s by Solomon Blatt, Sr. and his son Solomon Blatt, Jr. Yet in 1966 Blatt, Jr.

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