February 16, 2026, Laura Erskine
On average, rural residents live farther away from hospitals compared to urban residents. Cassie Lewis Odahowski, assistant professor of public health, says those longer distances can lead to worse health outcomes. As a researcher for the Arnold School’s Rural Health Research Center, Odahowski studies access-to-care issues for rural communities using an advanced mapping tool available at USC.
February 06, 2026, Laura Erskine
At the 1980 Homecoming game, USC debuted its mascot, Cocky, for the first time. Cocky would go on to be named one of the “Greatest Mascots in College Football History” by Sports Illustrated. He’s won high-profile national competitions and appeared at sporting events worldwide. But his first appearance definitely ruffled some feathers.
January 16, 2026, Laura Erskine
Alumnus Jamie Ballentine knew he wanted to be a mascot from the time he was a teenager. Before he even graduated from high school, he landed a role with USC as Cocky. After a four-year, national award-winning run, Ballentine set out to become a professional mascot. He now plays Olly the Otter for Lexington Kid's Day, visiting sick children and their families.
November 18, 2025, Laura Erskine
Heart defects affect about 1 percent of all babies born in the United States each year, making the cardiovascular system an important part of the nursing curriculum. To help students master this material, assistant professor Stephanie Schaller invented a new tool that lets students learn heart defects through hands-on activities.
November 14, 2025, Laura Erskine
Six finalists with ties to USC were recognized by the 2025 InnoVision Awards, with three winning top honors. The winning businesses are led by students in the South Carolina Honors College, alumni and graduate students from the Molinaroli College of Engineering, and alumni from the Darla Moore School of Business and the Honors College.
November 11, 2025, Laura Erskine
Senior Gracie Bellah started at USC with her plans mapped out. A history and anthropology double major in the Honors College, she dove into historical research and became a leader in student organizations. Her experience helping other students as a McCausland College ambassador helped her decide to take her career plans in a new direction.
October 21, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC researchers are tackling the issues that underlie the women’s health care gap. Jihong Liu, professor of epidemiology in the Arnold School of Public Health, studies the impact of maternal health care for women and their children. While one branch of her research focuses on developmental origins of disease, Liu also examines how a woman’s experiences during pregnancy can affect her own health for a lifetime.
October 21, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC researchers are tackling the issues that underlie the women’s health care gap. Jewel Scott, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and College of Nursing faculty member, says women are more likely to be dismissed in medical settings because their symptoms aren’t as well understood – or health care providers just aren’t listening. Scott is working to change that by helping patients and practitioners become better advocates.
October 21, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC researchers are tackling the issues that underlie the women’s health care gap. In the Arnold School of Public Health, assistant professor Katie Hirsch is working to address the research shortage. Traditionally, scientific research took findings based on the ‘typical’ male body and extrapolated the results to apply to all people, including women. The problem, Hirsch says, is that “women are not small men.”
September 26, 2025, Laura Erskine
As a member of the USC’s equestrian team, Ruby Voortmeyer competes in the horsemanship event, leading her horse to perform complex maneuvers. As a mechanical engineering major, Voortmeyer leads by putting her best effort into her studies in the classroom and the research lab. In both arenas, she gives it her all.
September 04, 2025, Laura Erskine
If Jaelyn Souza could give just one piece of advice to this year’s incoming students at USC, it would be this: “Keep an open mind, because me as a freshman and me as a senior are two very different people.” The neuroscience major says all of her beyond-the-classroom experiences helped her decide on her career path.
August 27, 2025, Laura Erskine
Marine biologist Eilea Knotts believes failure can be an important part of learning. She brings this philosophy into her classrooms, where she has equipped her students to learn from their setbacks and keep going with a new grading system. Her ingenuity has earned her the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation.
August 11, 2025, Laura Erskine
For nearly 14 years, Amy Taylor-Perry has taught general chemistry classes and labs at USC. Hundreds of students take these courses each semester, and Taylor-Perry has designed them to provide a solid foundation. She has now received the Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award, with her nomination endorsed by the entire Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
July 17, 2025, Laura Erskine
Josh Dawsey works at the forefront of U.S. politics. He has covered the White House extensively and has twice won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting with teams from The Washington Post. His new book "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America" tells the story of the tumultuous election season.
June 27, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC faculty and staff members produce a variety of podcasts that will keep you coming back for another episode. From deep dives into Southern history and campus life to engaging conversations with experts in business, pharmacy and public health, we’ve rounded up selections to give you a sample of what USC podcasters have to offer.
May 12, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC alumnus David Prim has dedicated his career to fighting cardiovascular diseases — first as a researcher and now as a venture capitalist. He works for Broadview Ventures in Boston, helping the organization identify and invest in promising new technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
April 29, 2025, Laura Erskine
For more than 50 years, USC has made an undergraduate education more attainable through TRIO programs. The foundation of these opportunities is the Pell Grant. Here, USC alumni share how the Pell Grant opened the door for them to achieve their dreams of earning their degrees and attaining fulfilling, impactful careers.
April 21, 2025, Laura Erskine
The Ice Bucket Challenge is back, and a student organization at the University of South Carolina is behind it. In March, USC's Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club launched the #SpeakYourMIND challenge, which went viral and hit the national news. Who doesn’t love to see videos of friends, family and even strangers getting doused in buckets of ice water?
April 17, 2025, Laura Erskine
USC’s student government has two graduating seniors who have been accepted to Harvard Law School, one of the nation’s top programs. The students credit their time in student government, along with the excellent training they received both in the classroom and beyond, with helping them reach their goals.
March 20, 2025, Laura Erskine
As a Fulbright Scholar, Sarah Waheed traced the footsteps of Chand Bibi through the southwestern region of India. She visited ruins and archives, working with historians, archeologists and residents to gather the pieces of Chand Bibi’s story. Now Waheed tells this story in her forthcoming book.
March 14, 2025, Laura Erskine
AJ Peterman is undergoing an EEG for a study led by Caitlin Hudac, director of USC’s Brain Research Across Development lab. Hudac first took her lab on the road to test children who have rare genetic conditions and couldn’t travel. Now, she hopes to expand her reach.
March 07, 2025, Laura Erskine
A primary care doctor is a key player in patient care, but South Carolina is facing a doctor shortage. That’s why both USC’s School of Medicine Columbia and School of Medicine Greenville are prioritizing primary care, with an emphasis on family medicine, thanks to their deans, Dr. Gerald Harmon (Columbia) and Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray (Greenville).
February 10, 2025, Laura Erskine
Augusta Baker left a remarkable legacy in the fields of librarianship and children’s literature. After retiring from the New York Public Library system, Baker became storyteller-in-residence at USC from 1980 to 1994. It was the first position of its kind at an American university, a role created for Baker to teach students, librarians and educators how to make reading more exciting for children.
January 13, 2025, Laura Erskine
Korebami Adebajo is by every measure an exceptional student. On track to earn her bachelor’s degree this spring from USC’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, she’s currently applying to doctoral programs. And she just turned 18. While her age may be notable, what truly sets Adebajo apart is her drive to achieve her goals.
December 03, 2024, Laura Erskine
Senior Lauren Puttock has won the University of South Carolina’s third holiday card design contest for her acrylic painting of Cocky reading on a snowy day. President Michael Amiridis and First Lady Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis chose the artwork for the cover of their annual greeting card.
April 25, 2024, Laura Erskine
Carol Harrison is headed to Rome for the upcoming school year thanks to two major fellowships supporting her research on the First Vatican Council (1869-1870). A professor in USC’s Department of History, Harrison recently won both the Guggenheim Fellowship — one of the world’s most prestigious grants for scholars — and the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome.
January 31, 2024, Laura Erskine
Public history student Stevie Malenowski spent his summer digitizing images from boxes of archival materials, uncovering the history of the Williams Furniture Company, a staple of Sumter, South Carolina, for decades, alongside specialists at University Libraries. The archival materials are a key resource for a traveling exhibit coming in 2024.
July 21, 2023, Laura Erskine
There’s no mystery about the disappearance of Ace Harlem. Born in 1947, his story ended just as quickly as it began. Picture this: a Black police detective comes upon the scene of a crime and traces the evidence to robbers holed up in a downtown apartment. A struggle ensues. Only one survives.
November 14, 2022, Laura Erskine
Nicole Maskiell is an associate professor of history and affiliate faculty in African American studies at the University of South Carolina. Her book, “Bound by Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry” (2022 Cornell University Press), examines the institution of slavery in the early American Colonies and how it created lasting ties between families of the elite classes, even across cultural lines, as well as ties among the enslaved people.
November 14, 2022, Laura Erskine
Nicole Maskiell is an associate professor of history and affiliate faculty in African American studies at the University of South Carolina. Her book, “Bound by Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry” (2022 Cornell University Press), examines the institution of slavery in the early American colonies and how it created lasting ties between families of the elite classes, even across cultural lines, as well as ties among the enslaved people.
October 26, 2022, Laura Erskine
Gwen Hopper’s research takes her to rivers, drainages and stormwater ponds throughout Horry and Georgetown Counties. She collects water samples to examine the amounts and types of dissolved organic matter in each system.
September 01, 2022, Laura Erskine
On Aug. 1, Jack Sadle became the first University of South Carolina student to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Intelligence — a field where issues of cyber and national security meet.