University of South Carolina Columbia
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| Motto: Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros - Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel. | |
| President | Dr. Andrew Sorensen |
| School type | Public |
| Founded | 1801 |
| Location | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Campus size | 154 acre |
| Enrollment | 17,000 grad., 9,000 post-grad. |
| Faculty | 1,100 |
| Endowment | $312 million |
| Campus surroundings | Urban |
| Sports teams | Gamecocks |
| Mascot | Cocky |
The University of South Carolina in Columbia is the main campus for the USC system. It is home to over 25,000 students.
| Table of contents |
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2 History 3 Colleges and Schools 4 Students 5 6 Famous alumni 7 Other campuses 8 External links |
The first building at South Carolina College was Rutledge Chapel, which served as residence hall, chapel, administrative, and academic building at the same time.
Soon after, DeSaussure Collge was built. Surrounding these two buildings, others were constructed in the shape of a horseshoe. Among them was Caroliniana Library, the first free-standing library in the United States.
The horseshoe is in downtown Columbia, one block to the southeast of the State Capitol. During the 20th century, the campus began to spread dramatically in every direction but northwest. Today it includes the student union, 21 residence halls, numerous academic buildings, Longstreet Theatre, the Koger Center for the Arts, the Carolina Colliseum, the Colonial Center, Sarge Frye Field, and various facilities for Olympic sports.
Recently added to the campus were the greek village and the Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center, the largest facility of its kind on a college campus in the US.
Scheduled to be opened for the Fall 2004 semester, is West Quad. A residence hall that is likely to be one of only four residence halls in the world to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program
Future plans include the construction of a research campus, mainly between the horseshoe and the Congaree river, and the building of a new baseball stadium.
The university was founded as South Carolina College on December 19, 1801. It closed during the War Between the States due to a lack of students, re-opening in 1866. During Reconstruction, the university was the only one in the South to admit and grant degrees to blacks. Once Reconstruction ended, the university was closed for three years and then reopened in 1880 as a whites-only agricultural college.
In 1906, the institution was rechartered as the University of South Carolina. In the 1950s, other campuses across the state began to be established. On September 11, 1963, as a result of a court order, the university admitted three African-Americans, the first since Reconstruction.
Approximaetely 26,000 students attend the University of South Carolina Columbia. Another 11,000 students study at the regional campuses of the USC System.
Almost all freshman live on campus, and a total of 8,000 students reside on campus. This number continues to grow, as the university is in the process of adding more suite style resident halls.
Popular off-campus housing includes the University Commons and Sterling University. The two main social points are Five Points and the Congaree Vista.
The Greek system at South Carolina is less popular than at comparable institutions in southern states. However, with the addition of a Greek village from 2002-2004 an increase in interest is expected.
The school sponsors 18 collegiate sports. All teams compete at the Division I level of the NCAA and all sports but men's soccer compete in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina's student athletes are also known as Fighting Gamecocks. The school colors are Garnet and Black.
The University was a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 but left in 1971 after disputes over the conference's recruiting regulations and the dominance of the four North Carolina schools.
The football team started competing as an independent and other sports competed in the Metro Conference. In 1992 South Carolina joined the Southeastern Conference together with the University of Arkansas to bring membership total to 12.
Football is the school's most popular sport as standing room only crowds are common at 82,000 seat Williams-Brice Stadium. Prior to the 2000 season, the University hired legendary coach Lou Holtz as head coach.
Basketball has been a popular sport ever since coach Frank McGuire was the head coach in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Under his watch the University built the 12,000 Carolina Coliseum. Starting in the 2002/2003 season the Gamecock Basketball teams started playing in the 18,000 seat Colonial Center. Before the 2001/2002 season Dave Odom became the school's basketball head coach.
The Baseball teams also have been successful over the year. Under Head Coach Ray Tanner the team made its 6th and 7th appearance at the College World Series in 2002 and 2003. The school has been the national runner up on three different occasions.
Other successful programs include Men's Soccer, Track & Field;, Softball, and Women's basketball.
Clemson University is South Carolina's in-state rival and the two schools compete in all sponsored sports besides Softball and Equestrian. Another rivalry is developing with the University of Georgia.
The University has over 210,000 living alumni. Some of the most famous alumni are:
Campus
History
Colleges and Schools
Students
Famous alumni
Other campuses
External links