It was a frenzied day at the first Board of Trustees meeting of the academic year Friday (Aug. 23). The board not only approved an ambitious vision for USC’s future but also a handful of academic initiatives and infrastructure improvements.
Master plan approved
The biggest approval during Friday’s board meeting came when the Board of Trustees advanced the USC Next, campus master plan.
The plan establishes a path for future growth to help the university meet the needs for students, faculty and staff for years to come.
Used more as a road map and not a blueprint, USC Next is anchored in four core principles:
- Reinvigorating campus’s historic core.
- Improving the student life experience.
- Reimagining USC’s research footprint.
- Building a new health sciences campus.
While some initiatives are still in the approval process, there are a handful of USC Next projects underway:
- Redeveloping and upgrading McBryde residence hall.
- Completion of a new wing at the Honors College residence hall to accommodate approximately 150 more students.
- Renovations of Thomas Cooper Library, including a new HVAC system and adding more group and individual study spaces.
- Upfitting and renovating the East Tower of the Science and Technology building to create three floors of state-of-the-art classroom, lab and study space.
Approval of new hires, academic initiatives
The board approved a pair of new hires with tenures as well as four honorary academic titles for USC faculty members.
There were also numerous programs, units and centers approved:
- A new M.S. program in performance nutrition and dietetics.
- A new interprofessional programs unit in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing.
- The USC Collaborative for Health Equity Research and the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation.
The USC Collaborative for Health Equity Research is a network of USC faculty, staff and students focused on improving health and well-being for South Carolinians. It’s designed to be a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation to address health disparities and inequities in the state.
The board also approved the termination of two program: the Center of the Education and Equity of African American Students as well as a dual degree program with the Vermont Law School.
A few changes were approved at USC system campuses as well:
- Revision of the mission statement and faculty manual at USC Beaufort.
- An addition of Branchville High School to USC Salkehatchie’s dual enrollment program.
- An addition of Fountain Inn High School to USC Union’s dual enrollment program.
Finance, infrastructure and contract approvals
The Board of Trustees approved gift naming opportunities at USC as well as the executive budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Along with the master plan, the board approved several institutionally funded projects:
- Phase II of the Jones Physical Science Center renovations for the third floor instructional and research labs.
- Renovations to the Benson School.
- Phase II for USC Aiken’s soccer facility.
- Acquisition of the George Dean Johnson building at USC Upstate.
The following contracts were approved:
- An athletics agreement for senior deputy director Jeff Crane.
- Two renewals of a licensing agreements involving the Division of Information Technology — one with Blackboard, another with SHI International/Adobe.
Chair, vice chair, other committee appointments
With Friday’s meeting being the first of the academic year, the board elected a permanent chair and other committee chairs to serve two-year terms.
- Thad Westbrook, permanent chair
- Rose Buyck Newton, vice chair
- Reid Sherard, Advancement, Engagement and Communications Committee chair
- Dorn Smith, Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee chair
- Hugh Mobley, Health and Medical Affairs Committee chair
- Leah Moody, University System Committee chair
The board also approved candidates for USC’s Board of Visitors as well as non-board, non-voting advisors to the following committees: Governance and Advancement, Engagement and Communications.