
Royal Roots: Former Miss Gamecock competes for Miss USA Crown
July 29, 2022, Alexis Watts
School of Journalism and Mass Communications graduate and former Miss Gamecock, Meera Bhonslé will compete for the title of Miss USA on Oct. 3.
July 29, 2022, Alexis Watts
School of Journalism and Mass Communications graduate and former Miss Gamecock, Meera Bhonslé will compete for the title of Miss USA on Oct. 3.
July 27, 2022, Alexis Watts
Moore School at UofSC puts supply-chain graduates on accelerated career path.
July 26, 2022, Allen Wallace
For the fourth consecutive year, the University of South Carolina is among the top 10 in the country in hospitality and tourism management. The ShanghaiRanking’s 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects — Hospitality & Tourism Management places South Carolina No. 1 among Southeastern Conference universities, No. 9 in the U.S. and No. 18 worldwide.
June 29, 2022, Alexis Watts
University of South Carolina professor Tom Mullikin is leading a trek from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Lowcountry.
June 28, 2022, Kyndel Lee
UofSC alumna Taylor Wilson is playing a major role in advancing South Carolina's efforts in advocacy for support of the Alzheimer's cause at both the state and federal levels.
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.
June 14, 2022, Page Ivey
Brenden Chavis, an informatics Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering and Computing, is able to pay for his own education thanks to programs funded by Fluor Corp.
June 14, 2022, Chris Horn
Bacteriophages are viruses that attack specific bacteria and were discovered a century ago. Phage cocktails, which combine several types of phages, could be administered on a broader scale and diminish the need for antibiotics.
June 03, 2022, Megan Sexton
Rick Noble has donated his substantial collection of Hootie & the Blowfish memorabilia – including CDs, T-shirts, posters and publications – to the University of South Carolina Libraries.
May 20, 2022, Alexis Watts
Spring break normally means a time for University of South Carolina students to say goodbye to hard work and relax for a week, but for the past 10 years, hundreds of students from the Capstone Scholars program have chosen to challenge themselves culturally.
May 17, 2022, Savannah Bennett
The Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Initiative is changing the mold, encouraging students to embrace a form of business journalism that goes beyond the numbers. Just in its fourth year, this program has evolved quickly and led two journalism students, Connor Hart and Emma Dooling, to win multiple awards.
May 12, 2022, Mollie Roe and Emily Miles
During his sophomore year, nursing student Bradley Quarles lost a family member to suicide. That experience, combined with the medical knowledge he learned in his studies, spurred Quarles to look for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.
May 10, 2022, Dan Cook
University of South Carolina alumni Win McNamee of Getty Images and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post are both part of teams that were awarded Pulitzer Prizes in journalism on May 9.
May 09, 2022, Chris Horn
In his nearly 40-year career as a photojournalist, Win McNamee has documented world history and national calamity — and periodically found himself in the thick of the action.
May 09, 2022, By Carol J.G. Ward
When siblings Nancy and Thomas Scott were growing up, the University of South Carolina was like their second home. After weighing other options, both brother and sister chose South Carolina because of the value and quality of the Honors College experience.
May 09, 2022, Rebekah Friedman
A portrait of I.S. Leevy Johnson, ’68 law, was unveiled Monday at the School of Law in recognition of the trailblazing alumnus’ legal, business and political achievements.
May 05, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Kev Roche has turned his artistic talent and quick wit into a lucrative "hustle" drawing illustrations for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The 2005 studio art major also has illustrated a book by two former Gamecock football players as well as given UofSC's beloved mascot Cocky a cartoon makeover.
May 03, 2022, Chris Horn
Pranks and pratfalls are part of life in any college residence hall, but one dormitory complex at the University of South Carolina seemed to have more than its fair share. Stories about life in the Towers, also known as the Honeycombs and the Veilblocks, are now almost the stuff of legend. Here are a few anecdotes from yesteryear about those long-gone dorms.
May 03, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
When computer engineering major Dimitri Amiridis crosses the stage at commencement this spring, the South Carolina Honors College graduate will become the third member of his family with a degree from the University of South Carolina. The only member of his immediate family not to hold a degree from his new alma mater? Dimitri’s father, university President-elect Michael Amiridis.
May 03, 2022, Megan Sexton
From ensuring students know where to sit to making sure the sound system works just right, university staff members work behind the scenes to ensure a memorable commencement day for graduates and their families.
April 25, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
A lot happens over the course of an academic year, and there’s absolutely no way to highlight everything. So, no, don’t think of this as a Best Of list. This is merely a smattering of the achievements and memorable moments that defined 2021-22, a small taste of the year that was. Trust us, there’s plenty more where this came from — and plenty more to come.
April 25, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward
Alumna Lorri Unumb's journey to becoming an advocate for families affected by autism began when she and her husband Dan noticed their son Ryan wasn’t behaving and developing like other children. Ryan was diagnosed with autism shortly before his second birthday. Today, Unumb is internationally known for her advocacy. She has written ground-breaking autism insurance legislation and co-founded, with her husband, a nonprofit center for families affected by autism in South Carolina.
April 21, 2022, Megan Sexton
Darius Rucker, country music superstar, proud University of South Carolina alumnus and Gamecock superfan, will hold a free concert for students to celebrate the women’s basketball team’s national championship.
April 15, 2022
As the Class of 2022 looks back, the themes are clear: enduring friendships, newfound passions, life-changing experiences, new avenues of opportunity. And while the themes are consistent, each individual has a story.
April 12, 2022, Megan Sexton
Alumna Kelly Adams, managing director of state government and regulatory affairs for the energy infrastructure company Williams, was instrumental in her employer’s gift of $1.5 million to the university's Center for Civil Rights History and Research.
April 11, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Romance, historical fiction, sci-fi — for young adult novelist Shanna Miles, it’s all fair game. It’s also rocket fuel for the imagination, whether she’s typing up the next interstellar adventure or turning kids on to reading and writing as a virtual school librarian.
April 11, 2022, Office of Communications
UofSC alumnus Darius Rucker will perform a free concert for students to celebrate the women's basketball team's national championship.
April 06, 2022, Chris Horn
Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that Earth’s rising temperatures and related phenomena — more frequent and severe drought, flooding and wildfires — are a result of human-caused climate change. Scientists who earned their Ph.D.s from South Carolina are applying their expertise to help corporations adopt more eco-friendly approaches to doing business and developing more equitable policies for coastal land use.
March 31, 2022, Rose Cisneros
Film and media studies alumnus Herman Phillips talks about his work on award-winning productions and co-developing a revolutionary production management app.
March 22, 2022, Chris Horn
Scientists who earned their Ph.D.s from South Carolina are looking at how changing weather patterns can help predict alternative energy production and how wildfires spawned by these climate changes are affecting plant ecosystems.
March 17, 2022, Rebekah Friedman
Alumna Lee Satterfield, ’89 journalism, has spent three decades in the political arena, gaining responsibilities with each stop. At the end of 2021, Satterfield was confirmed by the U.S Senate as assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the State Department.
March 17, 2022, Megan Sexton
As a Ph.D. student in the College of Nursing, Chigozie Nkwonta studied cervical cancer prevention, with the goal to increase HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screenings in her home country of Nigeria.
March 15, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Alumni Kenneth Moton, Eva Pilgrim and Sara Messer launched their broadcast careers at the University of South Carolina. Two decades later, they came back — as part of the "Good Morning America" takeover over Colonial Life Arena.
March 09, 2022, Chris Horn
Global warming is increasing the saltiness and temperature of the oceans, which adversely affect coral reefs and could worsen other aspects of marine ecosystems. Two scientists who earned their Ph.D.s from the University of South Carolina are gathering data on marine problems linked to climate change.
March 08, 2022, Rose Cisneros
As a forensic scientist and president of an international science academy, Carl McClary uses creativity in the way he approaches his scientific work.
February 24, 2022, Craig Brandhorst; Photos by Kim Truett
In the age of digital overload and the COVID-19 pandemic, we need our public parks and gardens more than ever. Alumni Robin Salmon, Tracy Swartout and Karen Kustafik are here to help us escape.
February 24, 2022, William Hauk
As President Biden warns Americans of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many are unaware of how defending Ukraine can impact the U.S. Economics professor William Hauk writes for The Conversation on the price of supporting Ukraine and the increased risk of recession.
February 23, 2022, Megan Sexton
The African American Studies program celebrates 50 years of commitment to sharing a deeper understanding of the Black experience.
February 17, 2022, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina will honor the three Black students who desegregated the school in 1963 with statues on the Columbia campus commemorating the historic day when they enrolled and became the first Black USC students since the Reconstruction era, paving the way for generations of future scholars.
February 15, 2022, Peggy Binette
A $1.5 million gift from Williams, an energy infrastructure company, will enhance the University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s ability to share South Carolina’s important role in the broader national movement.
February 15, 2022, Bryan Gentry
South Carolina graduate students have played instrumental roles in developing the technology used on Mars. Whether in research labs on campus or in NASA offices, they’ve made their mark on the Red Planet.
February 07, 2022, Chris Horn
A student residence hall near the Colonial Life Arena has become the first University of South Carolina building named for an African American. Formerly known as 700 Lincoln, the Celia Dial Saxon Building honors an educator and community advocate whose teaching career spanned six decades in segregated schools near the university campus.
February 07, 2022, Chris Horn
Born to sharecroppers in 1944 in Yemassee, S.C., Edna Smith Primus was among the first Black graduates from the University of South Carolina in 1966. She became the first Black woman enrolled at the School of Law.
January 31, 2022, Chris Horn
The University of South Carolina desegregated in 1963, but the history of Black people on campus extends back to the university’s beginning in the early 19th century. In 10 illuminating essays edited by Robert Greene II and Tyler Parry, Invisible No More (USC Press 2021) tells that story.
January 26, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward
The professional experience and expertise of two University of South Carolina alumnae and a law professor have led to their selection for roles in federal agencies and courts.
January 26, 2022, Abe Danaher
The university’s interprofessional education program allows future social workers, pharmacists, nurses, doctors and others to step outside their educational siloes and engage their future colleagues in meaningful conversation.
January 19, 2022, Communications and Public Affairs staff
On Jan. 26, University of South Carolina alumni and advocates will come together in support of the university’s efforts to build a stronger, healthier state — and to thank state legislators who have helped the university fulfill its mission to provide an affordable, accessible education.
January 18, 2022, Bryan Gentry
As president of the American Medical Association, Gerald Harmon, a University of South Carolina physics graduate, sees a path to progress as he leads America’s medical community through a pandemic.
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.
January 07, 2022, Jeff Stensland
The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees voted unanimously Friday (Jan. 7) to name a campus residence hall for University of South Carolina graduate and revered African American educator Celia Dial Saxon, one of the best-known and respected educators in the state’s history.
December 16, 2021, Parker Blackburn
School of Journalism and Mass Communications sparked a passion for storytelling for Taylor Jennings-Brown, a 2021 mass communications graduate, who has landed a coveted Kroc Fellowship to work at NPR.
December 14, 2021, Megan Sexton
Alumna Carrie Morey is the founder and face of Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, which includes restaurants in three states, a thriving online and grocery store business, a new cookbook and a PBS television show.
December 06, 2021, Savannah Bennett
Alumna Emma DeLoughry’s Macroplastics in South Carolina Waters: Connecting the Midlands to the Coast documentary is set to premiere on SC ETV Dec. 15.
December 02, 2021, Audrey Hill
Graduation is an exciting time for students and their families as well as staff and faculty. As this semester marks the return to a more normal commencement ceremony, it’s nice to remember old traditions and welcome some back.
December 02, 2021, Chris Horn
When Robert McKeever and a colleague launched a smartphone usage study in 2017, they timed it to coincide with an update of Apple’s iOS that for the first time tracked weekly screen time.
November 16, 2021, Megan Sexton
As the country marks Rural Health Day this week, the University of South Carolina works — through its School of Medicine, College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health and other areas — to understand and improve the delivery of health care in rural and underserved communities.
November 11, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
When Navy veteran Brooks Herring needed help seeking custody of his son, he turned to the Veterans Legal Clinic at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law.
November 04, 2021, Laura Kammerer
Columbia native Ben Green will speak live at the McNair Entrepreneurship Showcase on Friday (Nov. 12) at the Russell House Underground. The event, sponsored by the university’s McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise, will also feature speakers such as MapQuest founder Chris Heivly, ’84 master’s geography, and Mixtroz co-founder Ashlee Ammons.
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.
October 29, 2021, Megan Sexton
From a Ph.D. student who came to college in the U.S. from a Jamaican village to a nursing professor raised by a grandmother with just a third-grade education, first-generation college students bring a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives to campus.
October 28, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Alumna Anne Hardin enjoyed a three-decade friendship with Ray Bradbury. Now, her vast collection of the late author’s books, magazine appearances and other works has found a permanent home at the University of South Carolina’s Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
October 26, 2021, Rose Cisneros
Columbia native and University of South Carolina English graduate Catherine Baab-Muguira spent four years researching Poe’s life and career. Along the way, she found the strength to overcome one of the darkest periods in her own life and enough material for a book.
October 19, 2021, Savannah Bennett
Alumna Hali Kerr says that environmental law and policy "puts a fire in my belly." Her new job at the Environmental Protection Agency drives that passion.
October 12, 2021, Matt Edwards
Visual communications instructor Jason Porter knows his students are deserving of the dream jobs they’ve worked hard to prepare for. That’s why he makes careers more accessible to them by welcoming guest speakers into his classroom. When the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to in-person classes in spring 2020, Porter launched his Let’s Get a Job podcast as a way to continue sharing guest speakers with students.
October 07, 2021, Page Ivey
COVID’s impact on live theater has been well documented, but for performers like alumna Rebecca Krynski Cox, the show must go on. Cox is one of 10 Gamecocks Carolinian magazine spoke to about how the pandemic has changed the way we work.
October 05, 2021, Lauren Arabis
If you turned to the internet for insights leading up to the 2020 presidential election, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Anna Wiederkehr’s work. Wiederkehr, a 2012 visual communications alumna, is the senior visual journalist for FiveThirtyEight, a website that uses statistical data to explore everything from sports to politics.
September 30, 2021, Page Ivey
How long can a crew of astronauts live together and complete rote, and at times mundane, tasks without wanting to strangle each other? That is a question University of South Carolina graduate William Brown is hoping to help answer as one of two U.S. members of a NASA spaceflight simulation study.
September 21, 2021, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
With an MBA from UofSC, Nathalie Baulain leads the customer innovation lab at Michelin, one of the world’s leading tire companies. The professional MBA program at the Darla Moore School of Business helped Baulain achieve the entrepreneurial and creative problem-solving skills she needed to take on a new role and to be successful in her position.
September 21, 2021, Megan Sexton
John Downs Jr. has had a lifelong passion for the rock bank KISS and has amassed a collection over the years that includes guitars, photographs, original artwork and costumes. He recently donated that collection to University Libraries.
September 21, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
As an executive vice president and global head of inclusion at ViacomCBS, Marva Smalls plays a crucial role in the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. And while her commitment to advocacy predates her time at the University of South Carolina, Smalls’ undergraduate and graduate experiences shaped her philosophy in profound ways.
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.
September 15, 2021, Page Ivey
Mandy Elmore realized early in her career as an engineer that part of her responsibility to the profession was to share her love of engineering, math and science with the next generation. The three-time UofSC graduate is now dean for the Engineering and Industrial Technology Division at Tri-County Technical College.
September 09, 2021, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 11, 2001, altered the course of history. It was also a call to action for University of South Carolina faculty seeking to address new challenges in a changing world. Five UofSC professors reflect on the aftermath of 9/11 and how it changed the trajectory of their scholarship and research.
September 07, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
Albert Carter and Jessica Robinson-Stinson are among five alumni musicians participating in the Mahogany Music Festival, Sept. 9-11. Presented by the School of Music and the Auntie Karen Foundation, the three-day event also features the Colour of Music Festival orchestra and the Auntie Karen Legends of ... concert with Vanessa Williams.
August 31, 2021, Chris Horn
Lizzie Gandy one day will regale her grandchildren with stories about the years she strapped on a hard hat and rode a helicopter to her job on the biggest moored oil platform in the world, anchored deep in the Gulf of Mexico. In her latest position, Gandy doesn’t have to endure the same grind as before when she was supervising hundreds of oil platform workers in the open water. But she continues to find satisfaction in the work that a mechanical engineering degree from South Carolina in 1992 made possible.
August 26, 2021, Megan Sexton
Few professions changed as abruptly in response to the pandemic as teaching. Amy Carter is South Carolina’s Teacher of the Year for 2022 and one of 10 Gamecocks Carolinian magazine spoke to about how the pandemic has changed the way we work.
August 23, 2021, Savannah Bennett
Marjorie Weber was a widow in her 40s when she decided to return to college to earn her teaching degree from the University of South Carolina where her late husband had been an education professor. She also served as a starting point for a string of family members attending South Carolina, including a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters, who are current education students. They are among the hundreds of students who follow family members to become Gamecocks each year.
August 18, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Broadcast journalism alumna Vicky Free was named vice president for global marketing at Adidas in 2020. Free focuses on marketing strategies, but the ethos of diversity, equity and inclusion informs her thinking every step of the way.
August 10, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
As a freelance photojournalist, Sean Rayford is used to immersing himself in the crowd. COVID changed the rules. Rayford is one of 10 Gamecocks Carolinian magazine spoke to about how the pandemic has changed the way we work.
August 03, 2021, Chris Horn
COVID has offered the health care sector some valuable lessons, says University of South Carolina School of Medicine alumnus Rohit Talwani. A Baltimore-based physician and University of Maryland School of Medicine associate professor of infectious diseases, Dr. Talwani is one of 10 Gamecocks Carolinian magazine spoke to about how the pandemic has changed the way we work.
July 26, 2021, Abe Danaher
Brooke Daniels realized her passion while designing a new cover illustration for Tara Westover’s Educated. Now, as thousands of incoming UofSC freshmen read the book through the university’s 2021 First Year Reading Experience, she hopes it provides them guidance in navigating their next four years.
July 26, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Greenville developer and business administration graduate Brody Glenn oversees major construction projects for corporate clients nationwide. With Camperdown, a mixed-use, live-work-play development in the heart of downtown Greenville, he is reshaping his hometown.
July 22, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Geography alumna Tracy Swartout, ’95, has been with the National Park Service 21 years. In May, she became the first female superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
July 21, 2021, Page Ivey
Brian and Nicole Cendrowski have traveled a circuitous route to owning their own brewery in downtown Greenville, but what started from a “not awful” batch of beer in January 2007 has turned into a brewery, taproom and kitchen.
July 19, 2021, CJ Tamasco
When the Olympic games begin Friday (July 23), keep an eye out for Gamecocks, who are representing seven countries in 10 events.
July 14, 2021, Megan Sexton
Lauren Johnson-Cummings, the executive director of the Greenville ONE conference center, has used her psychology degree to understand behavior and relationships in her 20-year event planning career.
June 24, 2021, Megan Sexton
Black Girls in Social Work, an organization created by alumna Bodequia Simon, helps more than 20,000 members around the country network and learn about the profession.
June 16, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Literacy is as much a reflection of a student’s cultural experience as it is a measure of what they have learned in school. As education professor Eliza Braden explains, “Students come into our classrooms as literate individuals in different ways. We want to honor those literacies.”
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.
May 27, 2021, Megan Sexton
James Hull works in the Office of Veterans and Military Services at the University of South Carolina, certifying veteran education benefits for students. He also has taken on a project that combines both his love of history and his military service: Documenting every UofSC student or alumni who died while serving in uniform over the past 120 years.
May 18, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
Amy Carter and Christina Melton both had teachers who inspired them to choose education as a profession. Both are graduates of the University of South Carolina. Both have spent their careers in Palmetto State public schools. And now both have been recognized as the state’s best in their profession.
May 11, 2021, Megan Sexton
Growing up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Jay Pinckney spent a lot of time in the outdoors, hunting and fishing with his father. By the time he was in the eighth grade he knew he wanted to be a marine biologist, part of the generation fascinated by Jacques Cousteau’s undersea adventures.
April 23, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, a two-time UofSC graduate, was at a loss for words when he learned the international organization he helms won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. Beasley has served as the executive director of the World Food Programme since 2017.
April 22, 2021, Bryan Gentry
University of South Carolina graduate Johnny Chiang became chairman of Taiwan's oldest political party, the Kuomintang, in 2020, not long after the party suffered a crushing electoral defeat. His term has been marked by rising tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.
April 21, 2021, Megan Sexton
Jory Fleming is the most decorated national fellowship winner in the university’s history, winning the prestigious Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater and Hollings scholarships. He now has another title to add to his accomplishments: published author.
April 09, 2021, Chris Woodley
Kimberly Tissot was met with a challenge in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the executive director of Able South Carolina, a Columbia-based organization that provides services to people with disabilities, Tissot had to find a way to continue offering services to those in need.
April 01, 2021, Megan Sexton
Jotaka Eaddy, a 2001 political science graduate and the first Black woman elected as the university’s student body president, is the founder and CEO of a Washington-based social impact consulting firm specializing in strategy development, management consulting, public affairs and community engagement.
March 22, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward
Celebrating Local Heroes with The Concert Truck, a series of 10 events performed aboard a mobile music venue will honor 10 frontline heroes with video vignettes that highlight personal stories of sacrifice and courage and live music composed and performed by music students and alumni.
February 25, 2021, Megan Sexton
Alumnus Regan Freeman is working to help turn a former Ku Klux Klan store in Laurens, South Carolina, into a center for diversity and reconciliation.
February 19, 2021, CJ Lake
In recent years, the University of South Carolina has taken steps to better acknowledge its whole history, knowing that being honest about the past will build a better, more inclusive future. Here is a look back at ways the university has celebrated Carolinians who have contributed to our progress and who will shape our university's future for generations to come.