Author: Author Listing Page

Parent reaches out hand to hold daughter's hand.

Mentoring program empowers families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

April 29, 2025, Carol J.G. Ward

Preliminary results from a five-year NIH-funded study at the University of South Carolina show that the Autism Parent Navigator Program improves mental health, parenting confidence and caregiver relationships for families with children diagnosed with autism. Led by social work professor Robert Hock, the program connects parents with experienced peer navigators to offer guidance, emotional support and skill-building.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, College of Social Work

Woman offers comforting embrace to peer during group counseling session

New USC clinic tackles mental health provider shortage in rural South Carolina

April 29, 2025, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is opening a free mental health clinic to serve rural communities in Bamberg, Calhoun, Fairfield, Orangeburg and Chester counties. Launching this summer, the student-operated, faculty-supervised clinic will offer in-person and telehealth services to those with limited access to care.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

Female social worker holds hands of elderly male.

Arrest diversion program offers nonviolent offenders resources and a second chance

October 17, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward

LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection), a partnership between the West Columbia Police Department and the S.C. Department of Mental Health, is a community-based alternative to prosecution. Developed and staffed by two College of Social Work alumni, the program offers deflection and resources to people accused of nonviolent low-level offenses whose behavior stems from substance use, mental health challenges or poverty.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Academics, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, Careers, College of Social Work

Close up of American flag. Stars in left corner and stripes on right side.

Alumna builds on social work foundation to increase diversity in government

December 14, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

Melissa Watson Ward grew up in a low-resource community in Columbia, South Carolina and has dedicated her career to helping people from communities like hers. When a career opportunity emerged to make a real impact on clients’ lives, she took it. Now she's training women and non-binary individuals to run at all levels of government from local to federal.

Topics: Alumni, Health Sciences, College of Social Work

Two female students sit in a classroom with large windows.

Social worker's research offers insight into experiences of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients

October 10, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

Social Work professor Ben Roth is co-authoring a book about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. About 500 individuals in six states, including South Carolina, participated in interviews for the research. Roth’s team found that young people who received DACA benefited in important ways but also faced constant signals that make them feel like they don’t belong.

Topics: Faculty, Diversity, Health Sciences, College of Social Work

A man and a woman sit in a library, reading a magazine and newspaper.

Age Ready series teaches life skills to promote independence for older adults

July 18, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

As Baby Boomers age, the number of older adult households is rapidly growing. Many of those planning for their retirement years are deciding there’s no place like home. Researchers from the College of Social Work teamed up with Richland Library to teach life skills that promote independence and allow individuals to age in a familiar space and environment, reducing long-term care costs and maintaining established routines.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Initiatives, Partnerships, Service, College of Social Work

Bobby Donalds leans on a large stack of document boxes.

Bringing civil rights history to life

February 22, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

As a respected scholar of Southern history and African American culture, Bobby Donaldson has served as a consultant for museum exhibitions, archival collections, oral history initiatives, documentary films and historic preservation projects. He also has been recognized for his teaching and community outreach. He credits his parents and educators — from his elementary school librarian to a “drill sergeant” professor at Wesleyan University to his mentors and colleagues at USC — for inspiring his career.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Diversity, History, Collections, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Medics giving medical attention to a patient during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

75 years later, film collection enriches history of WWII

February 13, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collections in a partnership with the History Division of the Marine Corps is digitizing films shot by more than 50 Marine combat cameramen during the Battle of Iwo Jima, which began Feb. 19, 1945. The goal is to provide public access to the video and expand historical understanding.

Topics: Students, Faculty, History, Collections, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, University Libraries

brick exterior of Booker T. Washington High School in Columbia, South Carolina

Grant advances UofSC's efforts to create destination for preserving, teaching civil rights history

June 20, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research will receive $500,000 in federal funding to further its mission to preserve civil rights history and tell critical stories of the movement. The African American Civil Rights grant administered by the National Park Service will be used to continue rehabilitation and preservation of the historic Booker T. Washington Auditorium Building.

Topics: Faculty, University President, Research, Diversity, History

Students in black Pillars for Carolina T-shirts cheer during a field game

First-year Gamecocks find their new home through Pillars for Carolina

May 24, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

Katie Slick and Cody Markow, student co-directors of Pillars for Carolina, say the program builds community and confidence among incoming first-year Gamecocks. The student-led program offers extended orientation sessions focused on leadership, self-discovery, service and engagement on campus.

Topics: Students, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, Darla Moore School of Business, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work

Lorri Unumb

After son's diagnosis, alumna becomes leading advocate for families affected by autism

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.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Diversity, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, College of Information and Communications, Joseph F. Rice School of Law

School of Music senior Madie Willard stands in front of the Koger Center wearing a gray jacket and pink top

Student organizes event to share joy of music with Deaf community

April 18, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

An interactive, multisensory Music Field Day organized by School of Music senior Madie Willard will offer children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families an opportunity to experience music through the senses. Headlining the event will be DEAFinitely Dope, an internationally recognized deaf hip hop (dip hop) artist based in the Atlanta area.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Experiential Learning, Diversity, Service, Student Voices, School of Music, Arnold School of Public Health

Student Kate Kuisel wearing glasses and tan top sits in front of a microfilm machine and computer screen

Research project brings childhood curiosity about the 1970s full circle for UofSC junior

April 05, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

UofSC junior combines curiosity about the 1970s, a love of history and an interest in culture and media into an undergraduate research project to assist history professor Lauren Sklaroff with research for a book proposal on 1970s popular culture.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, History, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

photo illustration of Black hands playing a piano

Professor Birgitta Johnson connects music with culture, experience and emotion

February 02, 2022, Carol J.G. Ward

As a professor of ethnomusicology, Birgitta Johnson studies the interaction of music and culture – why and how people make music and why it's important as a part of their identity or tradition. Much of her research is done in the field talking with and engaging with communities, including public events such as an upcoming music series she is hosting with the Columbia Museum of Art.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Diversity, Student Voices, Darla Moore School of Business, School of Music

photo of title page of Shakespeare's third portfolio with a sketch of william shakespeare on one side and the title on the other

Gift of rare Third Folio enhances UofSC's Shakespeare collection

December 14, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

Third Folio of Shakespeare’s plays printed in 1664 has a permanent home at University of South Carolina Libraries. The book, a gift from Chicago attorney Jeffery Leving, along with the university’s copies of the Second and Fourth folios, will provide a rare opportunity for students, faculty and other researchers.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Collections, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

Glynnis Hagins wearing a black dress and cream and cream jacket stands in a brick courtyard with stone benches and fall trees in the background.

Law student to focus on housing security and stability through prestigious fellowship

December 06, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

Glynnis Hagins, a third-year law student at UofSC, has received a Skadden Fellowship that will allow her to pursue her passions of law, education and public interest. She is one of 28 Skadden Fellowship recipients for 2022 and the first UofSC law student to receive the prestigious award, one of the more competitive in the country.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Diversity, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, Joseph F. Rice School of Law

man in blue check shirt and blue jacket with trees in background

Education professor honored for his commitment to empowering teachers

April 07, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

Most of Barnett Berry’s career has been about advancing what he calls the profession that makes all other professions possible – teaching. As a scholar and researcher, he is an advocate for teachers and how they can and must be more instrumental in the future of education. Berry is the 2021 recipient of the James A. Kelly Award for Advancing Accomplished Teaching.

Topics: Faculty, Recognition, Leadership, College of Education

photo of a bridge over a river with blue sky in the background

Concerts honor frontline workers, aim to strengthen community through music

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.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Service, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, School of Music, South Carolina Honors College

Woman wearing a yellow scarf with blurred background

Education professor fights status quo to make schools more equitable

March 22, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

For three and a half decades, University of South Carolina education professor Gloria Boutte has dedicated her work to creating school experiences that are more equitable for students of color. Her scholarship, teaching, leadership and service have been recognized with the 2021 Legacy Award from American Educational Research Association.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Diversity, Recognition, Leadership, College of Education

man with red tie, black coat, baseball cap standing with granite marker

UofSC civil rights center unveils historical marker commemorating landmark protest

March 02, 2021, Carol J.G. Ward

The Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina unveiled a historical marker on March 2 to commemorate the courage of hundreds of students who marched on the South Carolina State House 60 years ago. Many of the students were arrested, and the appeal of their convictions eventually was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to a legal precedent protecting the rights of protesters.

Topics: Faculty, Diversity, History, Leadership, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

exterior photo of the University of South Carolina law school

UofSC law students helped Breonna Taylor's family secure $12 million settlement

September 24, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina law students Jasmine Caruthers and Anna Catherine Parham say their research on no-knock warrants to assist the lawyers representing Breonna Taylor’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit was enlightening and emotional.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Experiential Learning, Service, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, Joseph F. Rice School of Law

instructor and students perform an experiment at a summer camp

Camp will highlight Gullah/Geechee culture to spark students' interest in science

August 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

A summer camp for fifth- and sixth grade-students in South Carolina’s Gullah/Geechee community will introduce Gullah/Geechee students to STEM content from their own community and provide opportunities to interact with professionals who look like them, working in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Diversity, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, Arnold School of Public Health

woman sits in front of computer screen

New library system makes it easier for users to find, access resources

August 14, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina Libraries partnered with more than 50 other academic libraries in South Carolina to launch a new shared library services platform this summer. The transition to the new system is an example of a trend in academic libraries nationwide to leverage technology, work more collaboratively and strategically, improve the user experience, and maximize the benefits of collections and limited resources.

Topics: Faculty, Research, University Libraries

UofSC student Rodriana Gaddy by a brick wall

Early challenges motivate Honors College student's success

July 30, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

Rodrianna Gaddy took her love of learning about different cultures, combined it with her passion to help people and channeled both into her academic path at the University of South Carolina with a double major in international business and human resources management with a minor in Japanese. Gaddy was scheduled to study abroad in Japan this spring. Then COVID-19 hit.

Topics: Students, Scholarships, Diversity, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, South Carolina Honors College

librarian with students at Wren High School

Passion for their profession lands SC librarians on Movers & Shakers list

May 26, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

Having an impact on their students and communities, being more inclusive for underserved populations and encouraging a lifelong love of reading and learning are passions shared by three alumnae of the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science who have been recognized as 2020 Movers & Shakers by Library Journal.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, College of Information and Communications

ruins of the lumber mill that are now visible on the shores of Lake Marion

Class of 2020: Honors senior's thesis project explores history of a former SC mill town

May 07, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

When 89-year-old Richard Mims was just a boy in the 1930s, he remembers playing a game he called “Executive” in the abandoned offices of the Santee River Cypress Lumber Co. in Ferguson near his hometown of Eutawville, South Carolina. The once-thriving mill town now lies underwater, part of the region flooded to create Lake Marion. Mims shared his memories in an oral history recorded by South Carolina Honors College graduate Caldwell Loftis.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Research, History, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

booker t washington auditorium building

Popular UofSC civil rights exhibit will have a permanent home

April 09, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The university will continue rehabilitation and preservation of the Booker T. Washington Auditorium Building to create a permanent space for the Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s exhibit “Justice for All: South Carolina and the American Civil Rights Movement.” Funded with a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service, the restoration will advance efforts to create a destination for people to learn the history of Columbia and of the school.

Topics: Faculty, Diversity, History, Collections, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

UofSC faculty experts on coronavirus

March 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs has compiled a list of faculty experts who can discuss topics relevant to the coronavirus pandemic.

Topics: COVID-19, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, Medicine (Columbia), College of Pharmacy

iwo jima medical

75 years later, film collection enriches history of WWII

February 18, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collections in a partnership with the History Division of the Marine Corps is digitizing films shot by more than 50 Marine combat cameramen during the Battle of Iwo Jima, which began Feb. 19, 1945. The goal is to provide public access to the video and expand historical understanding.

Topics: Students, Faculty, History, Collections, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, University Libraries

adriana bowman camel

First-generation student takes on the world

April 29, 2019, Carol J.G. Ward

Honors College junior Adriana Bowman is one of 30 recipients nationwide of the Pickering Fellowship awarded to students interested in a foreign service career. Multiple study abroad experiences have allowed the S.C. native to immerse herself in foreign languages and cultures.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Diversity, Recognition, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

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