A History of USC

[Music] of course a major state university means many things to many people and it takes a tremendous number of people to make a university like ours a vibrant living entity graduate and undergraduate students administrators staff and service personnel and of course a dedicated and involved faculty a major university takes on the character and becomes a part of the city state and region it serves the history of Columbia and the University of South Carolina have been intertwined for more than 200 years but to get a better feel for how Columbia and the university have grown up together we need to go back to the beginning first of all the university hasn't always been the University of South Carolina it began as the South Carolina College in the early 19th century just after the upheaval of the Revolutionary period and the creation of stable national and local governments prior to the establishment of the South Carolina College in 1801 there had been bitter sectional disputes between the Lowcountry aristocrats from Charleston and Beaufort and the small farmers and tradespeople from the up country recognizing the fact that much of the population base was shifting to the Upstate leaders from the coastal area wisely decided to make some concessions with the establishment of the capital in Colombia in the late 18th century it was natural that the first state-supported institution of higher learning would begin by legislative decree in the capital city not long after the founding of Colombia itself the South Carolina College was initially funded with a $50,000 appropriation not a lot of money by today's standards but a sizable amount in 1801 this initial appropriation began an involvement with the state legislature that endures to the present day adequate annual funding by the state government meant that South Carolina College had the resources to establish and maintain a superior faculty this early faculty along with the few buildings necessary to house the college was the real beginning of the excellence that the university maintains today the first faculty members were imported from New England along with the basis for the curriculum the course of study was typical for the day centering on classical languages mathematics and philosophy and the South Carolina College attracted some of the most distinguished scholars and educators of the period the original buildings of the campus make up what is now called the horseshoe the center of the modern campus Rutledge College the oldest building on campus was completed in 1805 desa sewer facing Rutledge from the north side of the horseshoe was completed some four years later and began the pattern of mirror-image buildings that would eventually complete the original structures of the campus these first buildings on campus provided all the accommodations needed by the college classrooms student dormitories and faculty housing existed side by side and in some cases in the same building discipline was strict during these early years daily life of the college followed a carefully prescribed schedule beginning with compulsory morning Chapel long hours of classes in greek latin mathematics and philosophy followed in fact students had only a few hours of free time in the early evening and were supposed to be in their rooms by 9:00 p.m. but in the beginning of the 19th century just as we find today education wasn't the only pursuit of these early students in the antebellum days peak enrollment was about 200 students there were eight professors all of them lived on the campus students and faculty there were no athletics no organized activities the students were very much interested in the literary society is where they got chief outlets one of the chief source of conflicts was mess hall troubles they all had to eat at Stewart's hall they didn't like that they inevitably rebelled against the institutional food on two occasions about half the student body was shipped or expelled because they refused to obey the college regulations one of their favorite hangouts and they did get off the campus despite the high brick wall built in 1835 was Billy mavens tavern which was downtown they had dinners there they drank there and they had a great deal of frolicking fun at that place early in the life of the South Carolina College the student body voted to form the Philomath the primary social organization on campus in less than a year the Philomath xplit into the Clery Asafa can you Fraidy in societies these two groups remain the dominant student associations until after the Civil War each had its own elaborately furnished Hall where spirited meetings were held to debate the political and social topics of the day during the 1820s and 1830s the South Carolina College began to be recognized as one of the best schools in the south scholars such as thomas cooper robert Barnwell brothers John and Joseph LeConte William Elliot and Francis Lieber were faculty members with reputations of national and international stature even though enrollment prior to the civil war never exceeded 240 students during any given term the South Carolina College was instrumental in providing leaders for South Carolina in many different fields alumni from this early period included statesmen governor's senators legislators judges and generals construction of additional buildings continued during the first half of the 19th century the most significant of these Antebellum structures was the library completed in 1840 now called the South Carolinian a library it was the first separate building designed and built for a library at any college or university in the United States the library was designed by Robert Mills and borrowed some of its design features from his famous fireproof building in Charleston additional construction of the classrooms and dormitories in the 1840s completed the horseshoe halls for the Clery Asafa candy fraidy in societies were the last of these antebellum buildings the first building apart from the horseshoe was College Hall now known as Longstreet theatre in honor of Augustus Baldwin Longstreet originally intended as an auditorium the acoustics were so bad that it was not able to fulfill its purpose and fell into disuse the classic style of long street theatre reflected the total emphasis on teaching the classics at South Carolina College in the 1850s courses with practical applications such as engineering law agriculture and pharmacy were not offered 1861 the outbreak of the Civil War began a difficult chapter in the history of the university the students of this period reflecting the opinions of a great majority of white South Carolinians were ardent secessionists due to repeated requests by Confederate authorities for additional troops enrollment dwindled steadily until the summer of 1862 when the Confederate government requisitioned college facilities for a hospital the South Carolina College was to remain closed for three and a half years because it now housed the wounded of both sides the physical plant of the college escaped the torch of Sherman's army that destroyed much of adjacent Columbia hospital authorities persuaded union officers to place a guard around the hospital these Union soldiers drove off looters and helped faculty members and hospital staff fight the flames that licked at the edge of campus the college was spared the end of the war and the beginning of reconstruction meant a new era for South Carolina and for the college as well the new provisional state government met in the buildings of the college and debated its future although funds were scarce appropriations were designated for a state school the University of South Carolina the intent of this new university was to popularize higher education and restructure the antebellum emphasis on classical Latin and Greek this reform was intended to broaden the educational base and eliminate the snobbish atmosphere that had existed before the war colleges of law medicine and engineering were added to complement courses of study in history modern and ancient languages philosophy and mathematics the strict rules of the old college were abolished providing students with the freedom to choose which courses to take in a much more open environment mandatory prayers and study hours were also eliminated and attendance at meals became optional a new and more open atmosphere emerged but the devastation of the Civil War was still much in evidence enrollment remained under Antebellum levels students were poorly prepared for Advanced Studies and funding from the impoverished State Legislature was a major problem nevertheless overall conditions at the University began to show a gradual improvement during Reconstruction the focus of Education changed again from the traditional classical curriculum to more practical courses in agriculture and engineering the university was integrated in 1873 and even offered a special program of state-funded scholarships for blacks this program was the first and only one of its kind in the south after the Civil War in fact the university was the only major state-supported institution in the south where black and white students attended the same school during Reconstruction the end of Reconstruction in 1877 signaled another abrupt change in the fortunes of the university political changes in the Statehouse meant that the university had very few friends among those in power and the institution suffered as a result by the end of Reconstruction it was rare to find alumni of the University in the state legislature the university was closed again from 1877 to 1880 plans to reopen the university ran headlong into strong opposition in the legislature which was led by the supporters of denominational colleges and advocates of agricultural education the dreams for an expanded university or even a return to the old South Carolina College were put on hold in 1880 the university reopened its doors as the South Carolina College of Agriculture and mechanic arts most of the funds to support this change from the Morrill Act better known as the land-grant College Act the law school was reopened in 1884 and the first earned master's degree was granted that same year the buildings and grounds received a thorough refurbishing for the first time since before the Civil War academic standards improved in all areas the progress of the 1880s led to the establishment of the 2nd University of South Carolina in 1887 this second university included a graduate school a College of Agriculture and Mechanics a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences a school of education and a school of law the new University established innovative new programs and even granted a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1891 but political events of the last decade of the 19th century put an end to this second University of South Carolina the third South Carolina College emerged from the populist regime of governor Benjamin Tillman and was directed by the legislature only to offer courses in law liberal arts the classics and theoretical science enrollment failed to just 68 students in the mid 1890s despite the difficulty of the times several important events took place the curriculum was expanded the Department of Education was re-established and courses and engineering were restored women were admitted in 1895 for the first time since reconstruction the beginnings of the modern university can be traced to 1906 when the General Assembly recreated the University of South Carolina anxious to avoid the mistakes of the 1860s and 1880s the administration of the university proceeded with great caution but a milestone had been reached the establishment of what we now call the University of South Carolina beginning in 1910 the university sought to maintain a much higher profile and to become an active force for social reform all across South Carolina financial conditions had improved in the state more money was appropriate for the university and new courses of study were added for the first time since the 1850s significant new buildings were added to the campus academic standards continued to improve as more students and additional funding became available a positive attitude once again prevailed at the university how in 1913 governor Cole Elbe leaves a very hostile governor forced the resignation of President Samuel child's Mitchell Mitchell had been an enthusiastic popularizer of the university he had tried to take the university to the people try to increase enrollment in appropriations however he was too liberal on many social issues and bleeds and other people of the establishment did not like that and they forced his resignation wah-wah one brought further unfortunate developments enrollment declined the faculty was badly disrupted with many effective members leaving to serve in the armed forces some students were so discouraged blaming everything on the president that they asked president Curl to resign in 1919 this was rejected of course by the Board of Trustees but it was symbolic of the malaise that surrounded the institution however 1920 times would get much better women would start coming in large numbers and there were encouraging developments in many other areas the roaring 20s the effect of the prosperity of the 1920s on Carolina was dramatic in this single decade enrollment increase 300% to more than 1,800 students the type money of the Great Depression meant another lien period for the university but by the mid-1930s conditions began to improve funded in large part by government grants from the New Deal agencies the Roosevelt administration provided the resources to construct several new buildings including Hamilton College maxie Preston and Sims dormitories and the new mckissick library like College Hall in the 1850s the library turned out to be another functional disappointment with an interior poorly designed for library use as well as unbearably hot in warm weather now mckissick museum it stands at the head of the horseshoe and offers unique educational opportunities for students and the general public it is one of only two university museums in the nation to be selected for the National Endowment for the Arts advancement program World War two brought about several changes at Carolina as the number of male students dropped sharply women's students and the United States Navy kept enrollment up in 1942 the Navy began a series of training programs at the University and sent almost 1,400 personnel to Carolina in 1943 alone civilian students only numbered about 1,000 during this period most of them coeds the end of the Second World War also brought additional change primarily in the areas of finances and increased enrollment the post-war boom provided increased funding that led to an ambitious building program to create much needed additions to the physical plant still facilities were inadequate for the tremendous number of students attending Carolina in the late 1940s and early 1950s the administration of Donnell s Russell as president saw the greatest change in the long history of the university an entrance examination was adopted the first in any Southern State University doctoral programs were established in biology and chemistry as well as other fields scholars with national reputations were added to the faculty research programs for Business and Economics were begun and the first regional campus of what was to become a nine campus system was opened in 1957 at Florence the original concept of the system in place now for almost 40 years is still the operational model for the entire system the regional campuses contract with the Columbia campus offer the first two years of university work and additional courses based on community interests from 1957 until 1974 eight more regional campuses were created at Lancaster Beaufort Conway Aiken Union salka hacci and Allen Dale County Spartanburg and Sumpter momentum for recognition as four-year schools was built by the early 1970s and the oldest regional campus USC Florence became Francis Marion College four other regional campuses have since become four-year colleges USC Aiken Coastal Carolina at Conway USC Spartanburg and USC Beaufort in 1993 the campus at Conway became an independent institution Coastal Carolina University in the 45 years since the administration of Donald Russell he's succeeding president has been instrumental in our progress the lasting contributions of Robert L son Walt Thomas F Jones william h patterson james b Holderman and john m palms have helped make the university into the top-flight institution it is today now being led by our new president Andrew a Sorensen since the end of the Russell lehre enrollment in the University System has grown from 6,000 students in Columbia to more than 40,000 on nine campuses all over the state today black students make up about 18% of undergraduate student enrollment and 12% of graduate enrollment these are among the highest percentages of minority students in any predominantly white flagship university in the country in fact integration was implemented at Carolina in 1963 without disruption or violence academics have flourished in South Carolina in the past four decades and serve as the foundation for the greatly improved national reputation the university now enjoys for example the University now has over 60 doctoral programs ranging from computer science to physical education a nationally recognized marine science program was begun in 1972 among our 180 master's programs the master's degree programs and international business have been ranked number one or number two by US News & World Report for will over a decade and students of Carolina's honors program called South Carolina College number only 5% of the student population but holds 75% of campus leadership positions funding for the many different university programs as well as Carolina itself has also improved dramatically since the mid-50s the USC Educational Foundation established in 1956 marked the first successful attempt to raise the necessary funds from the private sector a more recent fundraising effort the summit fund raised more than 39 million dollars over a two-year period and our most recent capital campaign the Bicentennial campaign reached over five hundred million dollars by the time it concluded in 2002 a special fundraising effort USC Family Fund is an ongoing program supported by faculty and staff to strengthen research scholarships fellowships and staff enrichment programs outstanding faculty have been a key to Carolina's enhanced reputation and the university has attracted top educators from all over the country the chair endowment Club was established more than 40 years ago to recruit and retain every faculty members today there are 65 endowed shares throughout the various colleges and schools at Carolina the USC Educational Foundation also sponsors 28 Carolina distinguished professors for an endowment pool and there are 34 business partnership fellows and six Cramer fellows in the Moore School of Business research is vital to any outstanding University System and Carolina is no exception for the past few years faculty members have submitted an average of more than 1,500 research funding proposals each year during the same period average annual award dollars have been more than 100 million and at times have exceeded 120 million student-athletes from Carolina participate in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports and in recent years have fielded top 10 teams in various sports for men and women including football basketball baseball softball soccer and tennis the university is a member of the Southeastern Conference a national power in intercollegiate sports a major addition to the Columbia campus of the university was the creation of the School of Medicine in 1977 located in what was the Veterans Administration Hospital the school of medicine was made possible in part by a 25 million dollar grant from the Veterans Administration and continues to help improve the general level of health care in South Carolina physical improvements to the university have also accompanied the improved faculty and increased funding of recent years the Russell house the Student Union named for president and mrs. Russell has already been expanded three times since it was built in 1955 the Thomas Cooper library also named for a former university president is now the largest academic building ever built by the University the Coker Center for the Arts and the Johnny Swearengen Center for engineering are two of the finest facilities of their types in the country and the original structures on the horseshoe underwent a comprehensive renovation in the mid 70s and 10 of these beautiful buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in many ways the history of the University of South Carolina has mirrored the history of our state the prosperity of antebellum society and slow way of life before the Civil War the crushing defeat and devastation of America's bloodiest war and subsequent ordeals of Reconstruction and the growth turmoil hope of the 20th century all helped to explain a great deal about our university strong leadership and a vision of the future have prepared Carolina for the challenges of the 21st century as a new member of the university family we invite you to share that vision [Music] you