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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA SYSTEM FOR ITS MANY AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDUCATION AND CULTURE OF OUR CITIZENS AND TO DECLARE JANUARY 29, 2020, AS "CAROLINA DAY" AT THE STATE HOUSE.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives appreciate the outstanding opportunities that the University of South Carolina (UofSC) and the entire UofSC system affords to the Palmetto State and to our citizens; and
Whereas, with fifty-six nationally ranked academic programs, South Carolina was named the State's top global university, ranks in the top one percent of patent-producing universities in the world, and boasts the number one international business program and the best public honors college in the United States; and
Whereas, on eight campuses and twenty locations across the State, the university's accessibility to education enables 34,000 South Carolinians, more students than ever before, to receive a world-class education; and
Whereas, the UofSC system confers nearly half of all bachelor's degrees within the State; and
Whereas, innovative programs, such as Gamecock Guarantee, Opportunity Scholars, Gamecock Gateway, Palmetto Pathway, Raise.me, and University of Possibilities, have put UofSC on the forefront of creating programs that help low-income and first-generation students succeed; and
Whereas, the comprehensive universities of Aiken, Upstate, and Beaufort are consistently ranked as top public regional colleges in America, and the award-winning Palmetto College campuses of Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union serve a combined five thousand students each year; and
Whereas, South Carolina is in the top three percent of universities in graduating African American students in the nation, and provides more opportunities for African American and minority students than any other institution in the State by leading in both enrollment and graduation, preparing all its graduates to lead in an increasingly diverse and global workforce. Since Fall 2016, African American freshman enrollment on the Columbia campus has increased by more than forty percent including an almost eight percent increase last year alone; and
Whereas, nationally recognized by Kiplinger's and Forbes as a great value, South Carolina is listed amid the most efficient universities in the nation and offers one of the most cost-effective paths to a bachelor's degree in the State; and
Whereas, pumping five and a half billion dollars into the state's economy annually, the economic activity of the university system supports more than sixty thousand jobs statewide and each dollar invested in higher education returns twenty-five to the State; and
Whereas, recognized as a top-tier university for research and community engagement, UofSC grows the state's economy through innovative partnerships with companies like Boeing, IBM, Siemens, SIOS, and Samsung, and university faculty members have garnered an average of more than 240 million dollars in sponsored awards annually; and
Whereas, in Division I athletics, South Carolina has won the Palmetto State's Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup measuring total athletics success from all sports teams each of the last eleven years, and its student athletes excel in the classroom, as well as on the field. South Carolina just completed twenty-five straight semesters with student athletes whose GPA's average 3.0 or higher and has had more than 2,700 "All-SEC" academic honor roll recipients since 2010; and
Whereas, South Carolina's athletics program is one of only twenty totally "self-supporting" Division I schools, requiring no university, state, or taxpayer support for operations while also generating more than 225 million dollars in economic activity annually for state and local economies; and
Whereas, with historic roots dating back to 1846, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association under its modern incorporation on July 15, 1920, ardently serving the University community, connecting students and alumni to advance their careers, their passions and their University, operating the Pastides Alumni Center as a place to gather and celebrate important moments in the life of our alma mater and the greater Midlands community; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives value the commitment of the State's flagship university and entire UofSC System to continued academic, educational and athletic excellence, affordability, and availability to the citizens of our great State. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor the University of South Carolina and the entire UofSC System for its many and significant contributions to the education and culture of our citizens and declare January 29, 2020, as "Carolina Day" at the State House.
This web page was last updated on January 22, 2020 at 3:45 PM