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Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace! 1961 Original Campus at Banksia 2011 Features of current campus USC AIKEN

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USCA 50th Anniversary

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Celebrating 50 Yearsof Setting the Pace!

1961Original Campus at Banksia

2011Features of current campus

USC AIKEN

Welcome to this special section of The Aiken Standard, which celebrates the golden anniversary of the University of South Carolina Aiken!

We are excited about the coming year and its many opportunities for recognizing USC Aiken’s 50th anniversary. Looking forward to the many events we have planned this year and next year to honor this milestone in our history, our hope is that you – our community – will attend those celebratory gatherings and also show support for your University in other ways.

The official date for our anniversary will occur this week on Saturday, Sept. 10. It was 50 years ago on that date when the

doors first opened for classes at the winter colony mansion of Banksia. Since then, USC Aiken has moved to its current site off University Parkway, where it has grown significantly through the years to become a four-year institution serving an average of 3,300 students.

As you’ll see in this special section, many successful members of your community are alumni of USC Aiken, and they have witnessed firsthand the positive influence USC Aiken has had not only in Aiken but throughout the state, nation and world. The history of our fine institution also is detailed in this section, along with some features on the people

and symbols that represent who we are.As you explore our history and our

connection to the community in greater detail here, I trust you will feel the same sense of pride about your hometown university as I have had while serving the past 11 years as Chancellor.

As always, I hope to see you on campus soon. Thank you for your support of USC Aiken!

Sincerely,

Thomas L. Hallman

Chancellor

2 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

A Message from the Chancellor

Chancellor Thomas L. Hallman

USC Aiken through the years...

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September 8, 2011 • 3USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

By: Christina Berkshire

Among the many people that helped plant the seed of USC Aiken in the heart of the Aiken community in 1961, few have looked after the resulting seedling as diligently as Irene Rudnick. From preparing the soil for the school to come to Aiken and helping the original campus at Banksia bloom into existence, to tending a full garden of cur-rent USC Aiken students, Irene Rudnick has been a major part of USC Aiken’s 50 years of growth as a teacher of commercial law and champion for higher education. “When we began at Banksia,” she said, “There were 3.5 acres. Today there are over 450 acres of the University… The growth has been phenom-enal.”

The idea of having a University of South Carolina branch campus in Aiken was planted in the minds of the community by a large group of individuals interested in giv-ing more educational opportunities to the youth in the area. Part of that group was the American Association of University Women, who worked with the SC senator Edward Cushman on a campaign to garner public interest in the new campus. Rudnick, the president of the AAUW at the time, became part of the campaign while she worked as a young lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina. She helped organize the campaign, which included fundraising receptions, letter-writ-ing and other efforts to raise awareness about the need for better education opportunities in Aiken County.

In 1961 the campaign had paid off. A bill establishing the Aiken County Higher Education Commission was passed in the Senate and the Aiken branch of the Uni-versity of South Carolina was approved for funding. A mansion in the heart of down-town Aiken and the surrounding 3.5 acres were purchased and made ready for housing a brand new college campus. The 1808 man-sion, originally owned by Richard Howe, had formerly played host to a winter colony for wealthy northerners escaping the cold weath-er, was a boarding house for “Bomb plant” workers, and, before its incarnation as a USC branch, was a Private Methodist college. It currently houses the Aiken County Histori-cal Museum. The name Banksia comes from a type of small yellow rose and as the first home of USC Aiken, the mansion was on the perfect plot of land to help the small school bloom. ”It was a beautiful campus…” she said, “and I’ve traveled and seen a lot of the campuses around the state and I would say we have the most beautiful campus in South Carolina.” Irene Rudnick was there in that beautiful setting on the first day of USC Aiken classes with her own passion for teaching ready to help the USC Aiken garden grow.

Once the USC Aiken campus became a reality, Rudnick maintained her law offices in Columbia and made the one-hour commute every day in order to teach part time. Her extensive knowledge of law and the civic pro-cess made her a valuable asset as part of the highly qualified faculty of USC Aiken. She had gained this expertise through a school career populated with extracurricular activi-ties related to her lifelong passion of becom-ing a lawyer, such as the debate team, honors societies and several other organizations.

Through her many accomplished years, Rudnick has cultivated her roles as a lawyer, a teacher, a mother, and an engaged citizen while staying committed to the Aiken com-munity. Her love of education extends far beyond her duties as a teacher. Never taking a break from teaching at USC Aiken, she was elected as a member of the South Caroli-na General Assembly in 1972 and made edu-cation in Aiken one of her highest priorities. She sponsored bills regarding bus safety for students, traffic safety around schools, and endorsed numerous bills to advance higher education. Funds from one of these bills were earmarked to aid in the construction of the Gregg-Graniteville Library in 1975, which was established in large part by a gift from the Gregg-Graniteville foundation. Part of the funds from a bill Rudnick sponsored to increase taxes went towards the funds USC Aiken needed to become an accredited four-

year college. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted that accredi-tation and gave USC Aiken the authority to award baccalaureate degrees in 1977. Rudnick was an instrumental part in the growth of the current USC Aiken campus as well. In 1978 she appeared in front of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board to defend the funding for the Humanities and Social Sciences building after they voted to cut it. Her testimony became a large part of the effort that changed the minds of the Leg-islature and in 1978 they allowed the H&SS building to be constructed.

Irene Rudnick has truly helped USC Aiken thrive and grow during her time as a teacher there. Dr. Carol Botsch, a professor of Politi-cal Sciences at USC Aiken and a long-time co-worker of Rudnick’s, said “Mrs. Rudnick has always focused on what she could do for the community, regardless of whether the issue was education funding, building our university, utility rates, cable tv service, or locating a stoplight where it would protect children on their way to school… No issue was ever too big or too small for this extraor-dinary woman.”

Rudnick credits a large part of this dedi-cation for the USC Aiken campus to the quality of her fellow faculty. “It was such a pleasure to meet and be associated with such intelligent and talented people,” she said of her first group of coworkers, which still

holds true today. Her passion for the students is another reason why she’s taught at USC Aiken for fifty years. She takes pride in fos-tering their growth into fully fledged adults. As a Master Gardener of Aiken, Rudnick has maintained an original cutting of wisteria from the original Banksia campus given to her by the groundskeeper. With the same care and diligence, she tends to students at USC Aiken. “In teaching the course of busi-ness and commercial law, which is what I have taught for many years,” she said, “I tell them that I’m going to teach them all the law I know this semester, and it’s always been my thought that you learn by direct, purposeful experience,” and students are guaranteed to gain that from Rudnick’s commercial law classes. She thinks it’s very important to con-nect with students personally. In the age of modern technology, she strives to learn about each student beyond emails and grades. She makes a concerted effort to learn about each student’s hopes and goals. She also makes a concerted effort to keep learning as much as she can from her fellow faculty by auditing classes in a variety of fields. “I enjoy bridging the generation gap,” she said, “for I myself audit classes, which I have really enjoyed, and I’ve learned so much from auditing of the courses at the University.” She says some of her favorite classes have been Art history with Dr. John Elliot, whose lectures, she says, “are better than the history channel!”

Irene Rudnick: Master Gardener to flora, students alike

Rudnick in a USC Aiken classroom.

4 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Rudnick with a group of fellow representatives.Irene Rudnick faculty photo, 1963.

Rudnick’s first law offices, which were in the same building as her husband Harold’s store.

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September 8, 2011 • 5USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

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6 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Then and Now 50th fast facts

How many total people have graduated from USCA since 1961? 12,903 (and some have received more than one degree).

How many buildings were there in 1961 vs. now? One building – Banksia – in 1961, now there are 19 buildings at the current University Parkway site.

How many students were there in 1961 vs. now? 139 students in 1961, approximately 3,300 now.

How many faculty/staff were there in 1961 vs. now? One secretary and 3 faculty members in 1961 vs. 346 full-time faculty and staff and 189 part-time employees now.

How many acres did the original campus have? How many does it have now? The original campus at Banksia had 3.5 acres. The current campus on University Parkway has 453 acres. USC Aiken Students in 1963.

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In 1963, our father Tom Tyler started an automotive repair shop in the small community of Couchton. Through hard work and long hours our father's business grew. He never had the opportu-nity to attend college, but he was adamant that his children would have the opportunity to attend college themselves. Thankfully my brother and I were given the opportunity to attend ourown home-town college. USC Aiken allowed us to work in the family business and get a great education. We both graduated with business degrees and both of our spouses, Jodi Tyler andVince Harmon, are also alumni from USC Aiken. We are thankful for the opportunities the university gave our whole family. Along with a great education, I played volleyball for USC Aikenand my husband, Vince, also played on the baseball team. Over all, the experience was positive and shaped us as individuals. We are proud to be called USC Aiken alumni.

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8 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

By: Preston Sparks

It’s a sculpture that has a unique connection to the history of the University of South Car-olina Aiken, and the work of its creator can be found not only on the university’s grounds but in several prominent locations throughout the nation and world.

It is the “Double Knot” – a sculpture that displays prominently on a pedestal in the courtyard of USC Aiken’s Penland Building, representing the interlocking tie USC Aiken has held to its community for the past 50 years.

To know the history of the “Double Knot” you must take a step back in time to the beginnings of USC Aiken. It was then, shortly after USC Aiken moved its classes from the winter colony mansion of Banksia in downtown Aiken to its current location off University Parkway, that the sculpture’s cre-ator, Charles Perry, held a close connection to the university.

“William Casper, Chancellor from 1963 to 1983, used to speak of the day that Charles Perry and his father Owen walked into his office in the Penland Building, which then served as a general purpose classroom and office building for the whole campus,” wrote Dr. Tom Mack, chair of USC Aiken’s English Department, in his book Circling the Savan-nah: Cultural Landmarks of the Central Savan-nah River Area (Charleston, SC: The History Press).

“Perry’s father Owen, who was a friend of Casper’s in the Aiken Rotary, was justifiably

proud of his son’s work and eager to support USCA, which had just moved to its new cam-pus. It was William Casper’s ultimate decision to sanction the placement of the sculpture in the center of the courtyard of the administra-tion building and to have it displayed on a pedestal surrounded by a circular bench.”

The cast bronze sculpture at USC Aiken was dedicated to Charlie’s father, Owen, and in the decades since then it has become a

symbol that represents how USC Aiken was formed at the request of the area’s residents and how students, faculty and staff remain engaged with the community.

“Double Knot has come to symbolize, over time, the interlocking ties between the univer-sity and the community that it serves, but that was not necessarily the artist’s original inten-tion,” wrote Dr. Mack in his book. “Accord-ing to Perry himself, the sculpture is an

exercise in topology, a branch of mathematics concerned with those properties of a geometri-cal configuration that remain unaltered even when twisted or stretched.”

Through the years, the “Double Knot” design has been used by Perry in sculptures in Atlanta, at Harvard Business School, in Syd-ney, Australia, and Connecticut. Perry’s other works also include one called Continuum at the National Air and Space Museum in Wash-ington, D.C., as well as one in Kirishima, Japan, Switzerland, Singapore and even at the Ministry of Defense and Air in Saudi Arabia. All total, Perry’s sculpture career has consisted of more than 100 works created over 45 years.

Despite such prominence, though, Perry’s “Double Knot” sculpture design, which has been used in several other locations, nearly became a one-show production.

“‘Double Knot’ was originally created in the 1960s for an invitational competition, which Charlie lost,” said Charlie’s wife, Sheila Perry. “We considered it a great fortune, because the competition’s conditions (for the winner) were that it would be produced on an exclusive basis, never to be repeated again in any size anywhere. As a result, Double Knot has had a successful life in different sizes and places.”

And as USC Aiken’s 50th anniversary quickly approaches, the sculpture remains a living legacy to the works of Perry, who died in February. Perry had published a book in the ‘80s about his creations, and just recently a second book by him has been made avail-able, detailing many more works made since his previous book.

The history of the “Double Knot”

The “Double Knot” sculpture sits on a pedestal in the courtyard of USC Aiken’s Penland Building.

Charles Perry

September 8, 2011 • 9USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Dr. Christopher S. Sharp (1961-1962)Dr. Christopher Sharp took over as the first director of the University of South Carolina

Aiken in 1961, when the university was located at the winter colony mansion of Banksia, which today serves as the Aiken County Historical Museum in downtown Aiken. At that time, the campus began with a meager $29,000 and just four employees. Sharp once remarked how the Columbia campus of the University of South Carolina had told him he would probably have 25 to 30 students that first year, but when all was said and done 139 students had registered to take classes.

Prof. William C. Casper (1963-1983)Prof. William C. Casper served as Chancellor of USC Aiken from 1963 to 1983,

overseeing a budget that grew to $5 million and a staff of 84. During Casper’s term, USC Aiken moved from Banksia to its current location off University Parkway. Also while Casper was Chancellor, USC Aiken awarded its first associate degrees in June 1968 and later became fully accredited to award baccalaureate degrees. Casper saw the first building built on the new campus and several others afterward, to include the Gregg-Graniteville Library, the Student Activities Center, the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, and the Operations/Maintenance building. USC Aiken’s Alumni Association also was started.

Dr. Robert E. Alexander (1983-2000)Dr. Robert E. Alexander became the second Chancellor of USC Aiken in 1983,

overseeing much growth during his tenure, which lasted through 2000. When he started as Chancellor, the university’s academic facilities included two buildings for classrooms, a

library and the Student Activities Center. When he left in 2000, USC Aiken had expanded the Gregg-Graniteville Library and opened the Etherredge Center, the Sciences Building, the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, the Children’s Center, the Business and Education Center, the Du Pont Planetarium, Pacer Downs and the Alan B. Miller Nursing Building. USC Aiken also began offering its first master’s degree in elementary education.

Dr. Thomas L. Hallman (2000-present)Dr. Thomas L. Hallman became the third Chancellor of USC Aiken in 2000 and

has overseen much continued growth at the university. USC Aiken now averages about 3,300 students and has more than 340 full-time faculty and staff and more than 180 part-time employees. Since 2000, USC Aiken has opened the Roberto Hernandez Baseball Stadium, the Pacer Commons and Pacer Crossings housing complexes, the Convocation Center, the Pacer Path for track and field events, and a new student walking path and disc golf course. USC Aiken has also continued to receive recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s College Guide, ranking the No. 1 public baccalaureate college in the South seven times during the 2000s. Under the leadership of Dr. Hallman, three new degree programs were implemented - a BA in Music Education, BA in Special Education, and M.Ed. in Education Technology. The University also has significantly increased admission standards for entering students, keeping enrollment relatively steady, and retention and graduation rates have trended up as has minority enrollment. Going forward, there are now plans underway for a pedestrian bridge to be constructed, allowing safe travel for students and others over Robert Bell Parkway from the student housing side of campus to the Convocation Center.

USC Aiken’s ChancellorsDirector Christopher S. Sharp Chancellor William C. Casper Chancellor Robert E. Alexander Chancellor Thomas L. Hallman

w w w.usca .edu/50

For a full list of USC Aiken’s 50th Anniversary Celebration events,

visit

10 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace September 8, 2011 • 11

U.S. News & World Report’s

10 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace September 8, 2011 • 11

U.S. News & World Report’s

12 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

“Alumni Remember USC Aiken”Frank Thomas,President, Security Federal Bank, Attended Banksia in 1960’sQ. What is your current occupation and what would you consider your major accomplishments?A. My current occupation is a banker, I’m currently President of Security Federal Bank.Q. How did USCA help prepare you for the job you currently hold?A. My home town is Aiken and I considered USCA due to its location and the curriculum. The prep courses for a business degree and the business courses were available. I was also able to work part time in a local bank while attending USCA.Q. What is your favorite USCA memory?A. One was the personal attention the professors were able to give to me and others in school, the other was the recreation area is the basement of Banksia, great place to talk to classmates and relax.

Anthony Sampson,Deputy Sheriff, Aiken County Sheriff Department, Class of 2007Q. What is your current occupation and what would you consider your major accomplishments?A. I currently work with the Aiken County Sheriff ’s Office in the Warrants/Community Services Division. Right now I would consider them graduating from college and obtaining a career in which I really enjoy.Q. How did USCA help prepare you for the job you currently hold?A. USCA helped to prepare me for my career by challenging me to become a leader. The professors at USCA constantly pushed me to do better and to set the standard for everyone else to follow.Q. What is your favorite USCA memory?A. My favorite USCA memory is graduation day. I was so happy to have passed Social Demography that I hugged and picked up Dr. Henson who was the professor at that time.

Ace Pacer,Mascot, University of South Carolina, class of 1992Q. What is your current occupation and what would you consider your major accomplishments?A. I work as the mascot for the University of South Carolina Aiken Pacers Sports. I think the big-gest accomplishment of my career as a mascot has been encouraging the athletes at USC Aiken to do the best they possibly can, as well as being a great ambassador to other schools’ teams and sports fans as part of the “Positive Game Environment” effort.Q. How did USCA help prepare you for the job you currently hold?A. USC Aiken prepared me for my current job by getting me hooked on Pacer Sports! Q. What is your favorite USCA memory?A. My favorite USCA memory was the Convocation Center’s opening night in 2007. I had been on hiatus from mascotting since my head was stolen in the late 90’s and Pacer Athletics invited me back with an entire costume update when the Convocation Center opened. It was so great to see everyone’s smiles as they unveiled me to the crowd, and I knew I was back where I belonged- getting people excited about the Pacers and USC Aiken. I’m looking forward to many more great memories to come!

1966

2005

1992 2011

2011

2011

“USCA helped to prepare me for my career by challenging me to become a leader.”

“My home town is Aiken and I considered USCA due to its location and the curriculum.”

September 8, 2011 • 13USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Pam Galardi,RN, Surgical Services at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Class of 1977Q. What is your current occupation and what would you consider your major accomplishments?A. Currently I work as a RN at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Some of my accomplishments include being inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, Honor Society of Nursing; cross-trained to multiple areas/roles in the nursing profession; and having been employed by the same facility since graduating USCA.Q. How did USCA help prepare you for the job you currently hold?A. USCA helped me prepare for my role as an RN in many ways. The classes and path in which they were scheduled was of great importance. The clinical rotations coincided well with the classroom. Both class and clinical were geared toward the goal of meeting SC State Board of Nursing requirements. In order to achieve this goal, organizational skills, time management skills, and leadership skills played an important role. These skills continue to be used routinely in my daily nursing activities.Q. What is your favorite USCA memory?A. Registration day was always full of excitement and anticipation. Enrolling in classes was done on a first come basis. Many of us would arrive at USCA in the early am (4:00am-5:00am) and set up “camp” on the sidewalk leading into the building as if we were waiting on tickets for a rock concert. This was the time when you met new people, formed new lifelong friendships and became masters at card playing.

Margo Gore,Middle school Math Teacher, Kennedy Middle School, Class of 1997Q. What is your current occupation and what would you consider your major accomplishments? A. I am a seventh grade Science teacher at Kennedy Middle School. Everything I have accomplished is because of God’s goodness. He blessed me with outstanding parents with a loving, supportive husband and wonderful children. My family has been my greatest inspiration as I pursued my educational and professional goals. Professionally, the highlights of my career would include the year I won Aiken County District Teacher of the Year, receiving National Board certification and my ongoing educational pursuits. I hope to finish my doctorate in Educational administration in 2012. Of course, I give God all of the credit. Q. How did USCA help prepare you for the job you currently hold?A. USCA gave me a solid foundation. The dedication of the faculty is something I’ll never forget. Dr. Kaufmann, Dr. Riedell, and others provided encouragement to all their students. For me, this encouragement helped me to persevere. As a busy mother of small children, I needed this type of faculty to keep me going. From early in my program through student teaching and far beyond graduation, I received continuous reassurance from my professors.Q. What is your favorite USCA memory?A. My entire experience at USCA was memorable. Some of my favorite USCA memories stem from my involvement with the Education Majors Club. I served as President of the club the year before I began student teaching. By that time, camaraderie among my peers as well as the faculty had matured and developed. We had become a professional community, respecting each other’s professional talents and genuinely enjoying one another’s company.

1977

1997

2011

2011“From early in my program through student teaching and far beyond graduation, I received continuous reassurance from my professors.”

“USCA helped me prepare for my role as an RN in many ways.”

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14 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Banksia, the house where USCA was •originally located, was named after a type of small yellow rose.The original owner of the Banksia property, •Richard Howe, lived in a small wooden shack on the property until his son built the mansion which currently stands there. Rumor has it that his son built it while Richard was on vacation and when he returned, he promptly had a heart attack at the surprise. Incidentally, Richard’s shack held the original USCA faculty and administration offices. USCA was not the first college to occupy •Banksia, the Georgian-style mansion located in downtown Aiken that housed the public library. From 1957-1960, the old winter colony home housed Southern Methodist College. In 1979, students from Banksia marched •twice into downtown Aiken, carrying signs and chanting slogans, in support of a $1 million bond that issued a new and enlarged campus in Aiken. On one occasion, Commission Chairman Robert Penland joined the students and, in support of the bond, several downtown merchants also closed their doors in a show of solidarity. When the new site for the campus was •

chosen in 1970, on land west of the city of Aiken between U.S. 1 and Trolley Line Road, there were no roads through the property. In fact, as Chancellor Bill Casper drove through the site in a 4-wheel drive vehicle during a surveying trip, he became lost in the heavily wooded area. The $400,000 donation from the Gregg-•Graniteville Foundation in 1972 was, at the time, the largest single gift made to a library in the state of South Carolina. The Double Knot sculpture that graces •the administration building courtyard is a gift from renowned artist, Charles O. Perry, in memory of his father, Owen Perry, a mining engineer who lived in Aiken County. It symbolizes the continuous tie between the University and the community, and is one of many of Perry’s works on exhibit at museums and buildings around the world. In 1961-1962, the basketball team won the •Carolina League State trophy. Dr. William S. Carr and Joe Jiunnies were the school’s first basketball coaches and games were played at Kennedy Junior High School.During the 1969-1970 year, the USCA •Rebels competed in the Carolina League Tournament with USC Regional Campuses from Aiken, Florence, Spartanburg,

Coastal Carolina, Lancaster and Union. Lew Perkins served as a coach the first year and as athletic director. Also during this time, the first Booster Club was formed. Also, Richard Burdette signed the first ever USCA grant-in-aid.The school colors of blue and white were •changed to garnet and gray in 1969. The new colors reflected those of the Confederate army uniforms, which fit the school’s mascot during that time which was the “Rebels.” In 1971, the mascot changed from the Rebels to the Pacers.USCA has had three different mascot •costumes for the mascot Ace Pacer. In the late 90’s, the second Ace’s head disappeared from the locker room and USCA went without a mascot until 2007, when Ace’s recent incarnation was created with the construction of the Convocation Center. The culprits for the grisly crime were never caught, and the second mascot’s head remains missing. For several years after the school changed •its mascot to the Pacer, the school logo depicted a trotter. When the mistake was discovered, a new logo was developed. During the 1979-1980 season, Men’s •basketball won the NAIA District Six Championship and participated in NAIA National Championship.In 1980, the USCA volleyball team •competed in the NAIA National Championships.USCA students represent over 35 American •

states, with 47 international students representing 22 different countries USCA was a charter member of the Peach •Belt Athletic Conference which was formed and had conference play in 1990 and 1991.The USCA golf team won three straight •NCAA National Championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006.USCA had its first Athletic Hall of Fame •induction on November 30, 2007.The USCA women’s basketball team •set a school record for wins during the 2010-2011 season with a 27-6 record.In the 2002-2003 academic year the first •all-female SGA executive board was elected. They were Tiffany Meador, Kristin Allen, and Amanda BrownMelissa Hanna, a former editor of the Pacer •Times, is now the Editor in Chief of the Athens Banner Herald.There are over 65 student organizations at •USC Aiken.USC Aiken has an annual operating budget •of more than $53 million. Employment at the campus includes 372 permanent employees. Students receive in excess of $32 million each year in federal, state, and private aid funds. This, along with an estimated 3,300 undergraduate and graduate students, construction, and contractual activities, bring the estimated economic impact on our region to in excess of $121 million. Additionally, the estimated spending power of our students is more than $47 million.

USC Aiken Trivia

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September 8, 2011 • 15USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

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Congratulations USCA!Thank You for AllYou Did For Me!

-Rocky L. Napier Class of 1976

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16 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

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*NOTICE: ITEMS MARKED WITH AN * MAY BE COOKED TO

ORDER. CONSUMING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED MEAT OR

EGGS MAY INCREASE YOUR RISK OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS.

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318 Croft Mill Rd.Aiken, SC 29801

(803) 641-2365

Residential RoofingCommercial Roofing

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Call usToday for aFREEEstimate!

AS07-595589

Serving ourcommunity

for over20 years!

Happy 50thAnniversary

USCA!

September 8, 2011 • 17USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Eugene Sawyer vividly recalls how he helped Bob Penland examine potential sites for USC Aiken decades ago. Today, hav-ing recently retired from the Aiken County Commission on Higher Education, Sawyer marvels at how far the university has come.

“It’s great to look at the audience (at today’s graduation ceremonies) and see what we’ve accomplished,” he said.

Sawyer was appointed to the Aiken County Commission on Higher Education in 1961 and served as its treasurer until his recent retirement this year. The commis-sion was established in 1961 to oversee the creation of USC Aiken. Through the years, Sawyer has seen USC Aiken grow from a small student body of several hundred to thousands at the University’s present location.

At USC Aiken’s April Academic Convoca-tion, Sawyer was presented with a resolution in his honor by state Rep. Roland Smith.

And at USC Aiken’s May Commencement, he also was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, being lauded “for his enduring support of higher education in South Carolina; for his achievements as a business and community leader; and for his personal commitment to high standards and ethical principles.”

Sawyer, a native of Clearwater, S.C., has been an accomplished businessman in Aiken County for many years through his pharmacy services and has been a strong supporter of the Aiken community and the field of edu-cation through his participation on several boards.

Now that he’s retired, Mr. Sawyer says he plans to enjoy some much deserved relax-ation and spend more time with his family: wife, Anne; children - Scott Stuart and Jane Deanne Sawyer; and nine grandchildren.

Eugene Sawyerawarded for supporting education

AS07-595067

“We Congratulate USCA on their50th Anniversary! Our Appreciation

is extended for the impact theyhave made in our Community!”

Congratulations USC Aiken on 50 Years of Excellence!

Pictured from back left: Ashlyn Griffi n, Margaret Hurt, Valerie Laird, Cassie Hirsch, Janice Hauerwas, Natasha Canty, Erik Dunham, Terry Gilman, Andrea Haltiwanger, Logan Bryant, Eric Langston, Zorayda El, Dr. Robert Alexander, Tommy Moore, Gina Kelly, Alicia Heath, Betsy Davis, Jason Langdale and Christine Lewis.

from the USCA alumni of Security Federal Bank

18 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

USC Aiken under construction...

Construction of the Administration Building in 1972.

Moving the Pickens-Salley House in 1986.

Construction of the Gregg-Granitville Library in 1975.

AS14-593507

September 8, 2011 • 19USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

THANK YOU USC AIKEN

Aiken Standard employees & USCA graduates.

Tyler CrosbyAccount Executive

Class of 2010

John LoweryCopy Editor

Class of 1995

Karen KlockChief Copy Editor

Class of 2005

Stacey MosierWeb Content Manager

Class of 2010

Matt SochaSpecial ProjectsClass of 1997

Terri CheekBusiness Manager

Class of 1999 & 2011

20 • September 8, 2011 USC Aiken Celebrating 50 Years of Setting the Pace

Still Setting

the Pace for Your Success

Meet our featured alumni, pages 12 & 13

Frank ThomasAttended Banksia in the 60’sNow: President, Security Federal Bank

for Your SuccessMeet our featured alumni, Meet our featured alumni, Meet our featured alumni,

pages 12 & 13Meet our featured alumni, Meet our featured alumni, Meet our featured alumni,

Frank ThomasAttended Banksia in the 60’s

Pam Galardiclass of 1977 & 1992

Now: Registered Nurse,Aiken Regional Medical Centers

Anthony Sampsonclass of 2007

Now: Deputy Sheri� , Aiken County Sheri� ’s Dpt.

www.usca.edu/50

Margo Goreclass of 1997

Now: Math Teacher, Kennedy Middle School