The Office of Communications collects and shares news about student, faculty, staff, alumni and college achievement and impact. Please let us know about your successes!
The College of Education improved two spots, ranking No. 27 in the overall Best Education Schools, and is No. 18 nationally among public institutions and No. 4 among SEC schools. The college has improved by 60 spots in the rankings over the past three years.
This year's workforce profile examines data by school organizational level, while also comparing state-level findings to national and regional trends, to better understand potential relationships between workforce characteristics and the teacher pipeline.
When most people hear, "principal of the year," they would likely imagine someone who grew up enjoying school and breezing through their lessons. For Matt Sherman, (2011, Education Administration) that was not the case. During his childhood, he struggled academically. With the support of his teachers, he persevered and went on to not only teach but become the 2025 South Carolina Association of School Administrators Secondary Principal of the Year.
Each year the College of Education honors outstanding and innovative educators in South Carolina.
Shea Ferguson's journey into the world of educational psychology began with a simple yet profound question: How can we better prepare teachers to understand the science of learning and development?
Keighley George (2018, Master of Education in Teaching) grew up in a family of educators. She always knew she would join the profession to make a difference in the lives of others. She wanted her job to be meaningful and purpose driven. Recently, her work was honored when George was presented with the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor hailed as the "Oscar of Teaching," that recognizes exceptional educators for their dedication to excellence in education and leadership.
The Institute for Rural Education and Development presented critical thinking activities for children and adults at Family STEM Day in Charleston.
Natasha Hastings came to the University of South Carolina with dreams of excelling as an athlete. Although her talent eventually would propel her to an NCAA championship, multiple world championships and two Olympic gold medals, her initial start on the Gamecock track and field team was less than stellar. Her body was sound, but she had psychological demons to slay.
Gamecock EdQuarters Executive Director, Chris Burkett, Ed.D., is the 2025 Dr. Jennifer Wilson Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. Award recipients across the state were nominated by their peers for their dedication to middle level education.
Pre-med student Hailey Smith shares her experience working with the Institute for Rural Education and Development on the SKIP+CODE core of the project.
Norah Dixon graduated in December. Along the way she had a wide and varied educational journey, including research on Richard Greener alongside COE professor Christian Anderson.
Catherine Compton-Lilly was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame. This elite group of educators and scholars shapes reading education and helps to make reading accessible for learners of all ages. Compton-Lilly shares her research, career experiences and hopes for her position.
The University of South Carolina has recognized students, faculty and staff members for their work on campus and in the larger community with 2025 Social Justice Awards.
USC’s CarolinaLIFE is a nondegree, residential, inclusive program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CarolinaLIFE students explore their career interests and hone their employment skills through individualized coaching and access to University of South Carolina courses. On any given day, staff members might prepare them for job interviews, teach them about budgeting money or introduce them to campus organizations.
Charleston native Keith Heyward, Jr. was a restless third-grader when he realized his career goal was to teach. In the years since kindergarten, the inquisitive boy regularly had been disciplined for “talking too much” in the classroom. Now he uses this questionable attribute for good.
The College of Education was well-represented at the Literacy Research Association Conference in Atlanta, Ga, with more than 10 current and former graduate students and seven professors presenting at the conference. In addition to our excellent representation, Professor Catherine Compton Lilly was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame.
After 25 years as a teacher, instructional coach, mentor and principal in Richland School District 2, Cassandra Bosier found herself at the “end of the pathway” for teacher candidates working to earn their undergraduate degrees in education. This fall, she began her first semester as a clinical associate professor in the College of Education teaching undergraduate students preparing to be elementary school teachers.
Susan Heid has supported students through physical education for 29 years. You might expect that she's thinking more about retirement than classroom innovations -- but you would be wrong. With the support of her administration, Heid has installed the district's only adaptive climbing wall in Beaufort Elementary School's gymnasium.
The University Archives at the South Caroliniana Library has recently acquired a treasure trove of materials once belonging to Patterson Wardlaw, the first dean of education.
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of South Carolina a $35 million grant to improve college and career readiness among disadvantaged students in South Carolina with the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). It is the largest grant ever awarded to the College of Education and among the largest in university history.
Tjuan Dogan has a simple request for the endowed scholarship she has funded at the College of Education -- invest in the next generation of educators, like the ones who helped her find her own path and passion.
Swilley began her career at Richland Northeast High School as a math educator. She had wonderful administrators act as mentors, and Swilley was able to use her data analytics skills to serve her administration. One of her assistant principals encouraged her to continue her education, so she enrolled in the Master's of Education Administration at the University of South Carolina.
Kathryn Pedings-Behling grew up in the small town of Saint Matthews, S.C. In middle school, she developed a fondness for solving mathematics and logic puzzles -- so much so, that she even stole her older brother's SAT prep workbook for fun!
Ayan Mitra uses clinical computational neuroscience to understanding early childhood development in reading and literacy.
Project PRISMS trains counseling professionals for high-needs South Carolina schools.