USC Upstate recently broke ground on a $21 million library expansion. USC Upstate photo

USC Upstate breaks ground on $21 million library addition 

Information courtesy of USC Upstate

The University of South Carolina Upstate celebrated the groundbreaking of a $21 million library expansion on Thursday, April 4. The project is designed by Moseley Architects, and construction will be facilitated by Thompson Turner Construction.

The project was approved by the USC Board of Trustees in December 2022. The addition marks the first time since 2009 that the university has received substantial support for a new construction project on campus.

“This project represents not only a physical expansion, but a significant investment in the intellectual and academic growth of our students and the broader community,” USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie Harris, Ph.D., said at the groundbreaking ceremony held inside of the building.

“The library has long been the heart of our campus, serving as a center for knowledge, for collaboration, and discovery. As we break ground on this multimillion-dollar project, we embark on a journey that will enhance the education experience for generations to come.” 

The project involves a 22,000-square-foot (two floor) addition and renovation of the second floor.

The new addition will be open, light, and inviting for students to easily access the services available to them.

Services include:

• Student Success Center – including new tutor rooms that double as group study spaces

• Career Management – including an interview room and career closet

• Center for International Education – including conference areas and multipurpose rooms

• Three large classrooms with a vertically folding partition to create a large event space with access to a large outdoor terrace

• Athletic study hall

• Variety of open study spaces, café seating and lounge areas for student use

“The addition will address the growing needs of our expanding student body while providing cutting-edge space for innovation, research, and collaborative learning,” Harris said. “This project is a testament to our commitment to excellence, and I’m confident it will inspire all who pass through the library door.”

The building will be contextual to the USC Upstate campus, utilizing a brick exterior and precast concrete columns similar to the existing library. How-ever, unlike the existing library, the new addition will utilize glass and wood to bring light and warmth to the façade, bringing a fresh modern look to campus.

The interior will be filled with natural light, warm wood tones, organic forms, and a sophisticated use of the USC Upstate color palette. The addition will not only be a beautiful addition to campus, but it will also be a meaningful place of learning, collaboration and achievement for students.

“Our direction for this project from Dr. Harris from the very beginning was, we want to create a ‘wow building’ on campus,” said Ben Whitener, principal at Moseley Architects. “And hopefully you can see in the images and the renderings that we’ve done that this is a ‘wow building.’”

Leadership for the investment started under Interim Chancellor Derham Cole, whom the chancellor recognized Thursday. Harris also thanked several stakeholders across the campus, community and legislature for their investment in USC Upstate and education in South Carolina.

“The General Assembly is committed to our higher education institutions. USC Upstate is a shining, bright star in South Carolina,” said state Rep. Bruce W. Bannister, chairman of House Ways and Means Committee. “We are committed to the library. It’s a great project. We are also committed to grow USC Upstate.”

As part of the renovation, the project’s site design includes expanded quiet, individual/group study rooms, a digital learning lab, space for archives and special collections, and a reading room to accommodate exhibits and presentations.

“We are confident that the new additions and the renovations to the existing library will create a nexus of welcoming and supportive services for students,” said Pam Steinke, provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Anne Flynn, chair of the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education, shared the importance of libraries in communities and college campuses, remembering visiting the public library in Spartanburg as a child with her father.

“It’s my wish that one day, the students that get to benefit from this beautiful facility and all it’s going to offer to you, will bring their little girl, or their little boy, to our library. And they will see why their education here at USC Upstate really mattered. And it will tell you, and it will tell them, what really mattered on this college campus and what a difference it makes.”

V’Dell Carter, president of the USC Upstate Student Government Asso-ciation, called the space “crucial for students of today and generations to come.”

“We will utilize this space for academic success for each student. This place will become a new hub of matriculation for our Spartans,” Carter said.

Construction is expected to be completed by Fall 2026. 

From left: Gabby Gecan ’25, Madelyn Wilson ’25. and Mary Charles Burke ’25 at the Wofford Women’s Health Coalit-ion’s period product drive on March 14.

Championing women’s health

Three Wofford College students are leading women’s health outreach on campus and in the surrounding community. 

Madelyn Wilson ’25, Gabby Gecan ’25 and Mary Charles Burke ’25 have founded the Wofford Women’s Health Coalition with the aim of combining education and awareness on women’s health topics with monthly service opportunities in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

“We needed a space where we can talk about women’s health, benefit the community and promote education,” says Wilson, a psychology and Spanish major from Apex, North Carolina, who is serving as the coalition’s co-president.   

“We’re striving to create resources, educate and help women in the Spartanburg community feel supported,” says Burke, a psychology and neuroscience double major from Cramerton, North Carolina, and the coalition’s vice president. 

In March, the coalition held its first service project – a period product drive for the local nonprofit BirthMatters, which seeks to reduce teen pregnancy through reproductive health education. 

The period product drive featured several guest speakers. Wilson, Burke and Gecan say they are pleased with the strong support from students. A prize was given to the person who brought in the largest donation. 

“We go to Wofford, and we have all of these resources readily available to us,” says Gecan, a psychology major from Spartanburg and the coalition’s co-president. “We should pay it forward to others.” 

BirthMatters thanked the coalition for its support and has expressed interest in future partnerships with the group. 

“BirthMatters is privileged to partner with the Wofford Women’s Health Coalition in coordinating a period product drive that includes essentials to meet a birthing person’s postpartum needs after childbirth,” says Amber Pendergraph-Leak, executive director of BirthMatters. 

The Wofford Women’s Health Coalition invites students, regardless of gender, to consider joining to support and bring awareness to women’s health in the Wofford community and Spartanburg. To join the cause or learn more follow the Wofford Women’s Health Coalition on Instagram: @woffordwhc. 

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort will host the 2031 PGA Championship. PGA of America photo 

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort to host 2031 PGA Championship

The PGA of America announced recently that The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, will host the 2031 PGA Championship. Additionally, the 2029 Girls and Boys Junior PGA Championships will be contested at The Ocean Course and Turtle Point Golf Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

The 113th PGA Championship, scheduled for May 2031, marks the third time the strongest field in golf will compete for the Wanamaker Trophy along South Carolina’s coast.

The Ocean Course previously hosted the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, and will join elite company as just the ninth course to host three or more PGA Championships. The PGA of America also conducted the 1991 Ryder Cup, 2005 PGA Professional Championship and the 2007 Senior PGA Champion-ship there.

“We are ecstatic to bring the Junior PGA Championships and PGA Championship to The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in 2029 and 2031,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club of Lansing. “Past PGA Championships at Kiawah Island have provided no shortage of memorable moments and historic performances, all taking place along a breathtaking coastal setting. The Ocean Course’s challenging layout and rich history make it an ideal destination for our Championships.”

At the 2021 PGA Championship, 50-year-old Phil Mickelson became the oldest men’s major champion in golf history. He registered a final-round 1-over-par 73 to finish at 6-under-par and clinch the two-shot victory.

The 2012 PGA Champ-ionship saw a 23-year-old Rory McIlroy cruise to a record-setting victory. The Northern Ireland native posted a 6-under-par 66 on Sunday to finish at 13-under-par 275. McIlroy’s eight-stroke victory surpassed the PGA Championship record for victory margin set by Jack Nicklaus in 1980.

The 1991 Ryder Cup proved to be a significant moment in the history of golf’s greatest team event. Following an intense, drama-filled two days, the three-day contest came down to the final hole of the final match between Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer.

With the U.S. holding a 14-13 lead and the match tied, Langer needed to win the 18th to capture a full point and secure the 14-14 tie for Europe to retain the Cup. Following Irwin’s bogey, Langer’s six-foot putt for par narrowly missed, resulting in a 14 ½ to 13 ½ victory for the home team.

The Junior PGA Championships, two of golf’s major championships for juniors, continue to serve as a springboard for many of the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour’s biggest stars. Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas competed in past editions while past Girls Junior PGA winners include Inbee Park, Yuka Saso, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.

“We are proud to again be selected as the host course for the 2031 PGA Championship,” said Kiawah Island Golf Resort President Roger Warren, PGA. “The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Pete Dye’s brilliant seaside design, will present a formidable challenge for the strongest, all-professional field in major championship golf. We are confident our partnership with the PGA of America and the local community will produce another world class event.”

The Ocean Course, designed by Pete and Alice Dye from 1989-91, is widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in the country. Located on the easternmost end of Kiawah Island, it boasts the most seaside holes in the Northern Hemisphere with 10 hugging the Atlantic and the other eight running parallel to those. Although the course was originally planned to sit behind the dunes, Alice Dye suggested raising the entire course to give players unobstructed views of Kiawah Island’s stunning coastline on every hole.

The Ocean Course has consistently ranked among Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest and 100 Greatest Public Courses in the United States, including 24th (100 Greatest) and third (100 Greatest Public) in 2023-24.

OneSpartanburg, Inc., Truist Financial Corporation partner to offer state’s only Truist Leadership Institute Emerging Leaders Certification program to high-schoolers

OneSpartanburg, Inc. and Truist Financial Corporation have partnered to offer the first-of-its-kind Truist Leadership Institute Emerging Leaders Certification program to local high school students.

The first cohort to earn this certification was at Viking Early College, a partnership between Spartanburg School District 7 and Spartanburg Community College.

Truist Leadership Institute also offers its Emerging Leaders Certification to college students across the region, and the program will come to Spartanburg County in the fall of 2024.

"We are providing opportunities for both high school and college students to get a certification that is attractive to employers as they're looking for internships or to start careers," said Taylor Dement, Director of Talent Solutions at OneSpartanburg, Inc.

Truist Leadership Insti-tute Emerging Leader Certification (ELC) for high school students is rooted in psychology and focuses on foundational self-awareness needed to grow leadership capabilities. The program allows students to explore their strengths, opportunities, and behaviors as they begin to shape their leadership journey.

“Truist Leadership Institute is proud to partner with OneSpartanburg, Inc. to provide leadership development programming for high-school and undergrad/graduate students. Our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities through leadership development,” said Madison Hester, Truist Leadership Institute Senior Leadership Development Instructor. “As we believe that who you are is a reflection of how you lead, our immersive programming creates a unique experience for each student. These high-potential students develop an understanding of their strengths and opportunities, enhance their leadership capacities, and define who they want to be as leaders.

Upon completion of the ELC program, students earn a Truist-authorized certification for their resumes and LinkedIn profiles; a high-value add for anyone looking to differentiate themselves, according to Dement.

In all, the ELC program for high-schoolers totals three hours of content, meaning it can be integrated into existing programs like Junior Leadership Spartanburg, Dement said.

“The way they give the facilitators material to teach, and the way students carry on that information, I find a lot of value in that from all sides,” Dement said. “This certificate is a really good sign this student will be self-aware, knowledgeable, and take training really well.”