Shayla Rae Merritt is making an impact in Columbia. The USC alumna and Cyberwoven marketing director is helping organizations tell their stories while strengthening her community — work that earned her the Columbia Chamber’s 2024 Young Professional of the Year award.
One educator's commitment to student success will continue to inspire generations. The new Art Farlowe CIC Student Success Award recognizes graduates whose perseverance and dedication reflect the values he championed throughout his career.
University of South Carolina's College of Information and Communications expands social media rankings from college sports to the world's biggest sporting event.
A photo essay produced by University of South Carolina students won first place nationally in the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Awards, one of the nation's most prestigious competitions honoring collegiate journalism.
Bold colors. Bright ideas. Big dreams. Interior designer Amber Guyton turns ordinary houses into joyful homes.
From award-winning campaigns to meaningful client work, Nebo Agency is helping shape the next generation of communications professionals. Meet three SJMC alumni who turned classroom experiences into successful careers at one of the Southeast’s largest independent marketing agencies.
A newsroom legend's legacy is shaping the next generation of storytellers. The new Bertram Rantin Scholarship at USC honors mentorship, truth-telling and the future of South Carolina journalism by supporting the state's top high school journalist.
Professor Scott Parrott writes for The Conversation about how more athletes are opening up about mental health struggles — and how some fans are weaponizing those conversations online.
McKenzie Lemhouse never expected to find her future in library science. Now a librarian at USC Lancaster, she combines research support, student engagement and advocacy to create a welcoming space where students feel seen, supported and connected.
Julie Hutt knows career paths rarely follow a straight line. As the college career services manager, she draws on experiences from Disney to higher education to help students build confidence, connections and long-term career success.
For Amanda Myers, libraries are about more than books — they are spaces for connection and community. Now director of events and experience at Richland Library, Myers began her career shelving books in 2007 and has spent years helping shape meaningful experiences for library visitors.
USC UNESCO Fellow Marc Owen Jones documents in great depth and over many years how digital influence operations are reframing and normalizing violence and mass harm.
When Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeast in 2024, Mary Ramsey reported from Asheville as the storm unfolded. Months later, her coverage of Helene's effect on 2024 presidential election turnout helped earn The Charlotte Observer recognition as a 2025 Pulitzer finalist for breaking news.
The college has officially launched a Bachelor of Arts in Communication major, marking the debut of a long-anticipated program at the university. While communication remains one of the most popular undergraduate majors nationwide, USC has never offered a dedicated degree in the field — until now.
This summer, the College of Information and Communications is co-sponsoring a series of courses on artificial intelligence that are free to the public.
CIC researchers are working to close the accessibility gap in higher education, introducing a collaborative model to ensure blind, visually impaired, and print-disabled students receive course materials without delay.
You may know Cocky from game day at Williams-Brice, but some of his biggest fans sit on classroom floors, not stadium seats. Behind the yellow beak are two seniors who’ve been involved with Cocky's Reading Express for the last four years.
In USC's Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion course, senior MaryGail Zack didn't just manage ads -- she led a strategy that connected a mental health nonprofit with a major music partner, proving impact matters more than impressions.
The CIC is giving students more choices through its newest academic programs. Several students explain how these new offerings are preparing them for technologies and careers of the future.
From heartfelt cheers to a memorable keynote on service and humanity, the School of Information Science's spring graduation honored 60 graduates — and even featured a lighthearted family moment that made the crowd chuckle.
Faculty member Kim Thompson and Ph.D. student Machiat Tabassum explore how trust in librarians shapes access to information, and how strengthening that trust can help reduce information poverty in today's complex landscape.
From finding confidence at USC to cheering a national championship from Dublin, Pruitt says her journey was all about saying yes, embracing independence and chasing opportunity.
From first-gen uncertainty to finding her voice, Chiang's USC journey was about taking risks, building community and turning a passion for storytelling into purpose — with the confidence to take up space and go after what’s next.
A call to evolve with each new generation of students set the tone for the spring 2026 CIC retreat, where leaders highlighted innovation, AI’s impact on media and the college’s continued growth.
Students are earning major recognition in the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2025 Mark of Excellence Awards, with work that’s turning heads across the region—from breaking news to standout visual storytelling.