University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is one of the top 32 public universities to have earned the Carnegie Foundation's top-tier designation in community engagement and research activity. It is one of America's oldest and impressively most comprehensive public universities, and USC Columbia is the leading research institution among the USC system, as well as its largest campus. There are about 21,000 undergraduates and about 8,000 students within the graduate and professional programs. The heart of the mission is the university's responsibility to its own state and society to promote the diffusion of knowledge, cultural enrichment, and a greatly enhanced quality of life. The university holds a diverse population of students that have largely varying backgrounds, levels of aspiration, and career goals.
The school overs over 320 degrees at all levels combined, allowing students to have a comprehensive variety of educational programs in South Carolina. The primary method of classroom and laboratory instruction is available at USC, but students can also take courses through distance education that is delivered through the internet and teleconferencing. Because of this, the university is able to offer their plethora of degree options and programs. The depth and width of the graduate programs sets USC apart from all of the other learning institutions within South Carolina. Eight campuses span 19 locations, and is positioned to meet the needs of the state education, culture, research, and health programs. The communities are a priority for USC, and it is committed to providing a superior student experience as well as academic excellence for all students.
School of Library and Information Science
The name only begins to tell the story of the School of Library and information Science at the University of South Carolina. There are undergraduate and graduate/doctoral degrees offered to explore information. How it is found, how it is extracted, how it is preserved, and how it is used. Traditional libraries are breaking out of their molds and becoming centers for interaction and information. Information management is just one key to success in education, business, government, industry, politics, commerce and much more. The mission of the school reflects the commitment to encouraging only excellence in research as well as teaching, to create leaders that are committed to diversity and public service, to promote creativity, and to encourage the development of innovative practice that will benefit the creation of knowledge. The school is also committed to advancing cultural heritage stewardship, and to improve the understanding of important roles that information, technology, and libraries play within this empowered global society.
The school sees a world in which information, knowledge, literacy, access to knowledge, and the ability to manage intricate data is the key to personal development and success seen in commerce, politics, government, and education. There is value put on research that will advance theory and will lead to best practices. The school believes in diversity, inclusion, and equality right down into its core, knowing that education without these is not possible. This school works to effectively address the needs of libraries and other information centers within communities like cultural heritage institutions.
