UofSC: Carolina on King brings Gamecock community to Charleston
August 29, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – August 29, 2012 – Taking a walk down King Street inCharleston one doesn’t expect to see the University of South Carolina’snotable garnet and black. Starting today (Aug. 29, 2012), however, USCbrings the Gamecock spirit to the Holy City.
USC’s new official welcome center in Charleston, Carolina on King, givesSouth Carolina’s flagship university a presence on the bustling KingStreet. The colorful boutique at 258 King St. offers premium USC brandedmerchandise.
More importantly, Carolina on King serves as a welcoming point forCharleston tourists and residents, introducing prospective students andtheir parents to USC. It also provides a place to connect and engage USCalumni in the community with their alma mater.
“With 2,400 current students and 10,000 alumni calling the Charlestonregion their home, the University of South Carolina wanted to have apersonal touch with Gamecocks in the region. This center will be a frontdoor to our flagship and to our system for those in the Lowcountry whowant to reconnect with their alma mater, seek guidance on admissions orsimply learn more about our university,” said USC President HarrisPastides. “I am excited that we have made this center a reality and mosteager to see how we are able to touch many more of our friends andfamily in Charleston.”
Ashley Canady Slane, ’90 journalism and public relations, the newdirector of the welcome center, assists in answering questions andserves as the liaison with the Charleston community, including tourismand civic organizations.
“As a graduate of USC and a long-time resident of the Lowcountry, I amvery pleased to have this opportunity to combine my Gamecock pride withmy professional experience to help promote all the wonderful andinnovative things the University of South Carolina system has to offer,”Slane said.
The idea for the welcome center came from Pastides’ vision forreconnecting alumni, recruiting students and providing more informationabout USC in the Charleston area. With the help of Vice President forCommunications Luanne Lawrence and Helen Ziegler, associate vicepresident for business affairs, Pastides found 258 King to be the ideallocation for the center. USC Director of Facilities Planning andProgramming Derek Gruner led the design and construction phases of thefacility and preserved the historical integrity of the facility whileproviding a contemporary touch for telling the USC story.
“He knew that we had many loyal alumni and a growing market of currentand prospective students from the area, but we had no place in theregion for them to connect back to the campus,” Lawrence said. “This isDr. Pastides’ vision and he sees great opportunity with this location tomake the needed personal contact with alumni, friends and prospectivestudents from one of the state’s fastest growing and dynamic regions.”
The entire USC system, including the Columbia campus and the sevenregional and comprehensive campuses, is on display in the center.
“We hope that this center will help create more visibility for theUniversity of South Carolina and explain the unique mission of eachcampus,” Lawrence said. “We have not had this personal touch availablein Charleston before.”
Carolina on King is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
