(Logo Courtesy of USC)

The University of South Carolina system will welcome thousands of new alumni in a series of four commencement ceremonies recognizing bachelor’s, master’s and professional degree recipients beginning Friday, May 9, at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

USC President Michael Amiridis will deliver remarks at all four ceremonies. 

Separate ceremonies also will be held for the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, two Schools of Medicine and doctoral graduates.

The four ceremonies at the Colonial Life Arena include:

* On Friday, May 9, at 9 a.m., degrees will be conferred on students from the School of Music and Darla Moore School of Business. Lindell A. Bradley will receive an honorary Doctorate in Public Service.

Bradley made history as the first Black varsity student-athlete at the University of South Carolina, joining the varsity baseball team in the 1968-69 season, and then built a successful career as an engineer and executive manager at ExxonMobil Corporation.

* On Friday, May 9, at 3 p.m., degrees will be conferred on students from the College of Nursing; Arnold School of Public Health; College of Social Work; College of Information and Communications; and College of Pharmacy.

Margaret M. Spellings will receive an honorary Doctorate in Public Service. During her career, Spellings served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009 and as president of the University of North Carolina system from 2016 to 2019. Spellings is currently president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit that assists policymakers in crafting bipartisan solutions to range of national issues.

* On Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m., degrees will be conferred to students from the SC Honors College and the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.

Drew Gilpin Faust, a noted American historian who served as president of Harvard University from 2007 to 2018, will receive an honorary Doctorate in Education.

Faust is the author of seven acclaimed books exploring the history of the American South and is the recipient of numerous national awards for her contributions to the humanities, including the 2024 Newberry Library Award.

* On Saturday, May 10, at 4 p.m., degrees will be conferred to students from Palmetto College; the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing; the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management; the College of Education; and the Joseph F. Rice School of Law graduate programs (master’s in study of law, certificate of graduate study).

Additional Columbia campus commencement events include:

* The Joseph F. Rice School of Law commencement ceremony will be at 8:30 a.m.; Saturday, May 10 on the historic Horseshoe.

USC alumnae and South Carolina U.S. District Judge Sherri Allen Lydon will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Lydon began her legal career with the Nexsen Pruet firm, now Maynard Nexsen, in Columbia and previously served as U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. 

* The commencement ceremony for both the Columbia and Greenville Schools of Medicine will take place at noon on Friday, May 9; at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia.

Dr. Jonathan Lee Gleason will deliver a commencement address. Gleason serves as executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Prisma Health. 

* The doctoral hooding ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Thursday, May 8 at the Koger Center for the Arts.

Other system commencements include:

USC Salkehatchie: 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 2. 

USC Beaufort: 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 2. Distinguished surgeon Dr. Holton Tim Pearce will receive an honorary Doctorate in Public Service. 

USC Lancaster: 11 a.m., Saturday, May 3.

USC Union: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3.

USC Sumter: 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 7.

USC Aiken: 6 p.m. Monday, May 7. 

USC Upstate: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 8. William Cobb will receive an honorary Doctorate in Public Administration.

Overall, more than 8,300 students will graduate from the University of South Carolina system. South Carolina graduates by the numbers:

Columbia – 6,623

Aiken – 404

Beaufort – 310

Upstate– 530

Lancaster– 193

Salkehatchie– 104

Sumter– 132

Union– 89.

For more information, including parking details, go to the university’s commencement website.