USC raked in almost $227 million in research funds, surpassing its previous record. For a state that often struggles to be near the top of any list, this is a crowning accomplishment for our flagship university, the only one in South Carolina to sit on the Carnegie Institute's top tier of research campuses.
Research moves the university, and society as a whole, forward and into the 21st century. Failing to receive grants and funding for research would hamstring the university in recruiting top talent.
USC has cemented its reputation as a school that can win in the lab, even against bigger and more prestigious schools.
But it's not just research.
Since Harris Pastides took over as USC's president in 2008, there seems to be a steady climb toward better education, more research and loftier goals for this university. Presidents are often defined as caretakers or innovators. To us, Pastides is more of the latter.
We often criticize the university for its bureaucratic missteps, and with good reason. USC can be a bureaucratic tangle that can only be fixed with a bushwhacker.
But overall, this university is moving forward academically — quickly and steadily. Higher average SAT scores and GPAs increase with each freshman class. Applications are on the rise; more than more are seeing the value of USC's education. Research funds continue to grow, as evidenced in Tuesday's report.
Pastides, coupled with Provost Michael Amiridis, could be the leaders that redefine this school as something much more than a state school in the Deep South. Especially if the football team and baseball team continue to excel.
If so, we won't be surprised.