When 2022 USC graduate Patrick Brodeur received his diploma, he packed his bags and bid Columbia goodbye. Brodeur migrated 93 miles north to Charlotte, North Carolina.
He wasn’t alone in this decision; Brodeur is one of many USC alumni to choose Charlotte post-graduation.
"It's a nice city, up-and-coming," Brodeur said. "(Charlotte) could accommodate what I wanted."
2023 alumna Nickie Joseph graduated with a degree in sports and entertainment management. Joseph said Charlotte’s international airport and proximity to USC appealed to her.
“I’ve always had my eyes on Charlotte as somewhere I wanted to live post-grad,” Joseph said.
2023 alumna Kendall Smith studied broadcast journalism with a sports media concentration. Smith said Charlotte’s sports industry makes the city special.
“Whether it’s baseball, hockey, football, basketball or soccer, we have all of those sports here at the professional level,” Smith said.
USC is taking advantage of Charlotte’s sports industry by creating a sports media initiative based in the city. The College of Information and Communications and the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management are collaborating on the program, which will combine sports media, management and business. Dean Tom Reichert of the CIC said the combination makes the program unique.
“You can find that all around the country, but you can’t find all three of those in one place,” Reichert said.
The initiative will offer graduate programs and professional development certificates, and it will work with the Charlotte community. Though the program is still in early stages, Reichert said they are working out of the Darla Moore School of Business' Charlotte facility.
“I think the three colleges will work together,” Reichert said. “That’d be a great opportunity to share cost and create some synergy.”
Still, Reichert said sports programs at USC will remain strong.
“It’s not mutually exclusive,” Reichert said. “There'll be a lot going on down there and a lot going on up there.”
While Charlotte is drawing USC alumni to North Carolina, retaining graduates in the Columbia area has a positive economic impact on the region.
A 1% increase to the retention rate of USC students would provide almost $19 million of additional economic activity in the Midlands, according to a Darla Moore School of Business study. 40.7% of students stay in the Columbia area for the first five years after graduating, according to that study.
Carl Blackstone, CEO and President of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, said Columbia’s collegiate population advantages the city. Blackstone said the chamber is focusing on workforce development and capitalizing on the collegiate atmosphere.
The chamber’s Campus Leaders program develops leadership skills in college students. It provides “increased awareness of career opportunities here in the Columbia area,” according to the chamber’s website.
The chamber connects employers hiring new graduates with students in their Campus Leaders program. The chamber’s focus on the collegiate workforce involves retention.
“(We needed to) really double down our focus on getting kids that are here in Columbia to stay in Columbia,” Blackstone said.
2019 alumna Mary Ramsey said Columbia and Charlotte possess different identities as cities.
“I think Columbia has a very specific identity to it,” Ramsey said. “It is a college town and state capital.”
Charlotte’s identity is less defined than Columbia’s; Charlotte’s size and transplant population provide variety for residents, Ramsey said.
“You can sort of pick and choose what parts of the city fit best with you,” Ramsey said.
Charlotte remains the third most popular destination for USC alumni. It's home to more than 25,000 alumni, and its relationship to USC continues to expand with the developing sports media initiative.
“I can wear a South Carolina sweatshirt, go anywhere in the city and, guaranteed, someone will say, ‘Go Gamecocks,'" Smith said.