While students were away for the summer, USC announced several updates to campus construction, began new construction projects and rolled out mobile CarolinaCards and other technological updates.
An expansion to the Russell House was approved amidst the groundbreaking on two new housing projects. The university also issued mobile-only CarolinaCards to incoming freshmen and upgraded dining and parking facilities with AI-powered technology.
Campus construction and upgrades
Construction began in many places around campus this summer as USC Next, the university's 10-year architectural development plan, continues.
On June 19, the USC board of trustees approved the first phase of a plan to expand the Russell House. The project is expected to expand the student union, one of the smallest in the SEC, by 274,000 square feet. The building will be expanded onto the site of what is currently the Thomson Building.
The expansion will be funded by the university and is projected to cost $250 million. Students saw $150 student union expansion fees added to their fall 2026 bills, which will reoccur in future semesters.
Student Body President Cole Rotondo, who presented the now-approved expansion plan to the board, said this expansion project has been years in the making.
"We've grown substantially as a campus, and with that, we need more spaces for students to not only collaborate, but to program, be able to hold events," Rotondo said in a June 24 interview.
McBryde residence hall was demolished in early May. Constructed in 1955, the building served as a male-only residence hall for every year except 2025-26, when it was co-ed. USC plans to build a new residence hall on the McBryde site, expected to be open in fall 2028. The board announced that the new residence hall will be called The Commons at Carolina at their June 19 meeting.
In addition to The Commons at Carolina, USC is also constructing a new wing of the Honors Residence Hall on the corner of Blossom and Sumter Streets. Together, the projects will house over 1,000 students and add 296,000 square feet of housing, according to the university’s website.
Mobile CarolinaCards
For the first time, the incoming freshman class did not receive physical CarolinaCards at their New Student Orientation.
Moving forward, all new students will be issued mobile CarolinaCards, accessible within the Transact eAccounts app and students’ phone wallets. Current students can get mobile credentials through this app, but physical cards will stop working after a digital card is created.
The university signed a $1.5 million, five-year contract with Transact Campus to implement the digital cards. The mobile cards function the same way as the physical cards, and users can tap their phones or smart watches to access buildings, dining halls, libraries and more campus locations.
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies
Former U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died at age 71 on July 11, 2026. A procession and funeral were held for Graham at the South Carolina State House on July 29. A similar funeral service was held for Graham in Washington, D.C., on July 28.
Following the funeral service, Graham was buried in Pickens County, South Carolina. He served as a U.S. senator from 2003 until his death.
Graham’s sister, Darline Graham (R-SC), was appointed to fill his vacated Senate seat on July 14. She has since announced her campaign to run for U.S. Senate in the 2026 election, and advanced to a runoff election along with U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC).
New dining options
Several new dining options are coming to campus this fall, including Groucho’s Deli, which has been operating in Columbia for over 85 years. Groucho’s can be found where the former Horseshoe Deli was located in the Humanities building.
The Russell House will house frozen yogurt store, Cola City Yogurt, three restaurants serving Southern, Southeast Asian and Indian foods, sandwich and salad shop Crust & Leaf and coffee shop La Colombe.
Other updates
USC’s Nike apparel and sports uniforms were unveiled earlier this summer, the first year of a ten-year contract with the company. The brand is now USC’s official outfitter, replacing Under Armour, who provided apparel for the university’s sports teams from 2007 to 2026.
In addition to mobile cards, the university implemented new technologies across parking, dining and retail. Students can now use the ParkUSC+ app, which uses AI and geofencing technologies to estimate parking space availability, when parking on campus. Dining halls will also use AI to estimate capacity by scanning students' wireless phone signals.
A low-cost parking and shuttle service is now available to commuting students for $25 a year. Students can park at the Founders Park lot and shuttle to campus. Shuttles will run from the parking lot to campus every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.