USC Upstate Mission Statement

The University of South Carolina Upstate aims to become one of the Southeast's leading "metropolitan" universities -- a university which acknowledges as its fundamental reason for being its relationship to its surrounding cities, their connecting corridors and expanding populations. It aims to be recognized nationally among its peer metropolitan institutions for its excellence in education and commitment to its students, for its involvement in the Upstate, for its operational and managerial effectiveness, for its civility and common purpose, and for the clarity and integrity of its mission.

As a senior comprehensive public institution of the University of South Carolina, the University's primary responsibilities are to offer baccalaureate education to the citizens of Upstate South Carolina and to offer selected master's degrees in response to regional demand. The University also supports the Graduate Regional Studies Program, and, consistent with its founding mission in 1967 as an institution for nursing education, it offers the associate degree in nursing.

Curricula and services are designed for the University's three to five thousand students who are diverse in background, age, race, ethnicity, educational experience and academic goals. Students are drawn in large proportion from the Upstate where many choose to remain for their careers. A broad range of major curricula are provided in arts and sciences and in professional fields of study required by the regional economy, including business, education, health, criminal justice and information technology. Through on-site instruction, distance learning, continuing education and inter-institutional articulation agreements, students are served across the Upstate.

Consistent with the international character of the Upstate, the University promotes global perspectives across its programs, and, supporting the regional employment objectives of most of its students, it provides extensive experiential learning opportunities.

The University's metropolitan mission rests upon a foundation of partnerships with the educational, corporate and service organizations of the Upstate. The USCS faculty provides leadership in promoting the Upstate's economic, social and cultural development through its teaching, professional service, basic and applied scholarship, and creative endeavor.

USC Upstate strives to prepare its students to participate as responsible citizens in a diverse and global society, to pursue excellence in their chosen careers and to continue learning throughout life.