Winter 2009/10 President's Message

Gamecock pride doesn't stop at the South Carolina state line!! Did you know that there are more than 215,000 living USC alumni worldwide? We're proud to say that hundreds of them can be found right here in the metro D.C. area.  Chances are, if you’ve stopped by this site, you're either a proud graduate of or a friend of the University too. So we have something in common. We are an eclectic group for sure, ranging from award-winning journalists to scientists to teachers to Capitol Hill staffers. But no matter what we do or where we live, we all bleed Garnet & Black.

In 2009, our club was named as one of the top three in the nation with regard to the ratio of alumni living in the area who are current members of the Carolina Alumni Association. Also, in 2005, our club was named one of USC's "Top 20 Clubs" nationwide, meaning we have one of the largest and most active clubs across the country, and that still holds true today. That is thanks in part to the dedication of our alumni and friends. Our area also currently has one of the largest classes of incoming freshmen starting at USC last fall (more than 300).

This summer, we ushered in a new school year by hosting a Freshmen Sendoff for dozens of the more than 300 students attending USC from the metro-DC area. They joined more than 4,000 new students on campus this fall, making theirs one of the largest freshmen classes ever.  This year marked some other great things for our club, including many new faces and increased attendance at our football game watchings, the creation of Third Thursday happy hours, an exciting post-season run in the Capital Alumni Network’s softball tournament and local support of Under Armour’s Wounded Warrior program and Operation Pinecone (an organization offering care packages and support to troops stations in Iraq and Afghanistan), to name just a few.

Thank you for your continued support of our club in 2009 and we look forward to many more exciting things in 2010. So stay tuned!  The Carolina Alumni Club of Washington, DC is a great place to meet new friends and get reacquainted with old ones you might have lost touch with. So get involved!! From faculty visits to game-watchings to competing against other alumni chapters in various sporting events, we try to pack as much into our calendar as we can and this year we hope to do even more. 

On the national stage, USC is ranked as a top value by U.S. News and World Report in its "2010 America's Best Colleges Guide." We rank 11th for having “the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus, or facilities. The Darla Moore Business School's undergraduate international program ranked #1 for the 13th consecutive year, and the school as a whole ranked 24th among business schools at public universities. For more about our rankings, click here.

Now is a great time to be a Carolina student, alum, or fan. Numbers only tell part of the story but to illustrate some of the exciting changes and accomplishments at the University of South Carolina, visit USC's At-a-glance web page.

And, if you’re new to our area and want to join,  all you have to do is sign up for our weekly e-newsletters.  As always, your comments or suggestions are welcome and we encourage you to get in touch with us.

Go Cocks!!!

Melissa

Melissa A. Green, Class of '94
President