USC's board of trustees were updated on ongoing campus projects and considered the leadership structure of the new hospital during its annual retreat on Jan. 24.
The board also approved a contract extension for head football coach Shane Beamer and heard from Jeremiah Donati, whose contract as director of athletics began on Jan. 2 of this year. Plans for a committee to study artificial intelligence and discussions about a center for students studying American civics were also announced.
Updates on campus projects
University Architect Derek Gruner presented USC’s progress on many projects included in the USC Next master plan, which was released in August 2024. The presentation also included potential logistical challenges stemming from trends in the construction industry, sourced from the construction company Gilbane and statistics from the government and industry associations.
Overall, the university expects the cost of construction to escalate by four to five percent annually. High demand for construction in South Carolina and supply chain volatility are two factors in these rising costs, according to the presentation.
Another obstacle is long lead times for specialized equipment, especially electrical components. A lead time refers to the time between placing an order and receiving the item. For instance, the lead time for electrical transformers can range from nine to 26 months, according to the presentation.
The ongoing expansion of Russell House’s dining services is currently scheduled to be completed in fall 2025. However, Gruner had previously been concerned that the building's transformer would need to be replaced, which would have likely made that deadline impossible to meet, he said.
A shortage of skilled labor is also contributing to the increasing costs and lead times, and it is only expected to worsen this year, Gruner said. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing labor are the areas with the worst shortages, according to his presentation.
The recent trends in the construction industry are unique, Gruner said.
“It's been an interesting five years," Gruner said. "It’s been unlike anything I’ve experienced in my career now, which is north of 35 years."
The Russell House renovations began on Jan. 2, 2025, and the project is set to add six to seven new food stations and 522 new seats, according to the presentation. The project will also include new restrooms, a new convenience store and an expansion to the Chick-fil-a
While the Barnes and Noble textbook store has already relocated to the Byrnes building, the rest of the bookstore is expected to relocate by Feb. 3.
Meanwhile, McBryde Residence Hall is scheduled for demolition in spring 2026. Together with an expansion to the Honors College, the project is expected to complete in 2028.
The Honors College component of the project is the addition of a third wing, housing around 150 beds. Gruner said the amount of beds in McBryde will reach a minimum of 500. The combination of these two numbers is the source of the current estimate of 650 beds, which is supported by the project's $125 million budget. The final number of beds may change in the future.
The current number of beds in McBryde is 260, according to USC’s website.
The residence hall’s location is significant, Gruner said.
“McBryde is in the core of our campus,” Gruner said. “This is one of the last really great sites for housing in our core.”
Gruner also announced that an architect has been selected for an upcoming renovation to the Thomas Cooper Library. In addition to transitioning the use of the space away from book storage towards studying and collaboration, the project aims to improve ventilation and humidity control.
The first phase of the library’s renovation is expected to start in summer 2026.
How do you govern a university hospital?
Huron Consulting Group led a presentation on different governance models seen in university hospital systems. The questions about governance come after the board of trustees approved funding for a new neurological hospital in October 2024, the first of its kind in South Carolina.
Key issues include reporting the relationship between hospital and academic leadership and the mix of academic and clinical functions in such a facility, according to the presentation,
The consultants contrasted models where the hospital structure is more independent from the academic side of a university and models that are more integrated into the regular leadership structure.
While no decisions were made at the meeting, the board of trustees and USC President Michael Amiridis' work with the state government on the project is an argument for a more integrated model, Chair Thad Westbrook of USC’s board of trustees said.
USC is working with the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on the new project, according to an October 2024 press release.
“A lot of the reasons why this is happening and where we’re going in this partnership with state government is because of the trust they have in us and the president,” Westbrook said. “I think that makes it incumbent upon us to maintain a level of control.”
However, USC’s board should also consider creating a professional board for the hospital, Westbrook said.
“I start to think it lends itself to kind of a hybrid board that is a mix between trustees and those outside the university with the right kind of experience,” Westbrook said.
The new hospital is one of a few expansions to USC’s medical presence announced last year. The upcoming health sciences campus will also include a new School of Medicine and research facility. And in August of last year, the university opened a new nursing facility, a partnership with Lexington Medical Center.
These projects are furthering the university’s goal to increase the number of healthcare professionals in South Carolina, Amiridis said.
“We’re making our programs much more attractive with the new facilities that we have both for nursing, [and] now, for medicine,” Amiridis said.
Other announcements
During the retreat, Westbook announced the creation of a joint committee to study artificial intelligence. The committee will look into AI’s applications to institutional operations, as opposed to issues of academic integrity or academic research. The committee will return to the board for a check-in in April, before the budget is set and will deliver a final report in August, Westbrook said.
“I think we need to be ahead of the curve in higher ed, on how AI can better be used by the university to serve our students, to serve faculty, to work with our staff,” Westbrook said. "There are applications that are out there that can improve the way we fulfill our mission.”
Westbrook also announced that a discussion is underway about creating a Center for American Civic Leadership and Scholarship. The center would offer a path for students interested in studying civics, and it could potentially include options for degrees or minors in the topic, he said.