Posted on: August 18, 2025; Updated on: August 18, 2025
By
Jasmine Hunter, jh256@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3113
The University of South Carolina has been named one of America’s Best-In-State Employers
for 2025 by Forbes. This honor affirms USC’s continued commitment to providing top-notch
resources and experiences for the over 10,000 faculty and staff across the USC system.
“Our university is able to fulfill its educational mission to the state of South Carolina
only through the dedicated contributions of our excellent faculty and staff members,”
says USC President Michael Amiridis said. “Their daily contributions are essential
to the success of the university and its students, and this recognition is a strong
indicator that they feel respected and appreciated for the important work that they
do.”
USC has always had a commitment to excellence when it comes to employee relations
and benefits but has taken strides in recent years to enhance those.
USC’s Division of Human Resources completed a compensation study in 2022 that led
to the implementation of market-driven job and pay structures to better align USC
employee pay with salaries in the private sector. That study also led to the development
of an exhaustive plan to attract and retain talent and a roughly $4.3 million investment
to raise USC employee salaries.
In 2023, the university also raised its minimum hourly wage across the USC system
for approximately 600 full-time staff members.
USC employees are also eligible for a variety of perks and discounts that include
scholarships for employees’ dependents, a newly revamped tuition-assistance program
and early childhood education support for children of employees.
“Being recognized as one of the state’s top employers reflects the commitment, expertise
and passion of our entire university community,” says Caroline Agardy, vice president
for the Division of Human Resources. “Our employees are the guiding force behind our
success, and this recognition reflects well on our efforts to create a workplace where
everyone feels valued, supported and empowered.”
As of 2024, USC employs 10,432 faculty and staff members across the state, including
8,114 employees on the Columbia campus.
The four-year institutions in the USC system — Aiken, Beaufort and Upstate — combine
to employ 1,760 faculty and staff members, with 558 more at USC’s two-year campuses:
Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter and Union.
Forbes, in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry
ranking provider, selected America’s Best-In-State Employers 2025 through an independent
survey from a sample of over 160,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing
at least 500 people within the U.S.
Over 2 million employer evaluations were considered. The final score is determined
through two evaluation channels: direct assessments provided by employees, and public
feedback from friends, family members and industry peers.