Hampton and USC Upstate Become Official Big South Members
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- July 1 officially begins the 2018-19 academic year, and also marks the first official day of Big South Conference membership for Hampton University and USC Upstate -- increasing the conference to 11 full member institutions. Scroll down for more tidbits on the league's newest members.
USC Upstate
was first announced as a new member on Nov. 15, 2017, followed by the
addition of Hampton the following day. Upstate gives the Big South four full members in the state of South Carolina, while Hampton is one of three member institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Located in southeastern Virginia, Hampton University’s pathway to opportunity and equality has led to a special niche -- an elite private university with more than just a strong liberal arts core. Hampton offers schools of business, pharmacy, nursing, engineering, science and liberal arts and education. Yet, world-class scientific research sets it apart. Few other midsize universities offer comparable research partnerships and faculty initiated research projects.
Hampton's faculty and staff are testing novel ways to treat cancer, engaging in cutting edge nano science related research, searching for life on distant worlds, and are seen as leaders in particle and nuclear physics. At the Center of Atmospheric Sciences, faculty and students are part of a team that is launching satellites to study global warming and tracking weather patterns using a NASA-funded $5 million Direct Broadcast Antenna. Hampton is the first and only HBCU to have 100% control of a NASA mission, and Hampton has four satellites currently in orbit.
U.S. News & World Report recently recognized USC Upstate as No. 2 in its list of the Top Public Regional Universities in the South and No. 4 for Best University in the South for Veterans. The university is ranked No. 11 in Ethnic and Racial Diversity. USC Upstate contributes more than $508 million to the state’s economy, as reported in a 2017 study released by the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.
USC Upstate’s Child Protection Training Center provides training for child protection workers both locally and nationally. The center is unique to the Southeast region and is one of only four such centers in the country.
MORE ABOUT HAMPTON
* The Pirates become just the fourth No. 15 seed to defeat a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men's Baskeball Tournament with their 58-57 win over Iowa State in 2001. The victory still makes ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 NCAA Tournament upsets.
* In its 22-year run with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Hampton won a combined 86 Championships (Regular Season and Tournament). Hampton has made 30 NCAA Tournament appearances in its 22-year history of NCAA Division I competition across all sports.
* The track & field program has produced three Olympic medal winning athletes with Francena McCorory being the most recent winning gold for the USA in the 4x400 relays during the 2012 and 2016 games.
* Football has made five FCS Playoff appearances, while women’s basketball has made nine NCAA appearances, including five straight from 2010-2014.
* Hampton is the only HBCU school to sponsor an intercollegiate sailing team and has qualified for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association Co-Ed National Championships in each of the last three years. It also is the first HBCU to sponsor a men’s lacrosse team, which came into existence in 2015.
* In 2018, Hampton University celebrates twin anniversaries – the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1868 and a celebration of the unparalleled 40-year executive tenure of President Dr. William R. Harvey.
* Hampton is home to the largest free-standing proton therapy cancer treatment facility in the world. The Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI) brings the latest, most precise cancer-fighting technology to Virginia and beyond. HUPTI was recognized by Coastal Virginia Magazine, receiving the Reader's Choice Award for the Best Cancer Center on the Peninsula and the Most Overall Votes in the Wellness Category Award.
* The University is comprised of seven schools: the school of Business, Engineering and Technology, Liberal Arts & Education, Nursing, Pharmacy, Science, the Scripps Howard School of Communications, a Graduate College, the University College, and the College of Virginia Beach. The University offers 49 bachelor’s degree programs, 21 master’s degree programs and 8 doctoral or professional degrees.
MORE ABOUT USC UPSTATE
* USC Upstate student-athletes combined for a 3.176 grade-point average during the 2017-18 academic year, and the USC Upstate athletic department logged more than 3,000 hours of community service.
* USC Upstate has had two men’s basketball players appear in an NBA game in Mike Gibson and, most recently, Torrey Craig with the Denver Nuggets. Gibson spent his NBA career with the Washington Bullets and Detroit Pistons.
* The USC Upstate softball program made five consecutive appearances in the NCAA Regionals from 2013-17, and has had three players drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in Shellie Robinson (2015), Anna Miller (2014) and Morgan Childers (2011).
* Women's soccer player Alexa Hone was named a finalist for the national 2016 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, presented to a student-athlete for their character and leadership both on and off the field and for the contributions to sport and society.
* The USC Upstate baseball program has had 29 players drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft since 1986.
* USC Upstate is a regional, comprehensive university that offers more than 40 bachelor’s degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and teacher education, and master’s degrees in education, informatics, and nursing.
* USC Upstate enrolls approximately 6,000 students a year, producing more than 1,300 graduates annually and providing 1,000 jobs in Upstate South Carolina.