USC Times December 2017/January 2018

USCTIMES

DECEMBER 2017 / VOL. 28, NO.10

TWENTY SEVENTEEN

A to H

I to P

Q to Z

Pastides' parents, Cocky in bronze, two new deans and a whole bunch of freshmen, pages 3 - 7

Innovation, inspiration and an NCAA championship ­— relive the madness, pages 7 - 11

Up in the rankings, out on the town, into the stratosphere and on to 2018, pages 12 -19

USC TIMES / STAFF

FROM THE EDITOR USC Times is published 10 times a year for the faculty and staff of the University of South Carolina by the Office of Communications & Public Affairs, Wes Hickman, director.

DOWN TO THE LAST LETTER

Managing Editor Craig Brandhorst Creative Director Bob Wertz Designer Brinnan Wimberly Contributors Chris Horn Page Ivey Megan Sexton Photographer Kim Truett Printer USC Printing Services Campus correspondents James Raby, Aiken Kerry Jarvis, Beaufort Jeanne Petrizzo, Greenville Shana Dry, Lancaster Jane Brewer, Salkehatchie Misty Hatfield, Sumter Annie Smith, Union Tammy Whaley, Upstate Jay Darby, Palmetto College Submissions Did you know you can submit ideas for future issues of USC Times? Share your story by emailing or calling Craig Brandhorst at craigb1@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3681.

The end of the semester is no time to play games. You’ve got exams to grade or paperwork to finish; we’ve got stories to write and copy to edit, and then photos to set up, photos to shoot, photos to caption. On top of all that, 2018 is just around the — Oh, who are we kidding? You’ve already seen this month’s cover; our cover is blown.

We busted out the Scrabble board the minute we put the last issue to bed, and we’ve been shuffling letters ever since.

But we also got the job done. And so did you.

Don’t believe us? Flip through this issue and remind yourself how much we’ve accomplished over the past twelve months. Academic excellence? Check. Successful alumni? Check. The Sweet Sixteen, the Final Four and an NCAA national championship?

Check, check, check.

And that’s just the women’s basketball team (page 10).

When you look at the university as a whole — when you consider academics, research, our students, faculty, staff and alums — we’ve tallied enough successes that we could have kept Capstone garnet 24/7 since January (page 14).

No wonder Cocky’s flashing the spurs-up (page 4).

No wonder we attracted two stellar new deans (page 5), an exciting new baseball coach (page 8) and 5,874 bright and talented freshmen from around the country (page 6).

No wonder we’ve been sitting around the War Memorial playing games all month.

When you’ve got this much good stuff to work with, the writing comes easy. The trick is figuring out which words to play where, and when, and how to run up the score.

Thus the Scrabble board on the cover. Thus the Scrabble tiles scattered in the margins.

Thus the Scrabble board again on the back page, where we played an impossible 13-letter triple-double word score totaling 120 points. Talk about a conversation starter (End Notes).

But seriously, we needed an organizing principle for this issue — that’s “principle” with an “e,” by the way, not “principal” with an “a,” like U.S. School Principal of the year Akil Ross (page 10) — and the professional wordsmith’s go-to board game seemed like just the ticket this time, at least until we hit “x,” and then hit “z.”

Yeah, we know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “What about ‘q’?” You’re thinking, “Isn’t ‘q’ one of the hardest letters to play, the one you get stuck with at the end of the game, the one you can’t do anything with unless you also have ‘u’?”

You might think so, but not if you knew what we know about the exciting changes coming to USC Times in 2018. If you’ve never heard of a quadruple word score, get ready, it’s coming next year (page 12). In the meantime, pull up a chair, draw your letters and enjoy our retrospective of the year that was. It’s your move.

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation or veteran status.

Game On,

CRAIG BRANDHORST MANAGING EDITOR ON THE COVER: Office of Communications and Public Affairs staff hard at work.

VOL. 28, NO.10 3

H a rris

P a stid e

s wit h

e r, B a h is si st

rb , a n d

m oth e r,

A n a st a

si a

H a rris

P a stid e

s and h

is fa th e

r, A n d re

as

Andreas & Anastasia

In May, USC President Harris Pastides was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, sponsored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations. The award recognizes first-generation Americans for accomplishments in their fields and service to their nation and communities, but Pastides credits his own success to his parents, Andreas and Anastasia, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cyprus after WWII and taught their son the value of hard work. “They’re the ones who sacrificed, not me,” Pastides told The State newspaper prior to the ceremony. “When I get this medal, I’m not really going to be much thinking about me. I’m going to be thinking about them.”

4 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

is for Broadcast Talk about experiential learning — journalism students are getting that every week in the Kennedy Greenhouse Studio, which is the home of the school’s new “This Week in South Carolina” TV show. Former College of Information and Communications dean Charles Bierbauer has been host of the weekly public affairs show since it started early this year, with students producing it for broadcast on SCETV.

COCKY

IN BRONZE

Cocky has been a towering figure on the Carolina campus for years, but this fall the university’s biggest cheerleader finally took a seat, literally — on a bench in front of Davis College, which is home the School of Library and Information Science.

That’s right, we’re talking about the new Cocky statue.

The 6-foot-5, 773-pound bronze likeness of USC’s beloved mascot, which was unveiled in September, has one hand raised high in a spurs-up sign, a testament to his indomitable school spirit. His other hand rests on a stack of books, a nod to the Cocky’s Reading Express, the School of Library and Information Science’s popular childhood literacy program.

The statue, sculpted by Carolina alumnus Robert Allison and paid for with private funds, quickly became a must-visit selfie-spot for Gamecock fans and is sure to become a popular place for students to return to for other milestones — from move-in to graduation to wedding days.

VOL. 28, NO.10 5

DEAN&DEAN In August, Tom Reichert became dean of the College of Information and Communications, replacing Charles Bierbauer (see page 4). He was previously a professor of advertising at the University of Georgia.

Reichert’s research interests include advertising and media content and effects.

“I’m looking to build upon the wonderful foundation laid by Dean Bierbauer and the faculty. We’ll be focusing on excellent teaching, maximizing our research potential and service to ensure each program is best-in-class while looking for synergy,” Reichert said prior to his appointment. “What comes out of this program is mission critical to the country right now.”

The new dean of the College of Social Work, Sarah Gehlert, comes to USC from Washington University in St. Louis, where she held a joint appointment in the Schools of Social Work and Medicine.

Previously associate dean at the University of Chicago, Gelhert has also held positions at the University of Missouri and Universidad Nacional Major de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. Her research on the effects of violent neighborhoods on African-American women with breast cancer and her experience launching a free clinic with medical students at the University of Chicago reflect a commitment to both social work and the health sciences.

"Sarah's appointment comes at a time when we are further strengthening our university’s position as a state and regional leader in health science research and education," Provost Joan Gabel said in April. "I’m excited to have a scholar of her stature join the College of Social Work as it continues to make great strides in both research and direct community impact.”

ECLIPSE THIS! On Aug. 21, the Columbia campus became a front-row seat to America’s first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1918 — and it was worth the wait. Thousands of visitors joined students, faculty and staff to enjoy the view and participate in planned activities at eclipse stations across campus. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Physics and astronomy professor Timir Datta recreated a famous 1919 experiment that helped confirm Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, and April Hiscox in geography gathered atmospheric data with instrument-laden balloons. The next total solar eclipse in South Carolina won’t come until 2078, but another one will pass from Texas to Ohio in 2024. Bring your glasses!

6 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

F is for Freshmen — all 5,874 of them. This year’s freshman class was USC’s largest ever, thanks in part to a spike in admissions acceptances following Carolina’s historic run in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. To accommodate everyone, the university had to add about 100 class sessions, hire more faculty and strike deals with nearby apartment complexes to provide student-style housing. Of course, the recordsetting class also brought plenty of upside, boasting an average SAT score of 1254 and an average ACT of 27.3.

An impressive 579 students — just under 10 percent of the class — were admitted to the Honors College, with an average SAT score of 1478 and average ACT score of 32.5. We also welcomed 1,105 new Capstone Scholars, who boasted an average SAT score of 1357 and an average ACT of 29.7.

VOL. 28, NO.10 7

HUNGRY? New dining facilities, a new on-campus food delivery option next semester and a new recipe for hand-battered chicken fingers — it’s all on the menu with USC’s new food service vendor, Aramark. The 15-year contract will bring $79 million in dining facility improvements and new construction, including a new dining hall for the future Campus Village, plus renovations and a major addition to the Russell House’s dining areas. Look for a full-service Chick-fil-A next summer, along with a new barbeque eatery and a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant from “Iron Chef” Cat Cora.

Galen the Gamecock Galen, an esteemed physician, surgeon and philosopher during the reign of the Roman Empire, was the inspiration for a new living-learning community at the University of South Carolina.

This fall, the Patterson residence hall became home to the Galen Health Fellows, first-year students who are interested in careers in the health sciences. There you’ll find students majoring in everything from biological sciences and nursing to public health and pharmacy. The goal is for students to develop relationships with their peers, faculty, staff and healthcare professionals through service learning, mentorship and beyond-theclassroom experiences.

David Simmons, an associate professor in anthropology and public health, and an associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Arnold School of Public Health, is the faculty principal leading the community.

“I know from my own experience as an undergraduate that having great mentors made my college experience productive and rich beyond measure,” Simmons told @UofSC in March. “Having people around me who were well-informed, passionate and interested in me helped pave the way for much of my own sense of mentoring and the paying-it-forward that I hope to bring to my role as faculty principal.”

Innovation in the Classroom

I

t's no secret — we have plenty of great teachers at Carolina. Some, though, take the classroom to another level. The Center for Teaching Excellence has recognized those teachers’ classroom innovations with the Garnet Apple award since 2016. This year’s recipients are Peter Duffy, theatre and dance; Leslie Hendrix, statistics; Shelley Jones, English; Mohammed Khalil, medicine (Greenville); Nina Moreno and Paul Malovrh, languages, literatures and cultures.

8 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED The new Center for Health and Wellbeing is not your grandfather’s student infirmary.

With its lush plants, walls of windows and comfy seating, this could actually become a cool place for students to hang out while soaking up positive vibes. The center has 32 examination rooms, 12 more rooms for women’s health and eight for physical therapy and sports medicine. Staff see as many as 500 students per day during peak times in the fall and spring semesters, so the building’s extra space — it replaces the 45-year-old Thomson Student Health Center next door — is much needed, especially with this year’s record freshman class (see page 6).

THOMSON STUDENT HEALTH CENTER

IS FOR KINGSTON It feels a little funny talking baseball in December — the men’s and women’s basketball teams are currently holding court, the football team is about to go bowling — but it won’t be long before we find ourselves gazing at the diamond again, and discovering a bunch of fresh faces.

For all the new recruits, though, the most attention will be on new head coach Mark Kingston, who joined the Gamecocks in June.

Kingston comes to Carolina from the University of South Florida, where he compiled a record of 100-78-1 over a three-year stint as skipper. His career record as a head coach — including five seasons at Illinois State — is 253-180-1.

As a head coach, he has led teams to the NCAA tournament three times in eight years.

The new Gamecock manager has also served as an assistant coach at Purdue, Tulane and the University of Miami, helping guide the latter to a College World Series title in 2001. He got his first taste of the post-season as an infielder with the University of North Carolina, helping the Tar Heels take the ACC title and earn a berth in the College World Series in 1989.

“The long-term vision is to get to Omaha, to win another national championship for this great university,” he told @UofSC in August.

“I’ve been there as a player, as an assistant coach and as an associate head coach. The last part of that cycle would be to go as a head coach.”

VOL. 28, NO.10 9

LAW & MORTAR

BURNISHED BRONZE AND GARNET CHANDELIER

L

ook, you don't open a new law school building every year — and your 150th anniversary only comes around once. In 2017, USC’s School of Law marked both occasions, and unveiled a stunning glass sculpture to boot.

The 187,500 square-foot building on Senate Street is both a tribute to the law school’s rich history and a state-of-the art education facility. Courtrooms, office suites and a two-story reading room are named after prominent alumni who left their mark on the law, while classroom and study spaces were designed with an eye toward contemporary pedagogy.

The sparkling glass sculpture in the Senate Street lobby, meanwhile, was designed by the studio of renowned artist Dale Chihuly and given to the university by an anonymous donor.

COLEMAN KARESH READING ROOM

10 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

MARCH MADNESS

March is always an exciting time of year on the USC campus. The spring semester is in full swing, the weather starts to warm and towards the end of the month, trees begin to leaf and buds begin to pop. In 2017, however, most of us were watching television.

Why? March Madness.

As campus sprang to life, the USC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were busy tearing through the first rounds of the NCAA tournament, then the Sweet 16 and on to the Final Four. While the men ultimately fell short in the semifinals, the women drove all the way to the basket, notching the program’s first-ever national championship.

Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray and Alaina Coates (who missed the NCAA tournament due to injury) were all selected in the first round of the WNBA draft. A’ja Wilson was named SEC player of the year and returned for the 2017-18 season. Sindarius Thornwell took SEC player of the year honors for the men.

From the sidelines: Men’s head coach Frank Martin earned Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year honors. Dawn Staley was named the head coach for the U.S. women’s Olympic team.

NATIONAL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR Akil Ross was named S.C. School Principal of the Year last year, but it turns out the Chapin High School principal deserved even more accolades. In October, Ross, who earned master’s and doctoral degrees from USC’s College of Education, was named the 2018 National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Academic Secondary School Principals. “While at Carolina, I came to realize that educators are artists with purpose and mission in our work,” he told @UofSC in October. “Our students bring their experiences, both good and bad, to the classroom. We must find a way to help them prepare for the world.”

VOL. 28, NO.10 11

Open House Carolina’s first lady Patricia Moore-Pastides has never been shy about her affection for the 19th century President’s House, which she and President Pastides have called home since 2008. That affection, as well as her curiosity about history, shine through in "At Home in the Heart of the Horseshoe: Life in the University of South Carolina President’s House." Published this fall by USC Press, the book is a trip down memory lane, complete with historic photos, anecdotes about previous USC presidents and their families, and details about the house’s antiques and artwork. Recipes and novel flower arrangement ideas round out the volume.

is for Portnoy, Donald After 31 years as maestro of the USC Symphony Orchestra, Donald Portnoy lay down his baton this spring. The Ira McKissick Koger Professor of Fine Arts began his teaching career in 1959 at West Virginia University before coming to Carolina and has conducted in Europe, Asia and South America. Retirement isn’t exactly the word for Portnoy’s plans, though, and this is hardly a swan song. He’ll continue to teach conducting and violin in the School of Music and direct the Conductors Institute of South Carolina at USC.

12 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

RANKINGS GALORE USC climbed in the U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT charts

USC programs consistently fare well in the U.S. News & World Report rankings — when the publication’s 2018 edition came out earlier this year, both our undergraduate and graduate international business programs came out on top again — but this year we also earned some additional bragging rights, especially

QUARTERLY? If we told you USC Times was only going to come out four times a year instead of ten, you’d be sorely disappointed — at least we’d hope so. But what if we told you that each issue that hits your campus mailbox from this day forward will run at least 8 pages longer than the issue now in your hands, include even more great stories about faculty, staff, students and alumni, and look sharper than ever?

Yes, USC Times is going quarterly. It’s also getting bigger and, we think, a whole lot better. Look for new issues in February and April, and then again in September and November. We’re also working on a few other surprises we hope to unveil along the way.

Call it downsizing if you like.

We call it upping our game.

among the graduate programs listed on this spread.

For example, Carolina placed No. 25 among flagship universities and was named a “Best Value School” by the go-to college rankings publication. We ranked No. 46 in the nation among public universities.

This was also a banner year for our system campuses, with USC Aiken being ranked No. 1 in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges” guide in the “Top Public Schools” category (regional colleges, South). USC Upstate came in at No.1, and USC Beaufort came in at No. 7, in the same category.

No. 4

SOC IAL PSYC H O LOGY

No. 5

SC H OO L LI B R ARY M E D IA

No. 16

PART-TI M E M BA

No. 18

LI B R A RY A N D I N FO R M ATI O N STU D I E S

No. 25

C R I M I N O LOGY

No. 1

I NTE R N ATI O N A L B U S I N E S S *

VOL. 28, NO.10 13

No. 20 N U C LE AR E N G I N E E R I N G

No. 23

PU B LI C H E ALTH

No. 30

S PE E C H L AN G UAG E PATH O LOGY

No. 40

P H YS I CA L TH E R A PY

No. 42

H E A LTH CA R E MA N AG E M E NT

No. 46

TO P PU B LI C SC H OO L S

* Rankings on this page are for graduate programs,

except for the No. 1 in International Business, which is for both graduate and undergraduate programs.

14 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

is for Siemens Bigtime donations and high profile corporate partnerships will always make the news, and when they also promise long-term dividends for student research and education, they’re a shoe-in for the USC Times year-in review. This summer’s headline-grabbing Siemens announcement is a case in point.

In June, the technology and manufacturing giant donated hardware and software worth more than $628 million to the College of Engineering and Computing and the McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research.

The McNair Center, which features robotics and machine handling capabilities similar to what is found on production lines in commercial aerospace companies, will use Siemens hardware and software for

student research projects. The donation will also help USC create a first-of-its-kind, university-based “digital factory.”

Notably, engineering students will have access to the same product lifecycle management software used by more than 140,000 companies throughout world — including 35 in South Carolina. This software helps design, develop and manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated products for a variety of industries, including not only aerospace but automotive, medical device, shipbuilding and high-tech electronic industries.

“This partnership with Siemens will position the university among the top universities in the nation for advanced manufacturing education and research,“ President Pastides said at the time of the announcement.

TOP OF CAROLINA In 2017, people recognized our achievements from miles around — every time the top of Capstone switched from gold to garnet.

The new tradition, which began at the tail end of 2016, sparked plenty of conversation this year, and not just on social media. People in the real world were also curious why we were blushing with pride.

By the time this issue went to print, the top of the iconic tower had gone garnet 27 times, recognizing faculty accomplishments, student scholarship, athletic achievement and, in October, the announcement that alumnus Akil Ross had been named National Principal of the Year (see page 10).

Not surprisingly, the crown stayed lit pretty much straight through March, as the men’s and women’s basketball teams busted the brackets in the NCAA tournaments (see page 10), and the glow returned several nights in November, as the women’s soccer team charged into the NCAA Final Four.

VOL. 28, NO.10 15

URBAN CAMPUS USC

has always been an urban campus — it’s not like downtown Columbia suddenly sprang up around us over the past 12 months — but the recent surge in private and public-private student housing around the edges of campus has pumped new life into the city core.

As USC Times discovered in October, students living at The Hub on Main Street, The Station on Gervais Street and several new housing complexes along the western edge of campus are cutting new paths to and from campus — and enjoying the benefits of a pedestrian lifestyle.

Some cited the health benefits of walking and riding bikes. Others praised USC’s shuttle system.

Senior hospitality major Miranda Fitzgerald went so far as to say that living in close proximity to school and her job has changed her attitude about transportation.

“My freshman year, I wanted a car because I felt the need to have transportation everywhere,” Fitzgerald told us while walking to her job at the Capital City Club at Main and Gervais, “but now that I know the campus so well, I feel like, to some extent, I don’t need a car.”

VAN TOOREN The sky is not the limit for Michel van Tooren, who arrived four years ago as a research professor at the McNAIR Center for Aeronautic Innovation and Research and was named the center’s new director this summer.

Under van Tooren’s leadership, the center continues to take on more industry research projects and is integrally involved in preparations to launch a baccalaureate program in aerospace engineering. With more than 400 aerospace-related companies in the Palmetto State, the demand for the center’s research capabilities and its pipeline of highly educated talent is beginning to take flight.

16 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

WELCOME TABLE A new dialogue series, Welcome Table SC, began this spring as way to encourage productive conversation about racial divisions that have hampered unity and social justice. The dialogues allow students, faculty and staff to talk openly about racism and are guided by trained facilitators who help the group build stronger relationships across racial lines.

The hallmarks of these confidential discussions are candor, mutual respect, listening and learning from each other, and are based on trust and perseverance, according to Bud Ferillo, coordinator for the South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation.

“It’s important work on campus because racial reconciliation needs to happen in the university community just as it does in neighborhoods, and in small and large communities in our state,” Ferillo, told @UofSC in August. “We are especially proud that the flagship university is hosting this project, especially in this tumultuous period where race issues are top of mind in our state and nation.”

More Welcome Tables were added on campus this fall, and plans are being made to bring the Welcome Tables into South Carolina communities.

VOL. 28, NO.10 17

Xeriscape?

Look, “X” isn’t easy. Last year, we went with “X Marks the Spot” and talked about an archeological discovery in Beaufort County, but we don’t like to dig in the same dirt twice.

That’s how we came up with xeriscape, a style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation. We figured it would be a great way to talk about some of the eco-friendly landscaping down at Foundation Square, which debuted this year, and also check off a tough one.

And then we contacted USC landscape architect Emily Jones, who schooled us on the finer points of urban landscape irrigation and how the university thinks about sustainability.

“In my opinion, Foundation Square is not really an intentionally xeric landscape,” Jones told us. “It does use low-volume drip irrigation (with the exception of the turf grass areas), which is fairly standard for new campus projects. The planted areas — for example, the iris garden and street-side rain gardens — are mostly designed to handle temporary flooding as bio-retention zones, but also need supplemental irrigation to thrive, so that disqualifies them as xeric in my book.”

So what areas of campus do qualify?

“My top nomination for ‘xeriscaping’ is this dry creek on the west side of Cooper Library,” Jones explained. “This XERISCAPE CREEKBED, WEST OF THOMAS COOPER LIBRARY

installation was an effort to manage storm water run-off but also had to work without irrigation. Native grasses are one of the best plants to handle such constraints, and are

ARCHITECT'S RENDERING OF FOUNDATION SQUARE

especially good under xeric conditions.

"Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is the species used here. In the right soil, the roots are known to grow up to 10 feet deep, which help explains its great resilience and drought tolerance. Plant selection across the campus landscape tries to emphasize native and other well-adapted species, the use of which can minimize the need for permanent irrigation.”

18 USCTIMES / DECEMBER 2017

Y

ou never know what's coming.

For starters, in mid-January, there’s

features two orchestras, a rock band,

Flip through this issue. How

the 2018 MLK weekend celebration,

a blues band, choirs, singers, dancers

many of the accomplishments

which will feature the production

and actors.

and events described in these pages

“Freedom Rings: An Artistic Celebration

were on your radar this time last year?

of the Life of Dr. Martin L. King Jr.” The

are scheduled for March 2 and 3 at 7:30

Performances of Bernstein’s "MASS"

Sure, our resident stargazers from

new year will also bring the unveiling of

p.m. and March 4 at 3:00 p.m. at the

Physics and Astronomy were already

the Richard T. Greener statue, honoring

Koger Center for the Arts. The Greener

psyched for the full solar eclipse.

the university’s first African-American

statue will be unveiled Feb. 8.

Yeah, we knew Cocky was set to be

professor, who was a member of

immortalized in bronze. And OK, our

Carolina’s faculty from 1873 to 1877.

basketball programs were poised for

Expect another high note in March,

success. But really, we couldn’t have

when the School of Music marks the

predicted most of what transpired over

centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s

the past 12 months if we’d gazed into

birth with three performances of

a crystal ball.

the American composer’s “MASS.”

The same will hold true in 2018. As

Composed at the request of Jacqueline

in 2017, though, there are handful of

Kennedy Onassis for the opening of

exciting things we know will be coming

the John F. Kennedy Center in 1971,

down the pike.

Bernstein’s epic stage production

VOL. 28, NO.10 19

Zz z z .

X was tough, but Z was tougher.

Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t come up with zip.

And you should have heard the ideas floated at the editorial meeting: “Didn’t we write something about zebra fish research at some point?” “How about zoology?” “What about zygote?” “Zephyr?”

“Ziggurat?” “Zero gravity?” “Zagnut?”

“Could we do something with Zen Buddhism?”

“How do you spell xylophone?”

“What about Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development?” this editor proclaimed with a bit too much zeal. “The ed psych crowd might appreciate that —” We zigged, we zagged, but every time we thought we were zeroing in, we’d remember something else: This is the final entry of the final issue of the year, the zenith. It ought to reflect the zeitgeist.

..

It was a zero-sum game — and it was exhausting.

Merriam Webster’s Eleventh Edition devotes exactly four pages to the English alphabet’s 26th letter, and that’s including at least three words we couldn’t pronounce. By the time we finished scanning, we’d been properly zombified.

And that’s when it hit us: If you try and you try but still come up with zilch, maybe it’s time to zero out. “Let’s just say ‘Z is for Zs’,” someone suggested. “As in, ‘let’s go catch a few and start over after the holidays’.”

Which is ultimately how we solved the problem: Z is for Zs, the long winter’s nap kind, the end of the semester kind, the kind you reward yourself with for a job well done. Here at USC Times, we’re looking forward to exactly that kind of Z, and we bet you are, too. See you in 2018.

ENDNOTES You might not recognize your next USC Times, at least at first. The February issue will be longer and printed on different paper. We’ll also be coming out quarterly from now on instead of ten times a year, which means we’ll be taking a slightly different tack editorially. What won’t change? Our commitment to good storytelling and getting it done. As a reminder of what we’ve accomplished to date, we spelled out every theme from 2017 on the board below, even if it meant separating the farm from the table and using Photoshop to draw a fifth “L.” As a reminder of what’s possible, we’ve also rewritten the rulebook, yielding more fruitful conversations, which will continue in 2018.