ince its founding in 1801, the University of South Carolina has fostered a student-centered learning culture. More than 200 years later, our commitment to students remains steadfast.

In fact, Kiplinger's Personal Finance has cited USC as one of the Top 100 values among public colleges. USC was ranked No. 31 among schools "where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt."

We provide on-campus housing for more than 40 percent of our undergraduate population and have invested more than $130 million in recent years in constructing new residence halls and refurbishing existing facilities. The last five houses in the Greek Village are expected to be completed by 2007, including the first house for a historically black fraternity. We also have planned for the demolition of four aging dormitories that will be replaced by a new Honors College residence hall complex.

Of course, our commitment to student life extends far beyond the basics of room and board. Our goals for the coming year and through the end of this decade include:

• continuing to advance the academic profile of the first-year class, which has soared by more than 100 SAT points during the past 10 years, while maintaining the University's diversity (USC has a 19 percent minority student body; 16 percent are African American)

• completing a feasibility and strategic planning study for Healthy
Carolina 2010

• designing a new student and community health center

• determining the applicability and appropriateness of an Honor Code

• recruiting a new director for parents programs and reinvigorating the Parents Council

• introducing holistic review of prospective student applications.