The University of South Carolina has announced its leadership and service center will be renamed the Stephen K. Benjamin Leadership and Service Center in honor of former Columbia mayor and USC alumnus Steve Benjamin. The university made the announcement in a press release, ahead of a ceremony to unveil the new name.
“As a student, I saw firsthand how mentors, service and a community that believes in you can help turn potential into purpose,” Benjamin said in the release. “My hope is that the Stephen K. Benjamin Leadership and Service Center will give students the same opportunities to learn, listen and serve alongside their neighbors while using their voices and talents to create meaningful change.”
Center Now Serves Student Organizations
The center, located in the Russell House University Union, serves as a hub for more than 700 student organizations, the Student Government, the Graduate Student Association, and several leadership and community engagement programs. The renaming is described as a “full-circle moment” for Benjamin, a 1991 political science graduate and 1994 law school alumnus who served as student body president and president of the Student Bar Association.
Benjamin’s Career and Contribution
Benjamin served as Columbia’s first Black mayor from 2010 to 2022 and later as an assistant to the president, senior adviser, and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Joe Biden. The renaming comes with a $1 million donation from Benjamin to fund an endowed scholarship award and the Stephen K. Benjamin Civic Engagement Lecture Series, which will bring a guest lecturer to campus annually to speak on leadership and civic engagement.
Upcoming Ceremony
USC will officially unveil the new name during a ceremony on Nov. 6 at 12:30 p.m. at the Russell House Ballroom. More information about the Stephen K. Benjamin Leadership and Service Center is available at www.sc.edu/lsc.
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