The Metropolitan Studies Institute
Metropolitan Studies Institute's (MSI) mission is to support efforts between USC Upstate and the community that enhance relationships, promote the reciprocal flow of information and ideas, and increase the strategic use of the university’s scholarship and outreach capabilities.
Objectives:
To fulfill its mission, the MSI:- Brokers partnerships among faculty, students, and the community.
- Identifies and studies critical metropolitan issues.
- Serves as a conduit for neutral and independent discussions of regional needs and options for addressing them.
- Develops resources to support university and community engagement.
About USC Upstate:
The Making of a Metropolitan University
Now in its 40th year, USC Upstate continues striving toward its vision to become one of the Southeast’s leading “metropolitan” universities. ... a university which acknowledges as its fundamental reason for being its relationship to its surrounding cities, their connecting corridors and expanding populations. It aims to be recognized nationally among its peer metropolitan institutions for its excellence in education and commitment to its students, for its involvement in the Upstate, for its operational and managerial effectiveness, for its civility and common purpose, and for the clarity and integrity of its mission. As a senior comprehensive public institution of the University of South Carolina, the University’s primary responsibilities are to offer baccalaureate education to the citizens of the Upstate of South Carolina and to offer selected master’s degrees in response to regional demand.
Since its founding, USC Upstate has grown from a small, two-year campus into one of the leading metropolitan universities in the Southeast. This growth has been a direct response to the needs of the Upstate—a tradition that began with the University’s creation. The University has expanded well beyond nursing to include 40 bachelor’s and master’s programs in the liberal arts, sciences, business, information systems, teacher education and nursing.
In 1994, the University moved to the graduate level, with master’s degree programs in elementary education and early childhood education. The University began offering degree programs in special education - visual impairment, nonprofit administration, information management and systems, and graphic design in 2002.