Student Affairs Provides Highlights from the Academic Year

The Division of Student Affairs is dedicated to the development of all students and to facilitating their cultural, social, emotional, physical, ethical and intellectual development so they may become responsible, respectful and effective individuals. 

Below are some of this academic year’s highlights from various units in the Division of Student Affairs.

Office of the Dean of Students

The Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) continues to serve as a resource for students, assisting in providing referrals to on-campus partners and off-campus resources.

These efforts are reflected through an increase in the number of students assisted through a variety of case types, such as CARE, Basic Needs (food and housing security and emergency funding), Medical Amnesty and SOC (Student of Concern Cases). The cross-campus behavioral intervention team (SOC) has seen the largest increase in cases year to date compared to this same time last year, with a 29.4% increase in cases (229, compared to 177). CARE cases continue to increase at the next highest rate: 20.8% from the same time last year (1,216, compared to 1,007). Additionally, students requesting assistance with basic needs (food and housing security concerns and emergency funding requests) have increased at a rate of 15.6% so far this year (141, compared to 122).  

This year, the College of Charleston continues to showcase a strong culture of reporting potential student concerns in an effort to help students. F.A.S.T. (Friends, Faculty, Family Assisting Students in Trouble) report submissions increased 16% in comparison to the same date last year (1,883, compared to 1,623).  

In addition, ODOS has continued to provide adjudication for concerns regarding violations of both the Code of Conduct and honor code. Code of Conduct cases have shown a decrease of 15% this year (933 compared to 1,098). Honor code cases have also seen a decrease this year at a rate of 11.3% (126, cases compared to 142 this same time last year). 

Career Center

The Career Center hosted several major events, including the annual fall Career Fair and in the spring Internship Fair, Etiquette Dinner and Seniors Only Job Fair – with approximately 900 students and over 150 companies participating in these programs. Also, student employment within the Career Center completed a very successful National Student Employment Week in mid-April, with a part-time job fair and very engaging and student-friendly programming. More than 250 students attended various National Student Employment Week programs.

Students attending all Career Center events this year connected with employers about internships, full-time and part-time jobs, graduate and professional schools, and more. In addition, students attending various events received career direction, professional headshots and personalized advice on their résumés from Career Center staff.

Office of Student Wellness & Well-being

The Office of Student Wellness & Well-being has had a very busy year, hosting everything from dog therapy and cooking classes to monthly STI testing with Palmetto Community Care. With a focus on partnerships, the office worked with more than 30 campus groups and departments over the year.

Thanks to generous support from the Lynn L. Moody Fund for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness, the office completed the online version of “How to Help a Distressed Student” for staff and faculty. Countless hours went into the creation of this program, and early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The course is available to CofC employees through the Cougar Ed platform. The student version has also really taken off this year, and the office will be updating that version this summer.

Another point of pride has been the launch of the new Mobile Mindfulness Tent. Starting last March, the office has pitched a glamping tent – complete with Zendo, a meditation helper, and other related mindfulness activities – every Tuesday on Rivers Green. Interest has grown quickly, and plans for fall are being discussed with campus partners who share an interest in encouraging students to strengthen their coping skills. 

Finally, the office is proud to say that its partnership with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs is still going strong after 13 years. Their dedicated teams have been steadfast partners to students during Weeks of Welcome, midterms, STI testing and finals. These teams have provided comfort and support to nearly 1,000 students each year. Our campus truly wouldn’t be the same without them. 

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center has had multiple new initiatives this year. For example, it hosted its inaugural Healing Arts Exhibition, a juried show centered on the theme of Meaning in the Journey. With an opening reception in February bringing the community together for an engaging evening of mocktails, charcuterie and celebration, the exhibition featured 23 artists and a total of 38 works, showcasing the creativity of faculty, staff and students. Planning is already underway for next year, and the theme will be announced soon.

The center also developed and implemented the pilot intensive services program, Elevate. This 10-week program supports students who are currently engaging with multiple campus resources for support, with a focus on strengthening coping skills and emotional regulation. By helping students build sustainable strategies, Elevate aims to reduce long-term reliance on high-level support services across the division.

Lastly, the center expanded its training program to include social work interns who assist with case management within the Counseling Center. This year, there were 10 trainees, including counselor trainees, psychiatric fellows and interns, and a social work trainee. This has further strengthened the Counseling Center’s capacity to serve students while supporting the next generation of mental health professionals. 

Collegiate Recovery Program

The Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) had one student graduate in December, and three more are graduating this month. On April 18, the program hosted its annual Graduation Dinner for its seniors and their parents, donors and campus and community partners. The seniors shared about their experiences being in recovery while attending the College.

The CRP also hosted a salon event on Feb. 27, featuring a celebration of its 20-year anniversary and a discussion with donors and campus and community partners about the future of the program.

Center for Disability Services

In April 2025, the Center for Disability Services (CDS) launched Accommodate, a web-based case management software. Over the past year, the software has been integrated smoothly, with students, faculty and CDS staff sharing positive feedback. Find out more about Accommodate in the Division of Student Affairs February Newsletter.

Student Health Services

Each bracelet includes a tag that reads “We are here for YOU!” along with key outreach contacts. This effort aims to build community, help identify students in crisis and bring moments of joy across campus.

Department of Residence Life

Professional staff members from the Department of Residence Life were recognized with awards at A Salute to Student Affairs in 2025, taking home the Denny Ciganovic Putting Happiness to Work Award, three Silver Pillar Awards and a Gold Pillar Award.

Below are a few other points of pride.

• The department successfully moved in, programmed for and moved out more than 3,400 students this year.
• Programming in the residence halls was successful, with a total of 876 programs and 1,690 individual students attending at least one program.
• The department retained 68% of its recruits for the 2026-27 Resident Assistant Staff – and there were 148 applications for only 30 new spots!

Office of Student Involvement

The Office of Student Involvement, in collaboration with the Student Government Association, approved 42 new student organizations this year, significantly expanding opportunities for student engagement across campus. Additionally, the office coordinated a Student Homecoming Committee made up of student leaders from various organizations to develop theme days, design the Homecoming T-shirt, create promotional graphics and select engaging Homecoming activities for the student body.

The student-run Cougar Activities Board (CAB) collaborated with various campus partners, clubs and organizations, as well as Charleston businesses, to develop programs to reach the campus community. CAB planned more than 50 events throughout the academic year, including bingo, casino nights and movie nights, with a total attendance of more than 3,500 students.

Campus Recreation Services

Campus Recreation Services (CRS) saw quite a few achievements this year. For example, the Pickleball Club took first place at the DUPR Collegiate Challengers Tournament; the men’s and women’s Ultimate Frisbee club won the Bare Bones Ultimate Frisbee tournament for the first time ever; the Club Tennis team placed second at the Belton Bash – it’s highest placing to date; and the Grappling Club became the Georgia State Champion! In addition, more than 50 people participated in the Bridge Run Training Program and Running Club for the Cooper River Bridge Run this year.

CRS also added some new sports clubs – including men’s baseball, women’s field hockey, women’s ice hockey and men’s basketball – and held a variety of events throughout the year. For example, the intramural basketball league had 156 games, and the intramural indoor soccer league had 85 games.

In addition, CRS hosted the following new special events/collaborations:

• Movement and Motion Mondays
• Wellness Wednesday
• Friday Night Flix
• Line dancing instructions + hoedown
• K-pop dance instructions
• DIY workshops like figure painting, pillow making, LEGO kits and Mahjong with Holy Mahj

Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life

College of Charleston Greek Life (FSL) builds leaders through scholarship, service and strong community within fraternities and sororities. Some of this year’s highlights are detailed below.

• More than 50 students attended the Greek Leadership Institute, an all-day experience where they learned from College staff and one another about various topics, including bystander intervention, civic engagement and community service, and values-based leadership. They also got to know other members of the FSL community in small groups and worked as individual councils to prepare for the year ahead. 
• Students raised $7,022 for the Student Emergency Fund and collected 734 food items for the Cougar Pantry at the 2025 Pep Supper.
• Fraternity men gathered to support the Charleston community and East Cooper Community Outreach. The students wrote more than 2,000 cards to College staff, medical workers and veterans, and they collected 200+ canned food items and more than 250 items of clothing to donate to East Cooper Community Outreach. 

Higdon Center for Student Leadership

This academic year, the Higdon Center for Student Leadership relaunched Cougar LEAD, evolving from the former Leadership CofC program into a more intentional, access-driven leadership experience. The program engaged 15 students in high-impact learning opportunities that connected them directly with local and state-level leaders across South Carolina. Participants built meaningful relationships with professionals from a range of companies, organizations and public sector agencies, strengthening their understanding of leadership in real-world contexts.

In addition, the center participated in the Career Center’s Etiquette Dinner and had exclusive engagement opportunities with vice presidents from the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. These experiences provided students with invaluable networking, professional development and career-readiness experiences.

The center hosted two passive engagement events to build community for the 25 student-leaders who served as facilitators for Cougar Excursion 2026, demonstrating a deep commitment to peer leadership and student development. The facilitators also took part in a highly effective immersive training workshop at Camp St. Christopher, strengthening facilitator readiness and team cohesion.

Upward Bound

Upward Bound, a federal TRIO program, prepares high school students in grades 9, 10 and 11, for college. In addition to meeting all of its core objectives for the reporting year of 2024–25, the program presented a workshop at the state-wide TRIO conference this year, and is under consideration for presenting at the national conference in September.