January 30, 2010

The Dodie opens doors for USC athletes

Academic center made possible due to donation from Greer resident

By Willie T. Smith III
Staff writer

COLUMBIA – University of South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman beamed with pride Friday as he welcomed the media to a tour of The Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center.

“What you see is the culmination of a lot of hard work,” Hyman said of the facility, which is located across Heyward Street from the Stone Socer Stadium in the area known as the Roost. “I think we are going to be very proud as an athletic department.

“We want our student athletes to graduate here at the University of South Carolina. We want them to able compete at the highest level on the fields of competition and we want them to reach their potential.”

The $13 million facility, which Hyman and others believe will be one of the best of is kind in the country, was made possible by a multimillion-dollar donation by Greer resident Delores “Dodie” Anderson. It appears to have all of the bells and whistles.

The three-story, 40,500-square foot facility features three computer labs, 12 seminar rooms, 20 tutor rooms and 21 offices. There are approximately 250 laptop computers that will be available to the student-athletes while in the center and while traveling with their team.

The Dodie includes study lounges of 2,400 and 1,500 square feet, a dining room with a seating capacity of 200 and a full-service kitchen. Breakfast and dinner will be served daily.

The lobby houses an academic Hall of Fame, with interactive monitors that allow visitors to learn more about the Hall members. There is also a large mural of the Horseshoe, the historic section of campus that dates to the 19th century.

The third floor offers views ranging from Williams-Brice Stadium on one side to the campus on the other.

Keys are not used to enter the building. Instead, student-athletes have electronic strips on their identification cards to use to gain access to the building and as they go from floor to floor. The system registers both the amount of time the student-athletes are in the building and where they are while there.

“We toured a lot of facilities,” said Raymond Harrison, USC’s director of academics/life skills. “One of the first questions we asked was, ‘If you could do it again, what would you add?’ We tried to incorporate those into this building.

“We think it will really aide out student athletes in the pursuit if their degrees.”

Willie T. Smith III can be reached at 864-298-4313.