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Dr. Jane Upshaw Named 2008 Distinguished Alumna

The College of Sciences and Mathematics recently named Dr. Jane Upshaw (Mathematics '69) its 2008 Distinguished Alumna.  Upshaw was honored at a dinner Friday, November 7 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

Upshaw became the first woman to lead a senior campus of the University of South Carolina when she was named Chancellor of the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) in 2002.  Under her leadership, USC Beaufort has become a four-year-degree-granting institution and is underway with an athletics program which has led to the University's affiliation with the NAIA and Sun Conference. USCB offers 12 baccalaureate degrees and is the most rapidly growing institution in the South Carolina system with a 45 percent student body increase since 2002.

Upshaw is a Fairfax, Ala. native and holds both undergraduate and master's degrees from Auburn University.  Following her studies at Auburn, Upshaw spent five years in private industry in Atlanta, GA as a consulting engineer, senior applications engineer and senior economic analyst.  In 1981, Upshaw moved to Hilton Head, S.C. and returned to academia as a senior mathematics teacher at May River Academy, followed by an appointment of adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.  In 1993, Upshaw earned her PhD in Mathematics Education from the University of South Carolina.

As Chancellor of USCB, Upshaw has led unprecedented growth in the student body, in addition to extending the University's connection to the surrounding areas with partnerships with local agencies and school districts.  In addition to overseeing the University's original Historic Beaufort Campus located in downtown Beaufort, Upshaw also helped establish over whelming community support and funding for a new 50 million dollar, 200-acre site, of which 91% of the funds were community based.  This campus is now called the USCB Hilton Head Gateway Campus, which is now home to on-campus student housing and a newly outfitted nursing facility. 

Upshaw is involved with a wide range of community and civic organizations, specifically in South Carolina's coastal areas.

Additionally, she has continued to serve Auburn University with a four year term as a Director with the Auburn Alumni Association.

Upshaw is the fifth recipient of this honor, joining David Hagan '65, Don Logan '66, Harry Knowles '51 and Hank Hartsfield '54. The award is given to a candidate who has achieved significant stature in their chosen field, whether business, academic, military or government and who demonstrates a history of commitment to Auburn University and COSAM.