Dan Friedman named new University 101 director

The University of South Carolina has named Dr. Dan Friedman the new director of University 101 programs.

Friedman succeeds Dr. Dan Berman, who served as director from 1999 until his recent retirement. Friedman will begin in June.

Friedman is a faculty member in the department of leadership and educational studies at Appalachian State University and was director of the university’s freshman seminar and summer preview programs from 2004 - 07.

“Dan Friedman brings a wealth of knowledge to the university following the great work he’s done at Appalachian State,” said Mary Stuart Hunter, assistant vice provost for University 101 and the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience. “We’re extremely excited about the direction the University 101 programs can take under his leadership.”

Friedman earned a bachelor’s degree in history and education specialist degree in higher education administration from Appalachian State and a doctoral degree in higher education from the University of Virginia.

“It is an honor to be able to work with the most prestigious and well-respected first-year program in the country,” Friedman said.

For more than 30 years, University 101 has helped students make successful transitions into and through the university. The pioneering course, which spurred an international movement to improve the first-year experience, has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a “program to look for.”

University 101 programs also include upper-level courses for students interested in conducting research, for students who live in residential colleges and for students preparing for graduate or professional schools.

For more information about the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and University 101 programs, visit the web site at http://www.sc.edu/fye/index.html, or contact Rico Reed at 803-777-6225 or rico@sc.edu.