Former Columbia mayor, White House adviser funds USC leadership scholarships, speakers

COLUMBIA — Steve Benjamin, the former mayor of South Carolina’s capital city and adviser to President Joe Biden, donated $1 million to his alma mater to promote student leadership and community service.

In response, the University of South Carolina named its leadership center, located inside the Russell House student union, in his honor. The center houses the school’s more than 700 student organizations and student government.

“As a student, I saw firsthand how mentors, service and a community that believes in you can help turn potential into purpose. My hope is that the Stephen K. Benjamin Leadership and Service Center will give students the same opportunities to learn, listen and serve alongside their neighbors while using their voices and talents to create meaningful change,” Benjamin said in a statement.

Benjamin earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1991 and a law degree three years later, also from USC. While an undergraduate student, he was elected student body president and joined USC’s historic chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, founded in 1970 as the campus’ first Black, Greek-letter fraternity.

During law school, Benjamin was president of the Student Bar Association.

From 1999 to 2003, he led the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services under Gov. Jim Hodges, South Carolina’s last Democratic governor.

Voters first elected him mayor in 2010, making him Columbia’s first Black mayor. He tenure officially ended Dec. 31, 2021, after he decided not to seek a fourth term.

Then in February 2023, Biden made Benjamin his senior adviser and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Benjamin’s gift to the university will pay for scholarships and lecture series on leadership, civic engagement and community impact.

“Students are the heart of this campus, and their leadership and service make a lasting impact on our university and community,” Ambra Hiott, associate vice president for student life, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to Mayor Benjamin for his investment in our students and for the example he continues to set through his commitment to service, civic engagement and leadership.”

Benjamin’s wife, U.S. Appeals Court Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, also graduated from USC’s law school. She graduated in 1997. She attended Winthrop University for undergrad. Before the U.S. Senate confirmed her to the federal bench in February 2023, she was a circuit court judge in Richland County.