Dawn Staley Launches Leadership Academy at South Carolina / sportsearchers.com

Dawn Staley is expanding her influence beyond the basketball court, officially launching the Dawn Staley Leadership Academy on Monday in partnership with USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM).

The Academy’s Structure

The academy consists of a six-credit curriculum built from four classes taught by HRSM faculty, with frequent appearances from Staley herself, and grounded in leadership principles drawn from her book “Uncommon Favor,” released last year. The initiative builds on a previous class, “Lessons in Leadership the Dawn Staley Way,” taught by former Gamecock softball coach Beverly Smith, now an adjunct professor at USC — a course that reportedly helped pave the way for the academy’s creation.

Staley’s Remarks at the Launch

Speaking to students during the launch event, Staley praised HRSM Dean Michael Sagas for recognizing the potential of the original class: “It really takes a leader to know a leader, to see a leader, to embrace a leader… He’s the one that probably saw how effective our first class was. The students were just givers of themselves on so many levels, from a leadership standpoint, from an emotional standpoint, from just wanting to learn and grow. And for me, it starts now.” She also spoke warmly about the broader South Carolina community: “This is the place to be. I’ve been around this major closely, intimately for over a year now, and like everything else in Columbia, at the university and in our community, there’s nothing like the people in South Carolina. There’s nothing. It is a great place to learn and grow.”

Program Details

Students who complete the academy will earn a “Staley Scholar” leadership distinction at graduation. The inaugural cohort includes 110 students, all selected through a competitive interview process. Thanks to an outside donation, every completing student will receive a milestone-based scholarship, and that same funding source will soon provide the academy a permanent home in a state-of-the-art facility on the eighth floor of the Close-Hipp Building.

A Lasting Commitment

Dean Sagas framed the launch as more than just a new program, emphasizing the institution’s responsibility to deliver on its promise: “Today is not just the launch of a program. It’s a promise to our current and future Staley Leaders that this academy will provide the tools, the mentors and the encouragement to help them grow to principled leaders who make a difference. It is a promise we intend to make worthy of Coach Staley’s name.”

The launch reflects Staley’s continued impact at South Carolina extending well beyond her nearly two-decade tenure with the athletics department, now shaping leadership development directly within the university’s academic curriculum.