On Being First: The Pearce Gift

The Wright brothers were the first to fly. Neil Armstrong was the first to walk on the moon. Jim Pearce and his family were the first to give a million dollars for scholarships to the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine Greenville.

To be the first requires vision, planning and commitment. When the Greenville Health System and USC joined forces to create a new medical school, there was vision with a mission. The vision to serve and do things differently combined with a passion to make the Upstate of South Carolina a better place created powerful energy that moved both the hospital system and university forward. After many years of planning and the work of many tireless individuals, the USC School of Medicine Greenville opened its doors to its charter class of medical students in the fall of 2012.

The community was—and remains—amazed by what it saw: a beautiful building, excited students, and incredible energy to make the USC School of Medicine Greenville one of the best medical schools in the nation. A long-time resident of the Greenville area, Jim Pearce, was curious about our new medical school. So Dean Jerry Youkey graciously gave him a personal tour through the school.

Dean Youkey shared our vision to transform medical education, and in so doing, transform the next generation of physicians and the health care delivery system. Mr. Pearce was intrigued. During the tour, he asked students questions about their studies and dreams for the future. It was easy to see he “got” our vision.

The afternoon gave way to more discussion about the students—how bright and sharp they are. Dean Youkey revealed a hurdle facing our new medical school. “It’s a challenge to recruit the best of students without the support of scholarships. Today’s medical students incur more than $180,000 in debt to achieve their dreams of becoming a physician. This debt often influences students’ career path as they select their specialty based on the potential for a higher income rather than personal passion. We would like to relieve students of this financial burden by creating a $50 million endowment for scholarships.”

Med students join Jim Pearce (center), USC President Harris Pastides and USC School of Medicine Greenville Dean Jerry Youkey.

The discussion of students gave way to Mr. Pearce’s vision: to be the first to give back to his community and his alma mater—he is a graduate of the University of South Carolina—by giving to our medical school. He understood the challenges our medical school and young people face and the future health care needs of Greenville and surrounding communities. The two-hour tour proved to be history making. Mr. Pearce announced that afternoon that his family would provide the first $1 million endowed scholarships for medical students attending the USC School of Medicine Greenville.  His excitement was fueled by his passion to help young people achieve their goals and his desire to help his community and university. (USC and the USC School of Medicine Greenville formally announced the Pearce gift in April.)

Mr. Pearce is a loyal, long-time supporter of the University of South Carolina. His past gifts include scholarships to the USC Honors College. His generosity is not limited to the Gamecocks. He has also given a gift to Clemson University in honor of his brother, Roy.

Jim Pearce and his family share our vision and passion. We thank the Pearce family for truly making a difference for our students and our community.

Susan Ward, Sr. Director, Development
USC School of Medicine Greenville