From staff reports
USC Beaufort has a new mace that reflects the Lowcountry’s unique environment. At a reception for dignitaries before commencement, Chancellor Al M. Panu unveiled the symbolic representation of the university’s academic authority.
The USCB mace will be used during formal academic processions and ceremonies when the University of South Carolina mace is not present.
Beaufort-based woodworker and artist David Lunin, owner of Evolve Furniture Studio, created the new mace. It contains many elements that represents USCB and the Lowcountry.
The long staff is tiger maple wood inlaid with rings of sand from local beaches. The top portion is engraved with the USCB and USC seals, USCB’s shield, and the South Carolina state flag. Carved in Roman numerals are four important dates that mark the university’s founding and history. Each of the four pillars on the head of the mace represents an important building on USCB’s campuses in Bluffton and Beaufort and on Hilton Head Island.
“The blue wave on the head of the mace represents our coastal waterways, and a small shark fin signifies the Sand Sharks, USCB’s mascot,” Chancellor Panu told the audience of donors and guests as he unveiled the mace.
