(686i) The Engineering and Computing Community at USC

The Engineering and Computing Community (ECC) is a residential living and learning community at the University of South Carolina.  The ECC is designed to enrich the educational environment for students in the College of Engineering and Computing, focusing mostly on entering freshmen.  Various activities are organized throughout the year to help these students develop personally, professionally, academically, and socially.  A one-hour professional development course has been developed and offered for these students, focusing on various related activities.  Additionally, a fellows program has been implemented to recognize and reward students that take part in the relevant activities.  While still facing many challenges, the ECC activities appear to be helping students with their initial progression in the College of Engineering and Computing at USC.