distinguished honors alumni


Distinguished Honors Alumni Award

In 1997, The South Carolina Honors College instituted the Distinguished Honors Alumni award, the highest honor given by the Honors College to its graduates.  Each year, we present awards to recognize alumni who excel in their chosen professions and who have contributed time and effort to the betterment of the Honors College itself, or to their local communities, states, or the nation.

Dr. Linda Salane Distinguished Honors Alumna 2011

Dr. Linda B. Salane is the Executive Director of the Leadership Institute and Special Assistant to the President at Columbia College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is an Honors Program alumna, class of 1969.  She holds a Masters of Education in Student Personnel Services, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in business- all from the University of South Carolina.

 Salane teaches in leadership studies, business, and liberal arts. A frequent presenter at national conferences and consultant to business and non-profit groups on leadership, strategic planning, and assessment, Salane is a community activist who sits on the boards of The Cooperative Ministry, Junior Achievement, the Palmetto Women’s Center, Women in Philanthropy, the South Carolina Chamber Diversity Committee, the South Carolina Action Council, and COR. She was selected as one of the 2010 ten most influential women in the Midlands by Business Monthly magazine. 

Married to Thomas Salane, she has two children, two grandchildren, two grand dogs and three grand cats. Salane is an advocate for a balanced life recognizing that humor, exercise, interests, friends and family are important ingredients to effective leadership in work, home and community.

Past DHA Award Recipients by Year

Year Winners

1997 Joel S. Brandon
Stacy Burch Brandon
Laurie Bouknight Dykes
Jean Parr Hall
Francenia Heizer
Stephen D. Hibbard
Anita Shah Hood
Charles G. Hood
D. Mark Husband
C. Bradley Hutto
M. Alicia Sikes
Michael Tecklenburg

1998 John Hoey
Jeffrey Vinzani

1999 Larry Kellner
Lanier Laney

2000 Thomas Guilderson
Ellen Jamieson Hamill Pyne

2001 Don Hottell
Mark W. Smith

2002 William M. Combs
Julia Royall

2003 Gail B. Ingram
Marie-Louise Ramsdale
R. Marshall Winn

2004 Jacob Lawrence Shuford

2005 Michael Dickson

2006 Zack McKown
Susan Parker Shimp 

2007 Steven C. Burritt
Jodie W. McLean

2008 Jaime Bernanke

2009 Betty Anne Williams

2010 Catherine Heigel

2011 Linda Salane