2015 Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award
for Overall Achievement
Warren J. Carson ’74
Professor of English and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of South Carolina Upstate
Tryon, NC
Dr. Warren J. Carson is a professor of English and the senior associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, SC. In addition to teaching classes in English an African-American studies, his primary responsibilities are academic program approval and accreditation. He also serves as the institution’s chief diversity office overseeing the University’s diversity agenda. Nationally, he services as chief reader for the College Board’s Advanced Placement English Literature and composition exams. He is a past president of the College Language Association and managing editor of the CLA Journal, a scholarly journal devoted to the study of language and literature.
He is an award-winning teacher, having been awarded USC Upstate’s highest teaching awards. Likewise, he has been cited numerous times for his service contributions locally, regionally and nationally. In 2014, he was awarded USC Upstate’s Distinguished Service Award that recognized his numerous contributions over his 30-year tenure. He holds life memberships in the UNC General Alumni Association, the College Language Association and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Warren received his bachelor’s degree in English from The University of North Carolina, a master’s of art in Afro-American Studies from Atlanta University and a PhD in English from the USC Columbia. He resides in Tryon, NC where he is active in a number of church and civic affairs.
Dr. Carson’s award citation will be posted after the Light on the Hill Society Scholarship Awards Gala on Nov. 6, 2015.