The College of Charleston Alumni Association will honor eight distinguished alumni at the Alumni Awards Gala on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, as part of the College’s 2022 Fall Alumni Weekend. Each year, the awards recognize graduates whose achievements reflect honor upon their alma mater.
“It will be wonderful to honor this group of brilliant, impactful and memorable award recipients,” says Elizabeth Colbert-Busch ’79, president of the College of Charleston Alumni Association. “It has been an exceptional year building on the foundation and dedication of our College of Charleston family. We are excited to add another chapter to our history.”
Stephen C. Osborne ’73
Distinguished Alumnus Award
The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established in 1983 to recognize alumni for significant contributions to their professions or their communities over a long period of time, thus reflecting honor upon the College of Charleston.
“Steve” Osborne graduated in 1973 from the College with a B.A. in political science, and he has been an active member of the campus community ever since. In 2017, after serving as executive vice president for Business Affairs at the College for more than a decade, Osborne was tapped by the Board of Trustees to serve as interim president of the university upon the retirement of then President Glenn McConnell ’69.
Osborne’s steady presence kept the College moving in a positive direction as current President Andrew Hsu was selected and assumed office in 2019. Before coming to the College in 2006, Osborne served the South Carolina Budget and Control Board for nearly 27 years, ultimately as chief of staff. He is past president and past vice president of the South Carolina International Personnel Management Association.
A native of Florence, South Carolina, Osborne joined Pi Kappa Phi fraternity while at CofC, and after graduation, went on to receive his M.P.A. from Western Kentucky University and his MBA from the University of South Carolina.
An avid reader, Osborne currently serves as chair of CofC’s Friends of the Library. He has been a generous annual supporter of the Cougar Athletics Fund, the Friends of the Library Fund, the Student Emergency Fund and the CofC Fund for scholarships.
Osborne, who resides in Charleston, lost his beloved wife, Mary, in 2019. The couple’s son, Stephen C. Osborne II, graduated from the College in 2006 and is married to alumna Grace Toland Osborne ’11. He is the proud grandfather of Olive and Charles Osborne.
