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Jane T. Upshaw is the chancellor of the University of South Carolina Beaufort, South Carolina's newest baccalaureate institution. Under her leadership, USC Beaufort has become a four-year-degree-granting institution. The university currently offers twelve baccalaureate degrees and will add a baccalaureate degree in nursing beginning spring, 2009.

Dr. Upshaw was born and reared in Fairfax, Alabama. She studied mathematics at Auburn University, where she earned both a bachelor's and master's degree before moving to Atlanta. During her five years in Atlanta, she worked in business as a consulting engineer for electric cooperatives, as a senior applications engineer providing market support to a manufacturing company's national sales force and as a senior economic analyst for an investor-owned power company.
 
In 1981, Dr. Upshaw moved to Hilton Head Island. For five years, she taught at May River Academy as senior mathematics teacher and at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, where she was an adjunct professor. In 1986, she was appointed to a full-time faculty position at the university in mathematics. In 1993, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics Education from the University of South Carolina.
 
Dr. Upshaw was appointed Director of Development for USC Beaufort in 1996. In this position, she was responsible for designing and implementing a program of giving for capital improvements, increased academic offerings, student scholarships and faculty development. In addition, she continued to teach two mathematics courses each semester.
In 1998, Dr. Upshaw left USC Beaufort to become vice president of strategy for the Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas Region of the American Management Association only to return to the university as Dean of the Beaufort campus in November 1999. In December 2001, the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina approved a change in mission for USC Beaufort to become a baccalaureate-degree-granting institution. In June 2002, the Commission on Higher Education added its approval.

In December 2002, Dr. Upshaw was promoted to the position of Chancellor and became the first woman to head a senior campus of the University of South Carolina. Since becoming Chancellor, she has continued to work to increase access to baccalaureate degrees in the Lowcountry and to extend the university's resources to the community through partnerships with local agencies and school districts. She led the effort to establish community support and funding for a new, 200-acre campus site called the USC Beaufort South Campus-Gateway to Hilton Head and the USC Beaufort North Campus site in historic Beaufort. She has led the effort to develop on-campus student apartments as a public-private partnership. Finally, under her leadership, USCB has implemented intercollegiate athletics with membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Florida Sun Conference. In fall, 2008, USCB will field varsity teams in men’s and women’s golf, cross country and distance track as well as baseball.
 
Dr. Upshaw was chosen Zonta 2007 Woman of the Year. She is a past president of Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry and received their highest award for community leadership and support in 2006. She is the past Chair of the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. She has served as Vice Chair of the Greater Beaufort Hilton Head Economic Partnership for economic development in Beaufort County. She sits on the governing boards of the Coastal Business Education Technology Alliance, Hilton Head Regional Medical Center and the local board of the National Bank of South Carolina. Dr. Upshaw has been a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities since 2004 and has served as the chair of the Women Presidents Group 2005-2007. She was recently appointed to the AASCU Professional Development Committee for a three- year term. She also served on the national Auburn Alumni Association Board from 2004 to 2007. She is dedicated to effective mathematics education as a member of the Mathematical Association of America and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

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