Presumably because nothing says academic excellence like a revolving restaurant, University of South Carolina’s 18-story Capstone House has a revolving restaurant on top. The revolving platform was purchased from an exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair by a USC alumnus who knew a thing or two about revolving (he went on to invent the chicken roasting machines you see at supermarkets). The restaurant, called Top of Carolina – the first and only revolving restaurant on a college or university campus – provides great views of the Columbia metropolitan area and is open during the academic year for Friday BBQ dinner as well as a renowned Sunday brunch.
Revolving restaurants aim to do two jobs simultaneously: marvelous meals + varying vistas. Of course, it’s hard to do both jobs well. For example, a restaurant revolving at 33 RPM would be far more interesting than Top of Carolina, which rotates but once per hour. But you can imagine how 33 RPM would complicate the dining experience.
The same is true in postsecondary education. Bachelor’s degrees ostensibly prepare students for their first job while also providing the fundamental cognitive skills they’ll need to live productive and socially valuable lives. Yet underemployment of new college grads in a full-employment economy demonstrates the degree of difficulty of doing both jobs simultaneously.