 "Photo: Courtesy of USC Media Relations")
Harris Pastides was unanimously elected by the Board of Trustees on July 11 to become the university's 28th president, according to a university news release.
Pastides, 54, previously served as the university's vice president for research and health sciences and executive director of the South Carolina Research Foundation since 2003. He will replace current President Andrew Sorensen on Aug. 1.
He was previously a finalist in the Georgia State University search for a president, but formally withdrew his name from that search on July 1 to remain as a finalist for USC.
Three finalists in the search were announced July 9 after the presidential search committee held interviews with candidates over the last few months.
Herbert Adams, chairman of the university's Board of Trustees, said he was confident the board had chosen the right person for the job.
"Harris Pastides has built a solid career as a scholar, a researcher and a top administrator who has earned the respect of his colleagues in higher education and in the larger community. He understands the challenges we face, the opportunities before us and the university's commitment to becoming a world-class university," Adams said in the news release.
Pastides said he was honored to be chosen to lead the state's flagship university and was eager to begin making connections.
"This is not a time for gradualism," he said in the news release. "I promise we will accelerate our momentum as a world-class university, yet remain a faithful index to the best hopes and dreams of all South Carolinians."
Student Body President Andrew Gaeckle said he looks forward to working with Pastides.
"I am confident that Dr. Pastides will lead this flagship institution in a direction of academic excellence and be a strong advocate for students while continuing to serve South Carolinians across the state in search of public higher education," Gaeckle said in the news release.
Pastides joined the university in 1998 as dean of the School of Public Health and professor of epidemiology.
As vice president for research, Pastides oversees the university's research initiatives and priorities. He is the university's chief liaison with business and industry and has been pivotal in some of the university's most visible partnerships and outreach and economic development initiatives.
Under the leadership of Pastides, research funding and sponsored programs at USC reached a record $185.2 million for the fiscal year 2007, a 69.2 percent increase since 2002.
Pastides earned his bachelor's in biology and chemistry from the University at Albany, State University of New York, his master's in public health, his master of philosophy in epidemiology and his doctorate in epidemiology from Yale University.
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