Harris Pastides biography

Harris Pastides is the 28th president of the University of South Carolina (USC), elected by the university's board of trustees on Aug. 1, 2008. His election marks the first internal candidate for the presidency of the university in over a half century. Previously, Pastides served as vice president for research and health sciences and dean of the Arnold School of Public Health. He and his wife, Patricia, first came to the university in 1998.

Leading by example, Pastides expects students, faculty and staff to set and exceed high expectations, push boundaries and embrace innovation. He is an advocate for student engagement beyond the classroom through leadership, service learning, international experience, internships and undergraduate research.

Under his leadership, Carolina's student population has grown to record levels among the system's eight universities on 12 campuses. Knowing that degree attainment significantly affects the quality of life in South Carolina, Pastides continues to spearhead nontraditional programs such as Palmetto College, Back to Carolina, Gamecock Gateway and Gamecock Guarantee to increase university access and affordability. In addition, he leads an unprecedented capital campaign to fund essential needs for knowledge, research, discovery and development.

Before joining the university's faculty, he was a professor of epidemiology and chairman of the department of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received his master's of public health and his Ph.D. in epidemiology from Yale University.