Continued: Commencement
“The lesson for me was how much you can still do with your back up against the wall,” Pastides said.
He said he learned a similar lesson during a visit to Israel, a country with little agriculture, land, water or security, yet it has built an economy that has made great strides.
“Israel invests mightily in its people by investing mightily in education,” Pastides said. “Education is the answer. It is the answer for South Carolina, and it is the answer for the United States.”
Degrees awarded from the Columbia campus included one associate’s degree, 552 baccalaureate degrees, eight law degrees, one pharmacy degree, 10 graduate certificates, 388 master’s degrees, five specialist’s degrees and 90 doctoral degrees.
Also receiving degrees were graduates of the university’s regional and four-year campuses: Aiken – 61 baccalaureate and two master’s degrees; Beaufort – 38 baccalaureate degrees; Lancaster – 14 associate’s degrees; Salkehatchie – five associate’s degrees; Sumter – 10 associate’s degrees; Union – eight associate’s degrees; and Upstate – 239 baccalaureate degree and four master’s degrees.