Committee charged with selecting next president to enlist executive search firm



A special committee is advancing its search for the next University of South Carolina president and expects to enlist an executive search firm in the process following a conference call on Friday (Dec. 7).

Search firms are often employed by colleges and universities to assist in identifying top presidential candidates from across the country. During its last meeting on Nov. 30, the committee interviewed seven executive search firms. The chosen firm will be reimbursed for its work by the University Foundations.

Also on Nov. 30, search chairman Hubert Mobley appointed trustee and committee member Leah Moody to serve as its affirmative action advocate, helping to ensure a diverse pool of candidates are considered for the position.

President Harris Pastides announced in October that he would retire as head of the USC system this summer after a decade of leadership.

The search committee’s makeup is determined by the bylaws of the Board of Trustees and includes the following individuals:

Board representatives

  • Hubert F. Mobley — Trustee, 6th Judicial Circuit, Search Committee Chair
  • William C. Hubbard — Trustee, 5th Judicial Circuit
  • Leah B. Moody — Trustee, 16th Judicial Circuit
  • C. Dorn Smith III — Trustee, 3rd Judicial Circuit
  • Eugene P. Warr Jr. — Trustee, 4th Judicial Circuit

Faculty representatives

  • Marco Valtorta — USC Columbia Faculty Senate Chair, College of Engineering and Computing
  • Julius Fridriksson — USC Columbia Faculty Representative, Arnold School of Public Health
  • Araceli Hernandez-Laroche — System Faculty Representative, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, USC Upstate

 Student representative

  • Taylor Wright — USC Columbia Student Government President

 Alumni representative

  • Robert F. Dozier Jr. — Trustee, USC Alumni Association President

 Foundations representative

  • William C. “W.C.” Hammett Jr. — USC Foundations  

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