Palmetto College executive vice chancellor named
Posted on: July 7, 2015; Updated on: July 7, 2015
By Peggy Binette, peggy@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-7704
Elliot Vittes has been named executive vice chancellor of the University of South Carolina Palmetto College, bringing more than 30 years of higher education experience with the University of Central Florida.
His appointment was announced on Wednesday (July 8), by USC Palmetto College Chancellor Susan Elkins, who attributes Vittes’ selection to his experience as a scholar and an administrator who has built partnerships with regional campuses and their respective communities.
“Dr. Vittes has a leadership approach that will be beneficial to the daily operation of USC Palmetto College and the students that we serve in communities across South Carolina,” Elkins says. “He brings valuable experience from his tenure at UCF that will strengthen the direction of the college’s functional areas.”
During Vittes’ tenure, UCF experienced phenomenal growth. Vittes was highly involved with the leadership team working with regional campuses and distance learning and the online environment.
While at UCF he has served in several administrative and teaching roles, including interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies; associate dean of undergraduate studies and academic services; director of interdisciplinary studies; and chairman of the political science department.
Elkins says she will work alongside Vittes to ensure that the functional areas across USC Palmetto College – marketing and recruitment, student enrollment services, information technology, planning and assessment, student services and academic affairs – operate effectively and efficiently.
USC Palmetto College comprises the university’s four regional two-year campuses – USC Lancaster, USC Salkehatchie, USC Sumter and USC Union – as well as Extended University and its Fort Jackson satellite location. It also includes several online bachelor’s degree completion programs offered by USC Aiken, USC Beaufort, USC Columbia and USC Upstate.
Vittes says his leadership style has been greatly influenced by UCF President John C. Hitt.
“I look forward to adapting elements of his vision for an inclusive and diverse undergraduate education to my new role with USC Palmetto College,” he says.
“I’m excited by the USC Palmetto College model. It’s extremely forward-looking and can be a model for other states and statewide university systems.”
Vittes also looks forward to assisting the USC Palmetto College campuses in broadening opportunities for experiential learning through internships and by forging stronger ties with communities.
Vittes, a political scientist, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from William Paterson University, a master’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
A native of Los Angeles, Vittes and his wife, Karen Peters, have a daughter who is a student in the university’s South Carolina Honors College. His appointment is effective Aug. 17.
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