3 for 30
3 questions with UofSC's 30th president, Michael Amiridis
Posted on: August 25, 2022; Updated on: August 25, 2022
By Kelley Barrett, kab12@email.sc.edu
We are excited to welcome new UofSC president Michael Amiridis as the 2022-23 school year unfolds. We caught up with him to learn more about his experiences and his plans to give students a chance to share their thoughts.
You've said that you want to hear from the community about their ideas, concerns and aspirations. How can students share their thoughts with you?
I will be very excited to hear from our undergraduate students at the Imagine Carolina event we have planned for Sept. 11. If you want to know how to improve the USC student experience, you must ask the experts – and this is the students! This will be an important time for me and for other university leaders to listen to their ideas for creating a more user-friendly experience at Carolina. We have room for as many as 500 students at this event. And we will hold future events for graduate and professional students, and for the students at our other campuses.
Could you tell us more about your journey that led you back to lead UofSC as the university’s 30th president? What accomplishments of yours are you most proud of that led you here?
As with most people in academia, I started with an assistant professor position in my discipline — chemical engineering. Over a period of 28 years, I gradually advanced in positions of more responsibility — department chair, dean, provost — before I became the chancellor of the University of Illinois in Chicago in 2015 and returned to USC this summer. During this entire journey, I always felt most proud about the success of my students — undergraduate and graduate — and their impact on our world.
Do you have a favorite Carolina sports memory from your time spent at UofSC?
Rushing the mound in celebration of our second baseball national title in 2011 was as exciting as rushing the court this year in Minneapolis celebrating our second women’s basketball national championship. And it’s almost impossible to choose between these two!
Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about