USC President Pastides accepts gift from Rotary Club President Lanier Jones. The Columbia Rotary Club’s Monday lunch, Nov. 30, was the occasion to hear from Dr. Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina. A full attendance, something close to 300 people, heard Pastides talk for a few minutes of USC news beyond the Clemson game.

Before he became president, Pastides reminded the crowd, he was dean at the Arnold School of Public Health, and he was vice president for Research and Health Science. In each role he fine-tuned his command of direction, of getting there.

He spoke about Focus Carolina, the university’s goals while he also speaks about Advance Carolina, the action to reach the goals.

Pastides sees the university glass and the state glass as one in the same, and that glass is half–full, not half–empty. He’s followed football coach Steve Spurrier in and out of the locker–room chats over the past few years, and Spurrier is sharing the half–full perception, now more than ever.

One of Pastides’ goals, a big part of Focus Carolina, is to dramatically raise the percentage of South Carolinians with college degrees. And to get there, now part of Advance Carolina, the student body must be both enlarged and improved as the school moves forward with the state. Among the states in the country, South Carolina is tied with Wyoming in its percentage of citizens with a college degree, which puts the state at No. 43 out of 50.

To enlarge the student body is not just to grow the Columbia campus, but to grow all of the campuses across the state.

“Keep doing what you do really well, but start doing it even better. Become the best in the targeted areas where you are already recognized.” That was Pastides’ advice to the audience and to his school.

Pastides fired a warning shot, but it was also an inspiration. Warning is half–empty, and inspiration is half–full. In the end of his speech, Pastides had the glass half–full: “The biggest capital campaign you ever saw is about to kick off on the campus of the University of South Carolina.”