University investiture Nov. 21 officially installs Dr. Harris Pastides as 28th president

The University of South Carolina will hold an investiture Friday, Nov. 21, for the installation of Dr. Harris Pastides as the university’s 28th president.

The ceremony, free and open to the public, will be at 3:30 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts. A reception will follow in the Koger Center lobby.

Charleston native Dr. Robert Blocker, an international concert pianist and the Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music at Yale University, will be the featured speaker. Hailed as one of the nation’s leading arts administrators and arts advocates, Blocker earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Furman University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas.

Miles Loadholt, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, will preside over the ceremony.

“The investiture of a president is a significant event in the life of a university,” Loadholt said. “Since the University of South Carolina was founded in 1801, our institution has been guided by 27 academic leaders, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the history of the university and our state.

“While the investiture of Dr. Harris Pastides as our 28th president marks a beginning, it also is another step in our university’s tradition to educate the future leaders for our state, nation and world, and we invite the public to share in this celebration,” he said.

Students, meanwhile, will put forth their own celebration Thursday, Nov. 20. "Pastides Palooza," featuring musical performances by the Palmetto Steel Drum Band, Sound Check, the Cocktails and Nathan Angelo, will take place in the Russell House from 4 - 6 p.m. At 6 p.m., on Greene Street in front of the Russell House, the new president will be presented a gift by students. Rain location is the Russell House second floor.

Pastides, who joined the university’s faculty in 1998 as dean of the School of Public Health and, most recently, was vice president for research and health sciences, will share his vision for the university and receive the university’s medallion and the presidential hood.

At least 35 representatives of colleges and universities will attend the ceremony, as will local, state and federal dignitaries. The procession of college and university leaders and University of South Carolina faculty in their academic regalia is a colorful tradition that has its roots in 16th-century European universities.

Before the event, video messages from Pastides’ friends, family members and colleagues in the United States and abroad will air.

The University of South Carolina’s Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir will perform.

Blocker, who began his study of piano at the age of five, made his orchestral debut at the historic Dock Street Theater in Charleston at age 15. He has performed with many of the world’s leading symphonies, including the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai, Houston and Daejeon symphonies, the Monterey Philharmonic, and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. A recipient of the S.C. Order of the Palmetto, Blocker also has served as chair of the Board of Visitors for the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Visit http://president.sc.edu/investiture/ for more information on the investiture.