USC President Michael Amiridis delivers “State of the University” address
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — President Michael Amiridis delivered his annual “State of the University” address to faculty and students Wednesday morning inside the University of South Carolina’s Russell House.
Less than a month after nationwide swatting hoaxes and just one week after the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, President Amiridis says USC will continue to move forward and grow, as it always has.
“The assassination of Charlie Kirk on a university campus as well as other terrible events in recent months in different parts of our country are never justifiable in our society. As an academic community, we are obligated to continue the work of humanizing character, bridging our differences, and not permitting cruelty,” he says.
A number of other topics were covered — including tuition affordability.
“We have been able to hold the state tuition at exactly the same level for seven years in a row,” he says.
USC boasts a record number of graduates — with 6,062 degrees given out by the university in May.
“That was a lot of hands to shake. But frankly, I love it. I enjoy it and I’m proud of each and every one of these graduates,” he says.
Also celebrated was an updated centralized student advising system, increased mental and physical health resources, and the integration of A.I. and ChatGPT — with President Amiridis saying that faculty will determine how much of their use is permitted in the classroom.
“But we have to be careful also, right? What are the lines? Which lines you can or cannot cross in this case,” he says.
Research, renovations, and the launch of a new center on “Civic Leadership and Public Discourse” were also in the spotlight.
This comes as other SC universities have faced backlash over faculty’s reactions to Kirk’s assassination.
“This is a period of turmoil in higher education and a lot of challenges. Despite this, we’re hitting records, every year. I’m very proud for this. And that cannot happen without the whole community, participating, our staff members, faculty, administration, and the board!” he says.
And of course, there always seems to be that pesky problem with parking.
“Well the problem with parking is we’re in a (limited) environment. There’s not enough space. More and more students want to come with their cars. We’re doing everything that we can in order to give them the best parking that we can, I think we’re making progress, but always there are going to be some questions about it,” he says.
