COLUMBIA, S.C. — The race to become the next University of South Carolina president is in full swing this week as all four candidates are set to speak to students and faculty about their plans.
And on Monday, Dr. Joseph Walsh shared his vision for the university with students and faculty.
Dr. Walsh is the current Vice President for research at Northwestern and has been working in college administration for more than a decade.
Dozens came out on Monday to hear his plan for the University going forward.
During the forum, Walsh spoke about setting up a diverse team and having more inclusion for all students, no matter where the students are from.
“I need to test things, so the test is setting up a team," Walsh said."Setting up a culture that the team and everybody involved will be able to ask questions that are difficult but need to be put on the table.”
After Walsh spoke, students had a chance to ask him questions ranging from safety on campus to diversity projects to mental health, all of which are major topics on campus.
Several student say they were encouraged about Dr. Walsh's plans but are looking forward to hearing other candidates.
“I just felt like the four major points for students are safety, student life, sustainability and mental health for sure," says Lyric Swinton, who is a junior at the school. "Some of the answers were a little broad and some were vague but I'm interested to see what other candidates have to say going forward.”
The next candidate students and faculty will hear from will be Dr. William Tate. He’ll be speaking to them on Tuesday. Full list of candidates below:
- Joseph T. Walsh Jr., Ph.D., Vice President for Research, Northwestern University
- William F. Tate, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Washington University in St. Louis
- Robert L. Caslen Jr., MBA, Senior Counsel to the President and Interim Chief Financial Officer, University of Central Florida
- John S. Applegate, J.D., Professor and Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs, Indiana University System