VisionVision
University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides and former president Andrew Sorensen saw the unique potential for Innovista: a moderately sized city in the Sunbelt, only a two-hour drive from both the mountains and the beach; a flagship university with several well-established and high-profile research fields; a capital city at the center of state government; and an underutilized river a short distance from campus.
Urban Innovation
“We’re building the kind of interactive, urban innovation district that researchers and private-sector
companies are looking for,” Pastides says. “One that’s truly unique, but—architecturally
and environmentally—virtually indistinguishable from the city of Columbia as it stretches from downtown to
the shores of the Congaree River. It’s a place where people can live next to where they work and take a short
walk to restaurants, entertainment, and recreation.”
An economic engine
The University of South Carolina is investing in the state’s future. Innovista is the key to a new economy
built on a foundation of technology and knowledge-based jobs. Private tenants relocating to Innovista are expected to bring high-paying jobs that will raise the state’s per-capita income.
New faces
Through endowed chairs—funded by the state and matching private donations—plus two other aggressive
recruiting programs for researchers and interdisciplinary clusters of faculty, the University is attracting some
of the nation’s top talent to match its new facilities. “Cluster hiring provides a critical mass in
an area very quickly and telegraphs to the world that there is something interesting going on that gets noticed,”
says Gordon Baylis, associate provost and director of a statewide brain-imaging consortium.
Pastides acknowledges it takes new buildings to recruit new faculty stars, but the results hold the promise to alter lives. “Any university that hopes to be a faithful index to its people must be taking science and technology out of the ivory tower in favor of doing meaningful things with it that improve society.”
Nurturing the Vision
President Harris Pastides, a former VP for Research and Health Sciences, has helped oversee a renaissance in research and culture at the University of South Carolina.
Photo: University Marketing and Communications
Expanding the Vision
Innovista executive director John Parks is developing the research and innovation district, bringing in new private-sector businesses, many of which will work with University researchers.
Photo: University Marketing and Communications