CofC Podcast: A Year in Review With President Hsu

On this episode of the Speaking of … College of Charleston podcast, we sit down with President Andrew T. Hsu to reflect on highlights of the year. From reaching an all time high of 32,000 applicants to establishing new academic programs like the B.A. in  entrepreneurship, Hsu talks about his drive to keep moving full speed ahead to ensure the College’s position as a leader of academic excellence.

Some key achievements in the last year include the reorganization of STEM programs into two schools: the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics.

 ”Splitting STEM into these two schools gives our university more precision, more flexibility and certainly more visibility across diverse scientific and technological domains, while still allowing for interdisciplinary collaboration,” says Hsu.

Hsu emphasizes the importance of liberal arts education for developing durable skills in graduates to make them competitive in the work force.  

“When I talk with industry leaders, they are looking for graduates – not just with just technical skills, which can be learned on the job – but they want people with durable skills such as communication, creativity, teamwork, problem solving, emotional intelligence and a global mindset,” he says. “These skills will help our students stay relevant far into the future. And those are the types of graduates we’re producing across disciplines.”

He reflects on proud moments from the year, including the College’s national visibility and events such as the College of Charleston Orchestra’s performance at one of the most prestigious stages in the world – Carnegie Hall.

“Each of these moments showcase how amazing our university is. Truly, extraordinary events happen here at the College of Charleston every single day,” says Hsu.

We are not going to argue.

Featured on This episode:

On November 28, 2018, the Board of Trustees selected Andrew T. Hsu to be the 23rd president of the College of Charleston. He formally took office on May 16, 2019.

Before joining the College, Hsu was the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at The University of Toledo, a public research university in Ohio with 21,000 students, 220 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and 40 doctoral programs. In this role, Hsu led the university through a strategic planning process and oversaw its implementation. Through a campuswide effort, the strategic plan implementation resulted in significant progress in student success, research and scholarly activities, and fundraising: The university has improved its first-year retention rate by more than 10% and its graduation rate by 5.5%; research award and fundraising are both up by 20%.

Hsu earned his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. He then worked in industry for 11 years with Sverdrup/NASA and Rolls-Royce, where he developed unique industry perspectives and leadership skills, before joining academia in 1997.

In his free time, Hsu enjoys tennis, classical music and spending time with his wife, Rongrong, and four daughters, Carol, Kristie, Jenny and Emma.

Resources From This episode:

• College of Charleston Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
• A Year in Review  
• President Hsu’s Instagram and X Accounts