BEAUFORT, S.C. — Al M. Panu, who has led the University of South Carolina Beaufort for more than a decade, plans to leave the chancellor job when June 2027 ends, giving the USC System a long runway to pick his successor.
Panu took over in July 2015 as only the second chancellor in the school history, following Jane T. Upshaw. No African American had held a chancellor post in the university system before his appointment.
His years in charge brought a jump in the numbers. Enrollment rose 27.8% and the count of graduates climbed 43%, while the yearly economic impact tied to the university went from $75 million to $141 million.
The school also added its first graduate degrees, three new bachelor programs and concentrations in cybersecurity and marine biology, started the Beaufort College Honors Program and moved its athletics into NCAA Division II.
USC President Michael Amiridis credited Panu with upgrading infrastructure and widening the reach of the three USCB campuses.
Growth remains the big question for whoever comes next. Local economic planners point to a push for more than 3,000 students as a way to expand research and keep talent in the Lowcountry.
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